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.
Jackson Hastings' future at the Newcastle Knights has been outnumbered, with him beingย linked with an exit from the Knights as early as July after being axed in favour of Tyson Gamble, Will Pryce, Jack Cogger and Phoenix Crossland and finding himself playing lock in the NSW Cup.
Contracted until the end of next season, there have been continuous reports linking with him an exit and a return overseas to theย Super League, where he won the Man of Steel award in 2020 - the competition's equivalent to the Dally M Medal.
It is understood that the Knights are also willing to contribute to his salary if he could find a new club for the 2025 season and, more recently, was linked to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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Once seen as the Knights' primary playmaker, Hastings has yet to live up to his potential since returning to the NRL, but a new scenery at the Dragons and playing under a new coach could see him reach the form that saw him win the Man of Steel award.
โAt the moment, I'm really enjoying my life in Australia, and hopefully, I'll stay there as long as possible, and you never know, come back here one day and get to play in stadiums like this," Hastings said recently admitting that he wants to stay in the NRL competition.
โI really enjoyed my time here, but it's ran its race. I'm back in Australia with family I'm really happy, but who knows, maybe back one day I'll be playing here in a game like this.โ
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.