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The St George Illawarra Dragons have officially announced that the man they plan to make their future is Ben Hunt.
A six-million-dollar, five-year deal, with a player option for a sixth, has been agreed for the 26-year-old, who will be alongside the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Cam Smith and Greg Inglis in terms of salary.
Perhaps it isn’t a bad deal for a 26-year-old coming into the prime of his career. But given he’ll be 28 by the time he takes to the field for the Dragons in 2018, it does make for grim reading.
The Dragons are desperate for success, but putting all your eggs in the basket of a man yet to live up to his potential is a recipe for disaster.
When the club recruited Englishman Gareth Widdop from the Melbourne Storm they did so with the belief that he was the man to send them in the right direction.
They’ve since made a similar assurance to Hunt, leaving Widdop at a crossroads and the club in a position where they’ll have more holes to fill with less resources.
Their forward pack has the ability to be one of the most intimidating in the league, but a combination of injuries and poor management has led to a less than stellar reputation.
But above all else, it was the side’s inability to control a football game that became the major sticking point in 2016.
Benji Marshall and Mitch Rein carried much of the blame and were subsequently shown the door at season’s end.
The answer to the team’s problems? Offering one of the largest contracts in rugby league history to a player who seemed to regress over the past 12 months at a time when he should be entering his prime.
Yes, there’s still every chance Hunt can become the player he was touted to be by Wayne Bennett.
He could well mature into the heir to Thurston’s throne, leading the Maroons into a new era.
He could return to the form that saw the Broncos give away arguably the brightest young half in the game in order to retain his services.
Or, he could prove to be Widdop 2.0 – and that’s a real problem.
Both men are more than capable of organising an offence. But though Hunt is certainly a better fifth-tackle option with the boot, he isn’t someone who you can build your team around.
The Broncos’ decision to not match the Dragons’ offer, choosing to instead focus on re-signing Anthony Milford is an indication of where they think Hunt ranks among current players.
It’s no secret they’ve been chasing a quality playmaker since last season but throwing world class money at an above average player simply reeks of desperation.
The good news for Hunt is the side can’t play much worse than they did in 2016, and given the little expectation for them to deliver in 2017, he may well be walking into a club that’ll simply be happy to push for the finals.
He’s not the calibre of player that can single-handedly deliver a premiership, nor is he the type of player that will entice future free agents to relocate to Wollongong.
Yet, the unfortunate reality is that for a player earning that type of salary he needs to be all of that and more.
So while the Dragons were intent on making a statement as they look to propel themselves back to the upper echelon of the NRL, they’ve instead shown the competition that desperate times can lead to very expensive mistakes.
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