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Ben Hunt-NRL: The Controversial Exit that Paved the Way for Premiership Redemption By BBC Sports Correspondent The recent history of Ben Hunt in the National Rugby League (NRL) will be defined by one of the most contentious contract sagas in recent memory, followed by a swift and deeply personal form of redemption. The veteran playmaker, who secured his maiden NRL Premiership with the Brisbane Broncos in the 2025 Grand Final, completed a remarkable turnaround just twelve months after forcing an acrimonious exit from the St. George Illawarra Dragons. The narrative shifts from a highly-paid, dissatisfied club captain to a galvanising premiership winner underscores the complex intersection of player welfare, club stability, and salary cap management within the sport. Hunt’s tumultuous relationship with the St. George Illawarra club reached its apex in late 2024. Despite having a lucrative contract valued close to $1 million AUD per season and running until the end of the 2025 season, the Queensland and Australia representative made a persistent, public demand for an immediate release. This pressure had been building for two years, initially linked to his desire to return to Queensland for family reasons and subsequent dissatisfaction with the club’s coaching and management instability following the departure of Anthony Griffin. The tensions were deemed sufficiently high by club management to necessitate a dramatic decision. In October 2024, the Dragons finally acquiesced to his request, granting the release on the condition that Hunt immediately forfeited the final year of his contract—an estimated value of $950,000 AUD.
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The decision was historic in its magnitude, representing not only a massive financial sacrifice by a senior player but also a significant admission from the club that the relationship had become irreparable. The departure immediately freed up substantial space in the Dragons’ salary cap, but left a void in leadership and on-field experience. The then-Dragons CEO, Ryan Webb, commented at the time on the necessity of the clean break, suggesting that the situation had become detrimental to the team environment. "This decision was not easy and was not taken lightly, but we need to do what is best for the club at this time," Webb stated. "When you put all the pieces together and look at where Ben's head was at and our performance not being where we need to get to on the field, making a bit of a clean break now was the right call. The continuing instability was ultimately going to affect the other players and people around the club. " Following his release, Hunt swiftly signed a two-year deal with the Brisbane Broncos, the club where he began his career as a junior. The move represented a homecoming, but also a calculated gamble. His reported salary at the Broncos was significantly lower than his previous earnings, validating the analyst consensus that Hunt’s primary motivation was not financial, but driven by a desire to pursue a premiership at a club where he felt valued and which possessed genuine title-contending structure. The NRL’s salary cap auditor scrutinised the contract, given the high concentration of representative talent already at Brisbane, including players like Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan.
However, the deal was registered, with analysts pointing to Hunt's age and the timing of the signing—mid-off-season, under significant public pressure—as mitigating factors that justified the discounted rate. Rugby league analyst and former representative player Peter Sterling provided context on the move's success: "Ben Hunt is an elite competitor whose value extends far beyond statistical contribution," Sterling observed. "The decision to sacrifice such a large sum of money to secure his desired move demonstrated a singular focus on team success. His return to Brisbane wasn’t just a sentimental homecoming; it was a pragmatic move that instantly provided world-class depth and leadership precisely when the Broncos needed it most. He was the stabilising force that allowed them to navigate significant periods without key injured halves. " Indeed, the 2025 season proved the strategic genius of the move. Hunt’s versatility proved invaluable, filling the halfback role during early-season injuries to Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam, before transitioning effectively between five-eighth and utility hooker roles. This flexibility became a cornerstone of Brisbane's resilience, guiding the side into the finals series. The culmination of this dramatic career period came in the 2025 NRL Grand Final, where the Broncos defeated the Melbourne Storm. For Hunt, the victory was the completion of a deeply personal 10-year redemption arc.
The halfback had previously been indelibly linked to the 2015 Grand Final, where a dropped kick-off in golden point cost the Broncos the premiership. Securing the trophy in 2025 erased that memory and cemented his legacy as a leader who overcame profound professional adversity. "I've dreamt of this for the last 10 years," Hunt stated after the final whistle. "It's taken 350-plus games but it's all worth it. Returning to Brisbane was one of the best decisions I've ever made. When I left the Dragons, there was no doubt in my mind where I wanted to go, I just had to work it out. " The ben-hunt-nrl narrative is now one of closure and triumph. Contracted with the Broncos until the end of 2026, the 35-year-old is expected to potentially transition fully into the halfback role following Adam Reynolds’ planned retirement. Having achieved his lifelong ambition of an NRL Premiership, the immediate future for Hunt centres on maintaining his high level of performance and assisting in the succession planning at the Broncos, ensuring his dramatic final chapters remain golden.
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