The race for Ben Hunt's services has gotten shorter, with another NRL club reportedly becoming the latest team to exit the race for his services after the St George Illawarra Dragons granted him permission to explore his options.
A veteran of the NRL, Hunt's future has been up in the air since reports emerged that he was seeking a release in the middle of last year, and he is looking to find a new destination.
The halfback is contracted at the Dragons until the end of the 2025 season, but it is likely that he has played his final game in Dragons colours after being granted permission to explore his options and speak with rival teams before November 1.
After the Canberra Raiders, Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys have already withdrawn from the race, the Canterbury Bulldogs have become the latest team to pull their name out of the hat, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
The Bulldogs were one of two clubs that had shown a heavy interest in signing Hunt and had been interested in him since early September.
However, they will instead rely on incumbent halfback Toby Sexton until Cameron Ciraldo gives Cassius Tia and Mitchell Woods the chance to perform in the NRL arena, with the duo being regarded as the club's future.
This leaves The Dolphins as the only team to have a confirmed interest in Hunt with new head coach Kristian Woolf revealing that he would be interested in speaking with the Dragons skipper over a potential move.
“I read the media reports, and I can sit here with my hand on my heart and say we've had no contact at all," new Dolphins head coach Kristian Woolf said at a press conference.
"At the moment it's not something I'm interested in talking about.
“We're always interested in talented players and Ben Hunt is a talented player, he's playing for Australia at the moment.
"We're always interested in having those conversations but as I said, that conversation hasn't happened at the moment.”
If he does move to Redcliffe, he will play in the five-eighth role with Isaiya Katoa and Jeremy Marshall-King already playing in the halfback and hooker positions.
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“I don't want to speculate on all that sort of rubbish," Dragons coach Shane Flanagan told The Herald.
"The Ben Hunt story in the off-season has been pretty much saying he's got a contract here next year. We expect him to be here.
"The board's made a decision that they could go to market a little bit earlier if he wanted to. They declined that, so we're moving forward. When I put my team on paper, Ben Hunt's No.7.”
Despite the comments from Flanagan, Hunt is unlikely to return for pre-season training in January with the club and has no desire to stay at the Red V or be coached by Flanagan.
