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St George Illawarra expect to have Ben Hunt for their clash with Newcastle next Sunday, after they played down any concerns over the in-form halfback’s quads.
Hunt was put on ice with ten minutes to go in the Dragons’ 38-12 demolition job on Manly on Friday, raising fears he may be carrying an injury.
But just as Corey Norman stepped up and took control as Hunt battled on, Dragons coach Anthony Griffin ended any serious concern over the halfback’s health.
“He’s just got a really bad cork up the top of his calf. It wasn’t getting any worse,” Griffin said.
“If he had to, he would have played the game out.
“But once we got to a point where we had the game closed out we got him off. He’ll be right with the nine-day turnaround.”
(Matt King/Getty Images)
Hunt is looking a far different player as captain to the man who was relegated to the bench at this point last season and left to play the majority of the year at hooker.
The 31-year-old has already set up six tries this year to go with one of his own against North Queensland last week.
His spine are also going with him, with Hunt clearly looking at home back beside Andrew McCullough and Norman under their former Brisbane coach Griffin.
“They’re all very talented,” Griffin said.
“And the nine, seven and six have a lot of games under their belt, they are really experienced.
“I am really happy with how they are starting to click, they started well tonight.”
A win on Sunday will give the Dragons their first run of three straight since early 2009, while they are also now in the top eight for the first time since then.
They are ahead of the likes of South Sydney and Melbourne on the ladder while equal on points with Sydney Roosters, albeit with an easier draw.
Regardless, it’s a far cry from the side who were labelled wooden-spoon favourites after their Charity Shield flogging from the Rabbitohs.
“I think (the results) are more of an indication of where we are as a team,” Griffin said.
“Against Cronulla (in Round 1), we played well enough to put ourselves in a position to win the game but we beat ourselves.
“The last two weeks we have been learning how to not do that.
“It’s not about critics or expectations from outside. It’s just about improving our football team every week.”
© AAP
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