Five NRL clubs circle wantaway Hunt, but only one is in pole position

Five clubs are already sniffing around Dragons wantaway Ben Hunt as the St George Illawarra captain pushes for an early release from the final two and a half years of his contract, but only one is truly in pole position—the Gold Coast Titans.

The Canterbury Bulldogs, Redcliffe Dolphins, Sydney Roosters, and Wests Tigers have all quietly started putting together selling points for the 33-year-old, 300-game halfback, but The Sporting Base understands the Titans have the best chance to land the agitated rugby league superstar for what may be the last move of his career.

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The situation is only helped by Hunt’s desire to return to playing in Queensland.

The Dragons skipper formally requested a release last weekend, while in camp ahead of State of Origin game two, which was immediately rejected by St George Illawarra brass.

Hunt made his stance clear ahead of Anthony Griffin’s sacking: If the joint venture decided to part ways with the struggling coach, who had managed just 22 wins in 58 games and had the club parked firmly in dead last, he would have to consider walking away from the project he had just recommitted to until the end of the 2025 NRL season.

Once the club did pull the trigger, Hunt set his breakout plan in motion. While he hasn’t officially spoken to any clubs yet, it’s understood his agent has informally met with Titans officials to sound out future options.

The Bulldogs have been publicly chasing him for some weeks now, even suggesting at the start of the season they wanted to do a trade deal with the Dragons to plug Hunt straight into their halves. St George Illawarra chief executive Ryan Webb has said he would flat-out refuse any trade offers from Sydney clubs in the coming weeks.

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The 33-year-old Dragons skipper has not suggested he has any particular club in mind should he be allowed to walk away from his contract.

Hunt is unlikely to play for the Dragons this Friday after Origin on Wednesday. The club is allegedly giving him a “free pass” to skip the game and return to training proper on Monday morning.