The Rumours Thread

[Draginzaaar]

Moses kicks the ball 15m longer than Hunt almost everytime when going for a long kick

That is a massive and it hurts our field position to no end.

Hunt many great characteristics but this is killer for our team to control the game.

No every kicker can kick like Moses or Burton. If they could they all would.

 

[since77]

I can understand the argument for Hunt, especially given he is are only marquee. But I just keep thinking of those games against the knights and bulldogs, he was completely inferior in terms of game management against some bog average reserve grader halves.
Right know, we don’t need a superstar halfback, a 2016-2018 version of Blake Green would be good enough, someone just to kick us around the field.

We won a premiership with Hornby at half. Now I love that guy, he's a modern day Dragons legend - but he was not a marquee half by any standards.
He was behind a killer pack of forwards and had a partner in the halves who was an elite kicker. Stuck to a simple game plan every match and never had a bad game.
I've said it many times. Should have let Hunt walk when he had a sook and use his money to make offers the best available front rowers in the game couldn't refuse, even if we were paying overs for them. Then grab a half who can kick well and game manage.
I actually agree with some people that Hunt has been our best player over the last few years. But that doesn't matter - he's the wrong halfback for this team, especially if we want to get out of the hole we're in now.

 

[Kolum Kid]

The talk of letting Hunt just leave is ludicrous. People can pretend he's not all they want, but he's our best player. He's also the best half at the club. That doesn't make half his best position, but it's the most important position on the field and he is the best at it at the Dragons. Are we all just going to pretend we didn't lose to a Broncos team a couple seasons ago when they had 12 players out, and we had one: Ben Hunt. We lost to a genuine reserve grade team at full strength minus Hunt. The alternatives people are throwing up like Kyle to halfback.. sorry but are we serious? Anyone who genuinely thinks Kyle at halfback would be anything but an absolute disaster is blinded by their hatred of Hunt. Kyle's a reserve grader.. that's just the reality. Would I like to see Hunt at hooker? Yeah i would, his kicking game out of dummy half is way better than in general play and I completely acknowledge he can't organise a team. But the alternatives.. Kyle and Marchske in the halves.. in week to week NRL. My god that would be shambolic, just think about that for one second. No one thinking rationally could possibly actually think we'd be better off with that pairing. We are two good signings in the halves away from even being able to think about Hunt to hooker, or Hunt to leave - whatever gets you going. And with a massive shortage of good halves, it's just not going to happen, especially not right away. Say you sign a good out and out halfback who can control a game. Then, they play the halfback role, but we're still better off having Hunt in the halves (playing more of a 6 role) than we are having Kyle there. Even just signing that one half is going to be hard enough. Only if you did that and then signed another good half (a 6), would it actually be a viable option to move Hunt to hooker or to move him on. Hatred of the bloke just blinds people, the alternative of not having him in the halves/at the club is scary

A lot of what you say makes sense but if we resign Hunt we will be getting more of what we're getting now which is the definition of madness. If he resigns it should be on our terms, you play where it best suits the team a la Lomax. He's been here how long now? It isn't going to change with another contract so best to get the pain out of the way now

 

[BLM01]

We can agree to disagree on KF - I think as a game managing half you might be surprised. look at his stats for Roosters 2020.

I do tend to agree it's difficult to turf Hunt without a plan but we've done poorly with Hunt over the past few seasons

He's not QLD's SOO half for a reason and it's only his ego, being in the team, that dictate he will play anywhere to be in the QLD team.
But not for us!
I swear, if he handed the game management to KF and purely focussed on his running game either side of the field, we'd be a much improved outfit that we could build on.

But he just won't do it!

He's a chequebook half/captain who doesn't bleed Red and White

Well although it is a rumours thread i will finish here on Hunt, so my energies will be filtered elsewhere on team discussion.
We better get used to it like him or not he will be here in 2026 while Flanno is coach, whatever position he ends up playing.

 

[TheRev]

I'm not opposed to sourcing a halfback with a bigger boot, we need a recruitment manager to do all the leg work.. Think outside the box.. Will be difficult to sign them if hunt has a mortgage on the 7..but not impossible.

Ultimately if we win a few more games this month then all good, it's rly only if we go on a losing run that I think Flanno will more seriously ponder his options... And we were winning at half time last week before those 2 serious injuries.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

Cleary
Moses
Burton
Fogarty
Hynes
Townsend
SWalker
Munster not far off

Id say Hunt is bottom quartile in kicking but genuinely does have other strong parts of his game.

These guys drive it long and make it hard for the opposition to get back to their halfway.

When you are a team that doesnt dominate in the forwards you need everything to control field position.

I dont have an easy answer and Hunt is the best of a small 'possible' pool right now.........but geeze his "long kicking" is a mile behind and it hurts

 

[since77]

Cleary
Moses
Burton
Fogarty
Hynes
Townsend
SWalker
Munster not far off

Id say Hunt is bottom quartile in kicking but genuinely does have other strong parts of his game.

These guys drive it long and make it hard for the opposition to get back to their halfway.

When you are a team that doesnt dominate in the forwards you need everything to control field position.

I dont have an easy answer and Hunt is the best of a small 'possible' pool right now.........but geeze his "long kicking" is a mile behind and it hurts

How many games over the last few season can we suggest we lost due to his poor kicking game / terrible last tackle options either in part or in full? I'd wager it's quite a few. Big bucks for a guy who delivers very little in the true moments that matter.

 

[Auntie.Gerald]

I mean we all know success is a web of improvement...........its not a mono solution

But i just hate watching us kick on our 30m 40m line and I hate it even more if the kick goes 35m if you are lucky

drives me nuts seeing the opposition FB getting back to their 40m line to start the tackle count rrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[Mojo]

Cleary
Moses
Burton
Fogarty
Hynes
Townsend
SWalker
Munster not far off

Id say Hunt is bottom quartile in kicking but genuinely does have other strong parts of his game.

These guys drive it long and make it hard for the opposition to get back to their halfway.

When you are a team that doesnt dominate in the forwards you need everything to control field position.

I dont have an easy answer and Hunt is the best of a small 'possible' pool right now.........but geeze his "long kicking" is a mile behind and it hurts

You do have an answer. I reckon you answered your own question. Big, solid forwards and fast backs with halves that know how and when to work the connection. It's been the same for 116 years. The game doesn't need geniuses. It needs highly developed core skills and cohesive team work. Our squad isn't at all bad. We just need to get our sh-t together. We have to get on with it - and forget about searching for and signing a messiah.

 

[hewi]

Basics as said above. Forwards have to take the ball on the run then have a quick play the ball to create space for the halves. Defenders need to talk to each other and come off the line when defending. If you do those 2 things you are in the game. We do neither for 80 minutes and quite often struggle to do it for 10 minutes.

 

[saintmar]

Basics as said above. Forwards have to take the ball on the run then have a quick play the ball to create space for the halves. Defenders need to talk to each other and come off the line when defending. If you do those 2 things you are in the game. We do neither for 80 minutes and quite often struggle to do it for 10 minutes.

Agree
This coach is obviously not resonating with the players
The old saying “times up” might come quicker than expected if performances like Anzac Day and against the Dogs keep repeating.

 

[FlickFlano]

Both those games and to a lesser extent the knights were a direct result of shifting a player who offers nothing but the ability to make tackles in the middle to the centres. Do we have a player capable of playing centre/edge with some level of competence (Beau Scott type). That shift meant both our edge defence and middle defence were destroyed.

AS for hunt, he is the only consistent memeber in a non functioning attack over the past 8 years. However it is always someone elses fault there.

 

[possm]

So who didn’t let him go?
And who was bought here to attract signings?
WHO?

The more important thing is who is our defence coach.

 

[saintmar]

The more important thing is who is our defence coach.

You wouldn’t have to defend as much if you attack can do a bit more than 5 hit ups and a bomb
who is the attacking coach?

 

[Slippery Morris]

Everyone is worried losing Hunt will weaken Saints but what about Hunt weakening the other team in the process as they surely would have a better half than him. Saints attack the last 2-3 years has been rubbish. If the 2 boys today (Marshke and KFlanno) do well in the halves, I would move Hunt to No.9 for the origin period (5-6 games) and see how this combo goes. The attack cannot get any worse and may surprise Saints how good it is. Nothing to lose imo.

 

[Sage63]

Everyone is worried losing Hunt will weaken Saints but what about Hunt weakening the other team in the process as they surely would have a better half than him. Saints attack the last 2-3 years has been rubbish. If the 2 boys today (Marshke and KFlanno) do well in the halves, I would move Hunt to No.9 for the origin period (5-6 games) and see how this combo goes. The attack cannot get any worse and may surprise Saints how good it is. Nothing to lose imo.

Yeah f****** him.
I'm so over his f****** egotistical persona.
He is not indispensable and not what he thinks he is!

 

[An Old Westie Dragon]

Saints attack the last 2-3 years has been rubbish.

Try the last decade Slippery. The 5 x hit ups and kick drives me nuts.

 

[Dragon David]

The ‘crazy theory’ that could see Suaalii land at the Dragons: Transfer Whispers

The ‘crazy theory’ that could see Suaalii land at the Dragons: Transfer Whispers

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[justadragon]

The ‘crazy theory’ that could see Suaalii land at the Dragons: Transfer Whispers

The ‘crazy theory’ that could see Suaalii land at the Dragons: Transfer Whispers

www.foxsports.com.au

After watching Finau tonight and Feigai I wouldnt be chasing Simonssen.

 

[AyiosYiorgos]

After watching Finau tonight and Feigai I wouldnt be chasing Simonssen.

Finau seemed to be out of position on the latter plays of the set seemed to be up in the line instead out the back, Penrith didnt exploit it as much as they should have.