Ben Hunt will be returning to Brisbane after seven years in Sydney, with the veteran halfback – who guided the Broncos to a grand final in 2015 – today signing a two-year, $600,000 playing deal.
The 34-year-old was released from the final year of his Dragons contract last month.
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Several Sydney clubs, including the Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters, held talks with Hunt (and he told them he would be joining the Broncos in courtesy phone calls on Tuesday). Queensland teams too were interested, with the Dolphins coming closest – Brisbane’s River City rivals mulled over a $1.3 million offer before the 34-year-old told them he wouldn’t be joining them.
There was also some conversations about Hunt heading over to England. One club did formally speak to the free agent, but Hunt eventually decided he wanted to stay in Australia instead of uprooting his family to the other side of the globe.
With this move, Hunt also keeps his hands on a preferred halves role for the time being.
Most of the clubs that wanted to pick the 34-year-old up wanted him to play hooker – much like the Red V at times.
Instead, Hunt wanted to keep playing halfback or at least a commanding playmaker role. Should things go according to plan, Hunt will play five-eighth to replace long-suspended Ezra Mam. He’ll partner Adam Reynolds, another halfback veteran.
Once Mam returns, Hunt may enter the hooker rotation alongside Billy Walters (the incumbent), Tyson Smoothy, and Cory Paix.
It’s good timing for the on-the-move 334-game star, who will come back into the Brisbane system as it undergoes major changes. The Red Hill club has just signed Michael Maguire for a new era in the 2020s – reports have already come out of the early training days that he’s cracking down with his usual hard hand.
Hunt will re-started life as Bronco in Sydney, playing the Roosters in round one. The 2025 NRL season schedule then means he plays in Canberra before returning to Queensland to face the Cowboys and Dolphins back to back.
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He’ll face his old club the St George Illawarra Dragons in round 11 on May 18 at Suncorp Stadium.
