Andrew Johns questions Dragons' recruitment of Ben Hunt as pressure rises
Ben Glover - 9 August 2019
Another failed season from a St George Illawarra side stacked with State of Origin players has put Paul McGregor under huge pressure despite the coach's recent re-signing with the club for a further two years.
With the Dragons fading from view in the race for a top eight spot over the last month, the Red V army has mobilised, with increasing amounts of 'Fail Mary' signs appearing in the crowd as 2019 draws to a close.
Whether or not the views of one of the most engaged fanbases in the NRL has any impact on decision-making at Dragons' HQ remains to be seen but with there's little doubt that with every loss McGregor's hold on his job becomes more tenuous.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports for Immortal Behaviour, rugby league legend Andrew Johns conceded as much, starting his critique of the Dragons' recent poor form by saying: "The drums are beating for Mary."
However, Johns continued that the scrutiny on McGregor was a direct result of a $6 million recruitment decision that has come in for constant criticism and has never really looked like good business.
When the Dragons signed then Broncos halfback Ben Hunt on a five-year deal reportedly worth $6 million in January 2017 it raised eyebrows from experts across the game.
Hunt had never won a premiership, famously dropping the ball in golden point of the 2015 grand final to hand Johnathan Thurston a premiership-winning field-goal in his only appearance in a decider, and hadn't yet been selected to play State of Origin.
He was considered an excitement machine, with a clever running game capable of ripping defensive lines open on his day, but a flawed game manager who, at 26 had yet to prove himself a genuine No.7.
Those concerns, however, did not deter the Dragons from tabling one of the biggest offers of all-time, a deal worth $1.2 million-a-season, to pair Hunt with skipper and star five-eighth Gareth Widdop.
It was the gamble they felt they had to take to win a premiership. According to Johns, that same gamble may become a key reason McGregor joins the unemployment line.
"I don't know if Ben Hunt's an out and out halfback, especially on what they're paying for him, that sort of money is for superstar quality," Johns said.
"I think he's a sensational dummy half and he showed that in Origin I just don't think week in week out under pressure he's that elite halfback.
"So there's a lot of money tied up in the salary cap for him at halfback ..."
There lies the rub.
Hunt defenders would make the legitimate claim that since Hunt has joined the Dragons he has won representative jerseys, both for Queensland and Australia, putting him in the truly elite category of playmakers.
The problem with that argument is that Hunt's only shot in the Maroons No.7 jersey ended in disaster, with the halfback copping a significant share of the blame for a Queensland loss in Game Two of the 2018 series, when they failed to capitalise on a Blues side down to 12 men in the closing stages of the contest after James Roberts was sin binned.
Daly Cherry-Evans replaced him for Game Three and cemented his position in the side with a performance so impressive he was given the captaincy for this year's series.
In the green and gold, Hunt has mainly been selected for his utility value, wearing the No.14 jersey due to his ability to play multiple positions.
At representative level Johns sees Hunt as a better hooker than a halfback but the three Origin games he played in the No.9 jersey this year drained him to the point that McGregor was forced to rest him in a must-win game 10 days after the players had returned to their club duties.
That was a decision that put McGregor in the furnace and Hunt in the fire as the Dragons plunged to a disappointing loss and watched their finals chances disappearing before their eyes.
While Hunt has copped the brunt of the criticism for his performances (and non appearance) following the Origin series, several of his big-name teammates have also been flat, with Johns describing them as "a tired footy team" over the last month.
"I watched closely last week against Parra and some of the effort areas you hear coaches talk about, you know, the one percenters and effort areas, things like pressuring kickers .... the first set of the game Parramatta rolled forward and when they kicked downfield by Mitchell Moses there was no pressure on the kicker, which is a bit of that mindset of, especially the forward pack 'well someone else will do it,' so that's where they're falling down," Johns explained.
Still it is Hunt on the biggest dollars and whether or not McGregor's around with him next year and beyond, it will be Hunt's performances that again cop the most scrutiny as the Dragons reload for another tilt at September footy in 2020.
In fact, with Widdop departing for the Super League, the microscope will feel like a laser on Hunt as he attempts to form a new halves partnership with Corey Norman, another player with a big reputation who is yet to fully realise his potential.
So what's to be done? Should the Dragons be entertaining the idea of shifting their $1.2 million Origin hooker into the No.9 jersey?
It would be a massive call given the club's current hooker Cameron McInnes is contracted until 2021 and has given great service since arriving at the Dragons.
However, McInnes would be easier to sell to another club given his considerably more modest wage bill and his reputation as one of the top five hookers in the game.
It's this kind of thinking that the Dragons perhaps need to start embarking on - and it's all because of a massive recruitment call that hasn't paid off.
"They need some new ideas, whether that comes from a new coach or new assistants, a new attacking coach I don't know but they need some changes."
URL:
https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/dragon...hns-says/85240802-517d-4bf8-95ac-285a14c4d0da
