The Rumours Thread

[dungay dragon]

It is his first game back this year. Would not judge his fitness levels onb that. Kikau is more of an issue.

Kikau is a shadow of the attacking gun he was at Panthers
Take the big dollars and cruise along

 

[SAP58]

It is his first game back this year. Would not judge his fitness levels onb that. Kikau is more of an issue.

Agree with that he was close to the best prop in the world 3 yrs ago. First game this year back from a foot injury so fitness would be a big factor.

 

[TruSaint]

Sully had a contract for two years just like Hunt.
Flano refused to let the aging Hunt go but yet gave permission for Sully to test the market.
He could have said to Sully you have a contract and you are going nowhere just like he said to Hunt.
He made choice between the two and imo it will prove to be a big mistake.

Yeah, from what we know this is a fair summary.

It may be the case that Saints wont release Hunt until / if they have a bigger target in mind. That's only spec on my behalf.

I will say this though, I do not want a player ( esp a Captain ), at our Club who doesn't want to be there. My hope is that with our new coach, we clean the slate and go again with 2-3 years of rebuild composed of players that buy into the Club.

 

[Gippsy]

Sully had a contract for two years just like Hunt.
Flano refused to let the aging Hunt go but yet gave permission for Sully to test the market.
He could have said to Sully you have a contract and you are going nowhere just like he said to Hunt.
He made choice between the two and imo it will prove to be a big mistake.

Has Bud been granted a release yet? There is a big difference between told to test the market and being released from a current contract.

 

[BLM01]

Sully had a contract for two years just like Hunt.
Flano refused to let the aging Hunt go but yet gave permission for Sully to test the market.
He could have said to Sully you have a contract and you are going nowhere just like he said to Hunt.
He made choice between the two and imo it will prove to be a big mistake.

Time will tell if it is mistake re Sully. Whilst I would of been happy to watch him with us for another year he has been injury prone and struggled in a struggling team.
A new coach coming in with his neck on the line with runs on the board in regards to success and building a club has made a call, we will see how this pans out. I am going with his judgment ATM. As I said before I believe Hunt will leave this year.

 

[RedVDave]

Sorry if it's already been mentioned but apparently Flanno wants Joey Manu as our fullback for next year a nice dream but that's all it is.

 

[Draginzaaar]

Sorry if it's already been mentioned but apparently Flanno wants Joey Manu as our fullback for next year a nice dream but that's all it is.

It's for 2025.

 

[qld redvee]

Sorry if it's already been mentioned but apparently Flanno wants Joey Manu as our fullback for next year a nice dream but that's all it is.

maybe flanno is dreaming but i like the way he is chasing players of quality .... hes breaking the cycle of looking in the sale bin like the 2 previous coaches

 

[OneEyedDragon]

Dopey old Buzz has said in his rant about the underperforming Bulldogs that Ben Hunt has committed to the Dragons for at least the remainder of his existing contract. Has Flanno convinced Hunt that he has a few better players coming to the Dragons? Geeez I hope so!

 

[Phantom V]

It’s hard to get a read on what’s going on at the moment. A part of me still thinks that once Hunt goes up to QLD for his holiday he may start agitating again, although the Titans have now spent most of their cash with Tino and Fifita. Who knows.
If he has committed to honouring his contract with the club, I’d be getting him to talk the place up at every opportunity to make up for the damage he caused by publicly wanting a release.

 

[Como Connection]

It’s hard to get a read on what’s going on at the moment. A part of me still thinks that once Hunt goes up to QLD for his holiday he may start agitating again, although the Titans have now spent most of their cash with Tino and Fifita. Who knows.
If he has committed to honouring his contract with the club, I’d be getting him to talk the place up at every opportunity to make up for the damage he caused by publicly wanting a release.

Maybe a swap for Townsend with lots more money to spend.
CC

 

[Old Timer]

RE Hunt
At 34 does anyone really believe that
1. He will play in any position that is best for the club?
2. He will nurture the younger halves in the club?
3. He will turn into a clutch moment player?
4. He will play "team" football especially with any halves partner he has?
5. He will be turned around in all aspects of his attitude to the club and fellow players just by the mere presence of Flanagan?
6. He will openly admit that his request for a release etc etc was merely a brain explosion and that he is more than happy to be part of our club and its future whatever that may be?
7. He will admit that he got it all wrong with Mc Cullough and Hook?

 

[dragon thomo]

No clubs other than the Dolphins would have the cap space. Although if the Titans would trade a couple of descent players for Hunt I wouldn't mind. I also think Townsend would fit in OK as his organising skills are better than Hunts.

 

[SAP58]

Time will tell if it is mistake re Sully. Whilst I would of been happy to watch him with us for another year he has been injury prone and struggled in a struggling team.
A new coach coming in with his neck on the line with runs on the board in regards to success and building a club has made a call, we will see how this pans out. I am going with his judgment ATM. As I said before I believe Hunt will leave this year.

I tend to agree, I was at a Red V function a couple of weeks ago & Webb addressed the issue and restated Hunt wants to be in a more competative side & has agreed to stay with the club this year. I emphasise "this year", every quote I see talks about Hunt agreening to stay on for the remainder of the season I have not seen or heard Hunt or anyone at the Dragons state that he has agreed to stay till the end of his contract. It has been stated the Dragons wont release him but no commitment till the end of his contract. I am guessing he has agreed to stay until the end of the year to see who Flanno signs if he is not impressed the leaving merry-go-round will start once again.

 

[Mojo]

I tend to agree, I was at a Red V function a couple of weeks ago & Webb addressed the issue and restated Hunt wants to be in a more competative side & has agreed to stay with the club this year. I emphasise "this year", every quote I see talks about Hunt agreening to stay on for the remainder of the season I have not seen or heard Hunt or anyone at the Dragons state that he has agreed to stay till the end of his contract. It has been stated the Dragons wont release him but no commitment till the end of his contract. I am guessing he has agreed to stay until the end of the year to see who Flanno signs if he is not impressed the leaving merry-go-round will start once again.

Can we please speed up the merry go round then so he gets flung off into the dirt ASAP?

 

[possm]

Kept Hunt and let Sully go.
That says it all, about where we are heading.
He had his chance to really restructure the roster and totally screwed it.
Luckily for us he will attract hi son.

Saints let Sullivan go because he wanted to go. He is a big injury injury risk going forward.

Saints won't keep Hunt. In my opinion, the Bogs will pick him up 2024-2026. And so, Saints will have over 3m to spend on a couple of forwards and an outside back. I'm sure Flanagan won't let the chance of bye to sign his son Kyle. .

 

[Dragon David]

I tend to agree, I was at a Red V function a couple of weeks ago & Webb addressed the issue and restated Hunt wants to be in a more competative side & has agreed to stay with the club this year. I emphasise "this year", every quote I see talks about Hunt agreening to stay on for the remainder of the season I have not seen or heard Hunt or anyone at the Dragons state that he has agreed to stay till the end of his contract. It has been stated the Dragons wont release him but no commitment till the end of his contract. I am guessing he has agreed to stay until the end of the year to see who Flanno signs if he is not impressed the leaving merry-go-round will start once again.

RE Hunt
At 34 does anyone really believe that
1. He will play in any position that is best for the club?
2. He will nurture the younger halves in the club?
3. He will turn into a clutch moment player?
4. He will play "team" football especially with any halves partner he has?
5. He will be turned around in all aspects of his attitude to the club and fellow players just by the mere presence of Flanagan?
6. He will openly admit that his request for a release etc etc was merely a brain explosion and that he is more than happy to be part of our club and its future whatever that may be?
7. He will admit that he got it all wrong with Mc Cullough and Hook?

In my view and I know that my vision is quite short sighted at the moment in more ways than one, however, I honestly don't believe that Hunt will do those things that you have mentioned OT and in response to SAP58, if he isn't impressed with who Flanno signs and he starts his "I want to leave" sob story again, what club is prepared to pay a 34 year old, only for himself selfish so and so player the million or so dollars that he is on, particularly those clubs that already have decent halfbacks and are capable of winning a premiership. His only chance of going to another club is for unders, which may not be acceptable by the NRL because that other club has to be seen to pay the same coin as he is on before the deal can be registered - I think? That other club might just have the same outcomes as us so what would he gain?

Hunt has become a real sticky problem for us. On reflection, we should have let him go and saved what we would have paid him and got the players we need and who would be proud to wear the RedV. Now it leaves us with him and his obvious I don't give a shit attitude and the likelihood of Sullivan moving on and maybe one day killing it with the new club.

Hunt has not really been great in all of the past and present years. We were in desperate need of a proper half back way back then to partner Widdop. Widdop should have been kept and Hunt not renewed in hindsight and to me would have been better with Adam Clune being Widdop"s support half back.

Time will tell what this Hunt circus will result in.

 

[Dragon David]

Rothfield says that -
“I spoke to people over the weekend and Ben Hunt has fully recommitted to the Dragons, he had a couple of meeting with Shane Flanagan.”

...and
He also revealed that superstar halfback Ben Hunt won’t be leaving the Dragons before his contract ends.

 

[Mojo]

Rothfield says that -
“I spoke to people over the weekend and Ben Hunt has fully recommitted to the Dragons, he had a couple of meeting with Shane Flanagan.”

...and
He also revealed that superstar halfback Ben Hunt won’t be leaving the Dragons before his contract ends.

Mr Rothfield, puhlease ... he's not a fkn 'superstar' - jayz!

 

[possm]

RE Hunt
At 34 does anyone really believe that
1. He will play in any position that is best for the club?
2. He will nurture the younger halves in the club?
3. He will turn into a clutch moment player?
4. He will play "team" football especially with any halves partner he has?
5. He will be turned around in all aspects of his attitude to the club and fellow players just by the mere presence of Flanagan?
6. He will openly admit that his request for a release etc etc was merely a brain explosion and that he is more than happy to be part of our club and its future whatever that may be?
7. He will admit that he got it all wrong with Mc Cullough and Hook?

Flanno will invest time and energy helping to reserect his son Kyle at the Dragons. This will give a few bright young halves at the Dargons time to develop this skill to first-grade level.

Kyle could play 6, 7, 9, or 14.