The Dragons have been accused of gambling with their best player amid Ben Hunt’s switch to hooker as rival NRL clubs cue up to sign the halfback.
Anthony Griffin will use Hunt at dummyhalf against the Tigers in Magic Round, but even if it works it could cost the club their best player long-term.
“The big news is Ben Hunt has been moved form No.7 to No.9 and will play hooker for the Dragons this week,” Braith Anasta said on NRL 360.
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“This is a big positional switch for their best player. How has this come about?”
“I don’t think he is going to start the game at No.9,” Michael Carayannis replied.
“It is my understanding he will start at halfback and they have Jayden Sullivan on the bench.
“At some stage throughout the game depending on how the game is tracking Hunt might go to hooker.
“If the Dragons are up 16-0 Ben Hunt will stay at halfback. But if it is close and they need a spark or they need to change things up then Sullivan will come on and Hunt will move to hooker and Moses Mbye comes from the field.”
However, James Hooper believes there are no shortage of NRL clubs who will be lining up to give Hunt their No.7 jersey if he doesn’t want to play No.9 at the Dragons.
“Where I think this is such a risky play is Ben Hunt trained all day today at dummyhalf,” Hooper said.
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“Jayden Sullivan trained in the halves alongside Talatau Amone. But where it is a risky play is as much as Ben Hunt is a genius at dummyhalf for Queensland and Australia, at 33 years of age his preference at this point of his career is not to play dummyhalf for the remainder of his days in the NRL.
“So rival clubs have already taken note of this and you can guarantee and take it to the bank that they will be coming up with game plans about how they can try and get Ben Hunt out of the Dragons if he becomes unsettled.”
Anasta questioned why Griffin would move his halfback and best player at all.
“Why have they moved him?” Anasta asked.
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“If they are best mates and father and son and he wants to play No.7, why would he go to No.9?”
“They have moved him because they are desperate to win a game,” Hooper replied.
“They have lost four straight. Anthony Griffin to a degree I would argue has lost the plot this week by axing Lomax.
“He is desperate just to try and come up with answers.
“Ben Hunt and Griffin are like father and son best mates, so that is a really strong alliance.”
Paul Kent believes Hunt’s positional switch is an answer to the Dragons’ slow ball out of dummyhalf, which is hurting their attack.
“I think the ball out of dummyhalf has been pretty slow and Hunt gets the attack going a little bit quicker out of dummyhalf,” Kent said.
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“They have got to try and find something. Coaches come into the season and they have faith in their players and they give them opportunities and second chances.
“But Griffin said this week enough is enough. He has dropped Lomax. He has dropped Jacob Liddle and he has said, righto we need to get something out of dummyhalf.
“Ben Hunt we know can play very good minutes at dummyhalf. Obviously his preferred position is halfback, but they have got to try something.
“That might just bring the zip to their attack that they haven’t quite been getting.”
Hooper revealed there has been a player push to move Hunt to hooker for some time.
“Behind the scenes there has been a push internally for this from within the club,” Hooper said.
“There are figures and even some of the players that have actually been saying to the coach for a period of time, look we feel for the best balance of this side we might have more strike power if Ben goes in and plays dummyhalf.”
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Anasta believes Griffin should be listening to Hunt over anyone else at the club given his standing in the game.
“I don’t mind the idea, but Ben Hunt has been their best player since forever, since he has been there by a long way,” Anasta said.
“I’m not listening to the other players. I am listening to Ben Hunt. That is my take on it, but that is not to say that it won’t work because he is such a great player and we have seen that at No.9 at Origin level. So it could work but I would be listening to Ben Hunt more so than everyone else.”
Carayannis believes the Dragons need to work out if young halves Jayden Sullivan and Talatau Amone are their long-term solution in the halves.
“For the Dragons to be any good, I’m not just talking this year, but long-term, they need to find out if Amone and Sullivan are up to playing first grade,” Carayannis said.
“That’s what they need to do because they have invested heavily in these guys and they still have a couple of years left on their contracts.
“We have heard rumblings that they want out and the like. If the Dragons are going to do anything in the short-term they need to work out, are these our long-term halves or if they are not they need to get them out the door and find some halves to replace them.
“On the flip side if they perform well they have got two players they can build a side around for the next 10 years.
“A combination of Sloan, Amone, Sullivan and Hunt as a spine if it works actually looks really good.”
However, Hooper pointed out the club has also invested a lot of money in Ben Hunt and it would be a huge blow if they lost their best player over a positional switch.
“But what about how much they have got invested in Ben Hunt?” Hooper said.
“He is their best player. He is their captain. He has been their best player for the last three or four seasons.
“I think it is a risky play because I know for a fact that there are a number of other rival clubs that are watching this situation with interest.
“Ben is signed until the end of 2025, but we all know contracts are not worth the paper they are written on these days.
“I think when you have achieved as much as he has in the game and when you mean what he does to that club and that brand I think he should dictate where he plays.”
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Anasta questioned whether the switch to hooker could actually lead to Hunt leaving the club.
“Ben Hunt has said he would consider his position there if the coach moves on,” Anasta said.
“If he wants to play No.7 and he is moved to No.9 and then the coach does go, Ben could be looking elsewhere.
“If it doesn’t work and they keep losing is there a chance he goes to another club?”
Kent believes Hunt won’t mind the switch if it helps the team win.
“Ben will be a lot happier if they start winning games,” Kent said.
“That will compensate the positional move. The unhappiness of going from halfback to dummyhalf will be compensated if they start winning more games.
“There is always a chance he might go, but what have you lost if you send him there this week and have a look at it?”
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However, Hooper believes the Dragons are taking a huge risk that could potentially see their best player move to an NRL rival for the remainder of his career.
“They are playing with fire,” Hooper said.
“In my view the Dragons are absolutely playing with fire because Ben Hunt would have been consulted. He and Griffin would have spoken about this at length.
“He would have agreed that when Moses Mbye comes off there is a very good chance he will play dummyhalf against the Tigers.
“But where he is not going to be happy is if that is a long-term move and he is not going to be happy when Griffin is eventually shown the door and they bring another coach in.
“If the new coach wants Hunt to play dummyhalf I think potentially that is it for Hunt in the Red V.”
