Ben Hunt has hit back at Shane Flanagan after the Dragons coach singled out the former captain as a big reason for the club’s ongoing roster problems.
I asked Flanagan at his media conference during the week if he had got his roster wrong, and he pointed to the dramas with Hunt – who left the club at the end of 2024 with a year left on his contract – for the issues with the team list now.
“Our marquee halfback walked out on the club,” Flanagan said. “Before I even started here, there were rumblings he wanted to leave. When your halfback walks out with no plan, it’s hard.”
Those who know Hunt say he left because he didn’t want to be coached by Flanagan. He stayed for a year under Flanagan, and didn’t enjoy it.
When asked about Flanagan’s opinion that his exit was a central reason for the Dragons’ poor and imbalanced roster now, Hunt replied via a text message: “I thought I was too old and had bad habits.”
Hunt was happy to be quoted on the matter. It’s an indication he felt he wasn’t appreciated by the Dragons coach, who replaced Anthony Griffin in 2023.
It’s interesting that Flanagan has gone from being a Fox Sports employee and a darling of the network to a frequent target of their commentators – and it’s in no small part due to his decision not to play Lachlan Ilias in first grade.
The narrative pushed by Fox around Flanagan being a great coach changed around the time the young halfback was dropped to reserve grade last season and eventually shown the door at the club. Ilias was left in NSW Cup while Flanagan’s son, Kyle, played first grade.
This column predicted at the time Flanagan’s decision would lead to more critical coverage by Fox Sports.
The contempt for the coach at Fox was laid bare during the week by Ilias’s agent and Fox host Braith Anasta, who said he felt sorry for those who had to play in the halves at the Dragons.
“I try and stay out of this as much as I can,” Anasta said on Fox. “It’s too late. If you look at Lachlan Ilias, Jonah Glover, [Lukhan] King-Togia and Daniel Atkinson, they have all gone backwards.
“All of them have potential to be first-grade halves and there is only one survivor – and who is that? They have all been battered, bruised and their confidence gone.”
Anasta had obviously been dying to get that off his chest and, with the end apparently near for Flanagan after six straight defeats, Anasta saw the chance to put the boot in.
There is no question Flanagan has been close to friendless on the network that backed him hard in his early days at the Dragons but his loyalty to Kyle – rightly or wrongly – has damaged him publicly.
Fighting words from Dragons boss
Dragons chairman Andrew Lancaster was on the front foot when he addressed the club’s corporates on Friday night. His main message was that the club is united and no one is ducking the tough questions after their winless start to the season.
These are the comments that were relayed to me from Lancaster’s speech:
“It’s been a noisy week for the Dragons … our on-field performance, particularly these past two games, has been well below our expectations, below your expectations and below the expectations of our members and fans. We’ve copped it in the media, with a lot of commentary deserved. Not all of it.
“Here’s what I can tell you: we got into this position as a club, and we will get out of this position as a club. We lose as a club, we will win as a club, and we will be held accountable as a club – coaches, players, management and the board.”
Lancaster was unimpressed by a call to re-brand the club as “The Dragons”, thereby eliminating the merged aspects of the club.
“I will address one story in particular, a story that has polarised many,” he said. “Questioning the merits of St George Illawarra as a club … to be very clear, we are one club. We are not a merged or a joint venture, we are one club – and we have been very loud and very clear about being one club through our actions and our behaviour over the past three years.
“We haven’t yet got the results we want this year … but nothing has changed us being one club.”
Burton keen to get new Dogs deal done
Canterbury star Matt Burton has opened negotiations with the club with a view to extending his stay at Belmore.
There has been a strong campaign in the media to try and unsettle the five-eighth and destabilise the Bulldogs because he has been moved around in the back line in recent weeks, but that seems to have been of little consequence for the player.
Burton caught up with his manager, David Riolo, and Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould in Wollongong on Easter Monday to get the ball rolling on a potential extension. It was a proactive move from Gould, as Burton
is under contract with the club until the end of 2027.
At the meeting, Burton was told there was a desire to keep him at the club long-term, and it’s understood the player indicated that his goal is to do a new deal with Canterbury.
The Perth Bears have been lurking in the background hoping to strike a deal with Burton for next season, but there is no appetite from Canterbury to let him go either before his contract expires or after.
The discussions will obviously centre on money, as Burton will be offered in excess of $1 million if he becomes a free agent on November 1. The Bulldogs value Burton, and he’ll be paid exactly what he is worth depending on how well he plays.
The Dogs have a big advantage when it comes to retaining Burton through coach Cameron Ciraldo, who has been close to him throughout his entire career, starting at Penrith. Ciraldo has a great relationship with Burton and recently attended a birthday party for one of his children at his home along with a group of other Bulldogs players.
It’s worth noting that Burton is the club’s post-game hype man when they sing their team song. He’s normally quietly spoken but he is the leader of the celebration.
The attempts to drive a wedge between Burton and the club are obvious and arise whenever he shifts position in the team, but the 26-year-old wants to stick with the Dogs and help try to guide them to a premiership in coming seasons.
There has also been persistent talk Burton may pursue a career as an NFL punter, but we are yet to get any indication that he has a genuine interest in going down that path.
The great and Good
When some of Australia’s leading sports administrators and identities sat down for a meal with NFL boss Roger Goodell this week, there was an obvious choice to sit next to him – NRL chair Peter V’landys.
Goodell and V’landys have met before in New York and Goodell is well aware of the NRL largely through the push into Las Vegas. The NFL commissioner, in Australia to promote the game between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the MCG in September, is a supporter of the NRL’s move into the USA.
“Roger is the most successful sports administrator in the world,” V’landys told this column. “What he has achieved with the NFL is remarkable. I certainly picked his brain. He was very generous and has a great sense of humour. I will catch up with him again when he comes back to Australia.”
Dragons sanguine about Su’A exit
Jayden Su’A’s exit from the Dragons may get fast-tracked, with talk that a push for an immediate exit could be on the cards.
On the surface, Su’A’s decision to move to Parramatta looks like a huge loss – it appears that way to this column as, in theory, he is the Dragons’ marquee forward.
But the Red V are not overly concerned at his departure, given Su’A’s hefty pay packet and questionable output. They think his consistency is not up to scratch, nor is his output enough. The Eels, on the other hand, are desperate for troops.
Izzy on the move?
There is considerable chat that Isaiya Katoa is going to link up with a new management group. Katoa is one of a number of big names said to be looking at making management changes, including Brian To’o and maybe Stephen Crichton. When players switch agents, it usually means they are going to be in the news around a club change as well, because a manager only gets a pay day when the client does a new deal. Katoa is on a long-term deal with the Dolphins. To’o is a November 1 free agent.
Milky can’t get cream at Panthers
We told you all about the looming battle for the Panthers, with 13 players coming off contract at the end of 2027. We keep getting told their cap is tight for next year, which is making it tricky to pay winger Tom Jenkins what he is worth. Jenkins is having an incredible season with 14 tries from six games so far. The interesting watch is on reserve grader Izack Tago, who is on way too much to be playing in second grade.
Bears may bring back Monday night footy
One of the biggest unknowns coming into season 2027 is where the added match caused by the addition of the Perth Bears is going to fit into the TV schedule.
One thing that is certain: the extra game won’t be a freebie for the networks. The NRL will seek to get revenue from it as part of the new rights deal they are negotiating. As it stands, the NRL has ploughed on with expansion without giving the free-to-air and pay TV partners a big say.
They have been minor players in the decision-making process and there has not been huge consideration given to whether they wanted the Perth and PNG teams, nor how they’d like to execute the additional game.
The value of the extra game is yet to be determined. Right now, the thinking from the NRL is Monday night football. Sunday night at 6.15pm would not be a viable option as another game interfering with the 6pm news would not be welcomed by a free-to-air broadcaster.
The Friday night 6pm game on Fox Sports is off Broadway, but it can impact the news broadcast, which is a pillar for free-to-air networks.
Monday night football would have to land on pay TV, as a show like Married At First Sight on Nine is a ratings juggernaut, and there would be resistance to replacing a show like that in prime time.
Braith minds his manners
Fox Sports host Braith Anasta is one of the faces the Manners Matter initiative. It’s a great role for Anasta, who has to keep some hot-heads in line on NRL 360. The pillars of the initiative include:
- Encouraging respectful behaviour in everyday interactions
- Strengthening peer relationships and overall school culture
- Increasing self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- Supporting positive communication both offline and online
- Empowering students to lead by example
- Reducing low-level conflict, exclusion and discourtesy
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