The Rumours Thread

[hewi]

To me it’s plainly obvious he has no interest been there the biggest tell is he won’t take the line on.

 

[maestro1]

Not sold on Faalago yet. Looks vey quick.. yes he is young and we need speed and a good goose step?
But can he defend?.. not yet
Where does he play?.. wing?
If not
Is he any better than Sloan?.. IMO nit yet for fullback

Some believe he is a half. Jarome Hughes was a fullback that was converted into a half. I think Faalogo has the skills that suit a running halfback.

 

[sammymills]

in my opinion that review was a win win for us. Either hunt will want out and try and get his manager to force a swap deal, or he doesnt get out and is forced to pull his finger out next year and play for a contract elsewhere. Either way helps the club. Players when coming off contract always start killing it, i remember Leeson Ah-Mau did nothing for us for a few years then when contract time was up starting rampaging everyone, I distinctly remember him putting Paul Gallen on his arse.

 

[Angela Smith]

So much hate for Hunt. He may not be worth 1 million but if he wasnt in the team we probably would have lost alot more games. He is leading the try assists in the comp so he cant be that bad... I hope he does move on so we can go in another direction as we havent had the results we wanted over the years. However, blaiming him is wrong. We have had crap coaches and average footballers in the team. We need to replace a few players to get success. Removing Hunt alone will do nothing..

 

[Dragonslayer]

Hypothetical:

Let's say the Hunt review was deliberately leaked including the fact an extension to his contract has, for now, been taken off the table.
Add to this, was the leaked portion that identified, not 1, but multiple deficiencies in his game.
Let's say Ben is not too happy with this and begins thinking about his future in another teams colours.
Let's say the Titans are interested and, as of Nov1 offer Ben a 2yr deal.
Let's say that deal is 600k/season (so 1.2m over 2yrs) after his not so glowing review.
Let's say the Titans ask us to chip 300k for '25

Wouldn't this be an ideal scenario for both teams and Ben?
We, would only be up for 300k. Instead of say 500k if the review was rosy.
Ben gets an extra year and extra $$.
The Titans get an "experienced" player to replace Foran, who can play 7 or 9 at a perceived discounted price.

Again all hypothetical, but if this was the wheel in motion, then it's genius.

 

[hewi]

Hypothetical:

Let's say the Hunt review was deliberately leaked including the fact an extension to his contract has, for now, been taken off the table.
Add to this, was the leaked portion that identified, not 1, but multiple deficiencies in his game.
Let's say Ben is not too happy with this and begins thinking about his future in another teams colours.
Let's say the Titans are interested and, as of Nov1 offer Ben a 2yr deal.
Let's say that deal is 600k/season (so 1.2m over 2yrs) after his not so glowing review.
Let's say the Titans ask us to chip 300k for '25

Wouldn't this be an ideal scenario for both teams and Ben?
We, would only be up for 300k. Instead of say 500k if the review was rosy.
Ben gets an extra year and extra $$.
The Titans get an "experienced" player to replace Foran, who can play 7 or 9 at a perceived discounted price.

Again all hypothetical, but if this was the wheel in motion, then it's genius.

‘If the Titans would offer that you would nail their feet to the floor till the contract was signed.

 

[hook hook]

So much hate for Hunt. He may not be worth 1 million but if he wasnt in the team we probably would have lost alot more games. He is leading the try assists in the comp so he cant be that bad... I hope he does move on so we can go in another direction as we havent had the results we wanted over the years. However, blaiming him is wrong. We have had crap coaches and average footballers in the team. We need to replace a few players to get success. Removing Hunt alone will do nothing..

Perhaps a better stat to use would be a touch to try assist ratio. He touches the ball more than anyone in the comp, which in turn does not allow any other playmaker to get a try assist. In addition, he can’t kick out of our end which allows the opposition to start their sets well ahead. He’s also kicked the ball out on the full more than anyone in the comp, and I’m sure if there was a stat for kicks that went backwards there would be no competition. He tackles like he’s grabbing a newborn off someone. There’s no technique. It’s just cradle the ball, which is so ineffective as we saw against the eels.
I'm sorry but he deserves every bit of criticism he gets. Especially when he makes a wrong decision and blows up at the rest of the team. The blokes a cancer

 

[Slippery Morris]

It's good to see Saints finally have a coach who has high standards and is not scared about saying the obvious to his players no matter who it is. Saints won 2 games without Hunt this year so not all doom and gloom. If Hunt is a true professional he will stay next year to prove Flanno wrong and have an outstanding 2025. But I really doubt he will. Last years rant in the press whilst on Origin duty really exposed the type of person he is.

Makes me wonder, if this decision was made earlier in the season, would Saints have found it easier to keep Lomax who played his guts out rather than roll the dice on a guy who always had intentions of going back to Qld? Can we have a miracle and have a clause in Lomax's contract with the Eels that if Hunt leaves before the 2025 season, he can stay put at Saints? Parra love players clauses.

Anyway, I am sure if Hunt does go Flanno will have a plan as surprisingly the Val Holmes rumour to Saints came out ages ago before he signed so maybe Flanno did have the like for like replacement lined up before he pulled the trigger on Lomax and does so for Hunt as well.

 

[st george tragic]

in my opinion that review was a win win for us. Either hunt will want out and try and get his manager to force a swap deal, or he doesnt get out and is forced to pull his finger out next year and play for a contract elsewhere. Either way helps the club. Players when coming off contract always start killing it, i remember Leeson Ah-Mau did nothing for us for a few years then when contract time was up starting rampaging everyone, I distinctly remember him putting Paul Gallen on his arse.

That's not going to happen with Hunt. He has enough money and will retire at end of next year so no real incentive to play better. He will continue to go through the motions and then retire to Byron.

 

[Unsainty79]

So much hate for Hunt. He may not be worth 1 million but if he wasnt in the team we probably would have lost alot more games. He is leading the try assists in the comp so he cant be that bad... I hope he does move on so we can go in another direction as we havent had the results we wanted over the years. However, blaiming him is wrong. We have had crap coaches and average footballers in the team. We need to replace a few players to get success. Removing Hunt alone will do nothing..

I don't think its a reflection of his performances, which have improved significantly since his early days. It is more his approach and comments on a number of things, particularly as captain.

His comments when Young was the caretaker coach were the start of it for me, I didn't think it was in any way appropriate for him to say he didn't think Young was experienced enough for the permanent position, even if that may have been true.

What we've seen over the past years have been dreadful, the public playing out of his desire to leave, which I didn't have a problem with until he resigned on good coin before continuing with those grievances.

Granted this is merely rumours, but how much of a hand did he have in Lomax wanting out?

But this year, his spraying of other team mates was more and more pronounced. As the skipper, I expected him to be more measured. The final two games his defence was awful, and from the outside looking in, it was almost as if he'd given up.

 

[Mojo]

That's not going to happen with Hunt. He has enough money and will retire at end of next year so no real incentive to play better. He will continue to go through the motions and then retire to Byron.

Byron has no tolerance for bludgers .... d'oh.

 

[Dragon David]

That's not going to happen with Hunt. He has enough money and will retire at end of next year so no real incentive to play better. He will continue to go through the motions and then retire to Byron.

I tend to agree with you st george tragic and by the way, welcome to the Forum.
The main thing though is that if he stays with the Dragons in 2025 that he doesn't keep the captaincy. If he goes through the motions, he won't like it if he goes through the motions in the KOE Cup. A rather expensive reserve grader he will become.

 

[The Word]

Dragons forward reportedly inks new contract

This leaves one spot remaining on the club's Top 30 roster.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[HenryTatana]

So with Ado Carrs B sample now confirmed positive, Gus has a reason to flick him and make a play for RCG or Benny.

 

[TruSaint]

So with Ado Carrs B sample now confirmed positive, Gus has a reason to flick him and make a play for RCG or Benny.

Very likely.

 

[justadragon]

So much hate for Hunt. He may not be worth 1 million but if he wasnt in the team we probably would have lost alot more games. He is leading the try assists in the comp so he cant be that bad... I hope he does move on so we can go in another direction as we havent had the results we wanted over the years. However, blaiming him is wrong. We have had crap coaches and average footballers in the team. We need to replace a few players to get success. Removing Hunt alone will do nothing..

We have been through this before, the only reason he has that many try assists is because he demands the ball under all circumstances. As far as losing games without him, both games he wasnt there we won, and in actual fact the games that we had winning leads or should have won the game we lost, precisely because of him. A HB that cant lead or manage is certainly not worth a million dollars. Please dont get me started about his leadership qualities.

 

[getsmarty]

Hypothetical:

Let's say the Hunt review was deliberately leaked including the fact an extension to his contract has, for now, been taken off the table.
Add to this, was the leaked portion that identified, not 1, but multiple deficiencies in his game.
Let's say Ben is not too happy with this and begins thinking about his future in another teams colours.
Let's say the Titans are interested and, as of Nov1 offer Ben a 2yr deal.
Let's say that deal is 600k/season (so 1.2m over 2yrs) after his not so glowing review.
Let's say the Titans ask us to chip 300k for '25

Wouldn't this be an ideal scenario for both teams and Ben?
We, would only be up for 300k. Instead of say 500k if the review was rosy.
Ben gets an extra year and extra $$.
The Titans get an "experienced" player to replace Foran, who can play 7 or 9 at a perceived discounted price.

Again all hypothetical, but if this was the wheel in motion, then it's genius.

Good points...But depends who we replace him with... Hopefully Flanno has someone in mind...and respectfully not Kyle.

 

[TruSaint]

So much hate for Hunt. He may not be worth 1 million but if he wasnt in the team we probably would have lost alot more games. He is leading the try assists in the comp so he cant be that bad... I hope he does move on so we can go in another direction as we havent had the results we wanted over the years. However, blaiming him is wrong. We have had crap coaches and average footballers in the team. We need to replace a few players to get success. Removing Hunt alone will do nothing..

Removing Hunt will achieve much more than you say. He is not alone in our woes, but he is our highest paid player, Captain and only one on the field that doesn't want to be here. That alone should see him gone.

He has played over 340 games in the NRL and of those 147 with us. It's not as if he is a Dragons icon.

He has had moments, but has failed to deliver at clutch times and or games. Hunt leaving (if it happens), will set free cap money, open pathways and hopefully bring in a new culture. I am not having at go at you Angela, as I agree our problems predate Hunt. I can't change the board, however, let the club move on with players that actually want to be here.

 

[since77]

So much hate for Hunt. He may not be worth 1 million but if he wasnt in the team we probably would have lost alot more games. He is leading the try assists in the comp so he cant be that bad... I hope he does move on so we can go in another direction as we havent had the results we wanted over the years. However, blaiming him is wrong. We have had crap coaches and average footballers in the team. We need to replace a few players to get success. Removing Hunt alone will do nothing..

Oh please. Here we go again with the try assist furphy.
It's one very overused and misleading stat and it covers over every single one of Hunt's deficiencies. Now if you'd like to get back to us all with the stats on:

* How many clutch plays he's won a game with (at The Dragons) - I'll help you on this one - it's zero.
* How many times he's managed a game in the closing 20 minutes to get us to a victory - I'll help you again - that stat is zero.
* How many times his kicking game has changed momentum in a game when we needed it to - I'll help you with this one - its zero. Pay special attention to the two Bulldogs games this year when Matt Burton showed him how to keep his team in a game with his kicking even when playing behind a smaller pack of forwards.....
* How many times his kicking game has been utterly atrocious in a big game - too many to count.
* How many times he has gone missing in a big game - too many to count.
* How many times has he led from the front - I can remember exactly one game in his entire time here - against Melbourne this year, and he was actually great that game. But that's just one game in how many years?

And to clarify, I don't think anyone here hates Hunt. Many here are just frustrated with his inability to ever be much more than a pretty good running footballer who has occasional moments of individual brilliance but does precisely none of the things a marquee halfback should be doing.

Curtis on the latest Red V podcast summed it up perfectly - if we had DCE as halfback in last weekend's game we win it. That's why Hunt cops so much flak here - he never delivers in the areas true halfbacks and marquee players deliver.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

in my opinion that review was a win win for us. Either hunt will want out and try and get his manager to force a swap deal, or he doesnt get out and is forced to pull his finger out next year and play for a contract elsewhere. Either way helps the club. Players when coming off contract always start killing it, i remember Leeson Ah-Mau did nothing for us for a few years then when contract time was up starting rampaging everyone, I distinctly remember him putting Paul Gallen on his arse.

All im going to say is Leeson Ah-Mau did plenty for us, should have kept him..