After seven seasons and 147 matches for the St George Illawarra Dragons, Ben Hunt's time at the club has come to an end after he was released from the final season of the contract.
His departure means that the Dragons will need to prepare for life without him and will produce a new halves combination next season and beyond as they aim to reach the NRL Finals series once again.
Zero Tacklesย takes a look at ten realistic options that Shane Flanagan and the Dragons could choose to replace the Australian Kangaroos and QLD Maroons representative.
All the players on the list are either without a contract for next season, have been linked with the club or rival teams, have an 'NRL clause' in their contract, or are currently playing at the Dragons.
The options include seven rival NRL players, two Super League playmakers and one player who is currently involved with the St George Illawarra Dragons.
1Brodie Croft
The former Melbourne Storm playmaker has been linked with a return to the NRL for the past three years and has taken his game to new heights overseas which saw him win the 2022 Man of Steel Award - the equivalent to NRL's Dally M medal.
Although he is contracted with the Leeds Rhinos until the end of 2026, his manager revealed that his deal includes an 'NRL clause' that would allow him to return to Australia if an NRL team came calling.
Croft has also confirmed that he has the desire to return to the competition where he was once recognised as Cooper Cronk's successor and player 39 matches for the Storm and a further 26 games for the Brisbane Broncos.
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Surprisingly, the Dragons previously tried to make a move for Croft at the start of the 2023 season before negotiations fell apart between the Dragons and Salford Red Devils.
Although they were reluctant to pay a $250,000 transfer fee at the time, Hunt's release has freed up nearly $1 million of space in the salary cap and they also don't have the likes of Jayden Sullivan, Moses Mbye and Talatau Amone to rely on in short-term basis.
Pezet on loan for 12 months looks sensible, as does developing their home grown guy, King Togia. Developing your own (cheap) talent is the Penrith and Cronulla strategy, and that alone is a recommendation for the strategy.