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Opinion
Whether it’s fair or not, Ben Hunt’s career is divided into BC and AD.
BC is ‘before catch’. And it’s before catch because, as the ball descended toward him as extra time began in the 2015 NRL grand final, no one thought anything else was going to happen but Hunt catching the ball.
The Cowboys were prepared for one of the most important defensive sets of their lives, because Brisbane were getting the ball. There was no plan from Paul Green based on North Queensland suddenly finding themselves in possession.
It’s not ‘before drop’ because, right up until the 80-minute-and-four-second mark of that game, it was a catch.
I went forward in time to view 14,000,605 alternate futures. And Ben Hunt was going to catch the Steeden in all those scenarios.
All bar one.
AD is, of course, ‘after drop’. Because against any and all expectations, Australian international Ben Hunt made perhaps the most famous unforced error in modern rugby league, gifting the Cowboys possession in prime territory, allowing Johnathan Thurston to ice a field goal to win one of the greatest grand finals of all time.
So many things happened that night resulting in JT leading his troops to the title that cemented his legacy. But Hunt’s drop? Ooooh, it’ll take some beating in the ‘memorable moments’ stakes.
And as a result, fairly or unfairly, it has coloured Hunt’s legacy.
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Everyone drops the ball – I’ve seen Andrew Johns, Darren Lockyer and Brad Fittler all do it – but now, when Hunt makes a fumble, what do you think is the first thing said?
Let’s check in with a headline from Fox Sports, reporting on a game between the Dragons and Tigers from 2018: “Ben Hunt has dropped an eerily similar ball against the Tigers to that infamous grand final kick off”.
How about this one, from the Sydney Morning Herald in 2019: “Ghosts of 2015 grand final return to haunt Ben Hunt against Warriors” – because, again, bloke dropped the ball.
As for suggestions headlines like that are actually just indicative of an error-prone halfback (and yes, lies, damn lies and statistics) Hunt has appeared in the competition’s top 50 for errors just once in the AD years – at 24th place in 2016.
Perhaps the only way to change such a large, dramatic narrative was to make a large, dramatic change, which Hunt did in leaving the Broncos for a five-year deal to for St George Illawarra from the start of the 2018 season.
Oh, and just quietly, it was reported to be worth more than a million dollars a year, making Hunt one of the highest-paid players in the history of the NRL.
(Matt King/Getty Images)
“We were looking for a really competent, world-class halfback,” Dragons head of recruitment Ian Millward said as the club announced their recruitment coup.
“It was about signing someone who has been a regular halfback and who has played at the highest level and is competent at getting a team around.”
(Wow. Um, Ian, when you sign a halfback to a long, rich deal, ‘competent’ is not the word you’re looking for – and definitely not twice.)
So the story inflated. Now, instead of being the guy who dropped the 2015 grand final, Hunt was the guy who dropped the 2015 grand final and had the added pressure of an eye-watering annual salary.
And that was the new narrative – you’ll notice both the above headlines were for games Hunt played for the Dragons – he was still ol’ dropsy Ben, but now he was hammered for over-inflating the player market too.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the dignity with which Hunt held himself throughout it all. Yes, it’s probably made easier by a weekly paycheque that many people wouldn’t see in an entire year, but Hunt is open and honest about his AD life, as well as the pressure of the massive contract and being the face of a club as famous and prestigious as the Dragons.
It would also be remiss of me not to mention that since making the move to the Gong, he’s continued to be one of the game’s elite players, perhaps best evidenced by his man of the match award for Queensland in Game 3 of Origin 2021.
That performance came on the back of what was one of his best personal club years, one which was interrupted by a broken leg, but that injury highlighted his toughness and commitment, having played with a fracture in his fibula for 71 minutes as he led the Red V to a 38-12 demolition of the Sea Eagles last March.
Dude’s a serious footy player.
But his signing at the Red V was touted as being the start of a rebuild that, four years in, has a resulted a single finals series.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Ultimately, if Ben Hunt wants a third act – something that means his career is not defined by BC and AD – he needs to win a title.
At age 31, with his current club in yet another rebuild and more than a few people putting Anthony Griffin as short-price favourite to be first coach sacked this season, reckon that’ll happen at St George Illawarra?
Best-case scenario
I was lucky enough to have dinner with exceptional journalist and unfortunate Dragons fan Scott Pryde recently, and he raved about Junior Amone, Tyrell Sloan and the rest of the local juniors coming through the ranks.
I suggested that as much as that may be promising, the attitude of new recruits Aaron Woods and George Burgess, the departing Tariq Sims, perennial question-mark Jack de Belin, and Hunt’s fellow former Broncos Andrew McCullough and Josh McGuire would ultimately shape how 2022 rolls out.
Thing is, while some of the above-listed players may be past their best, they’re still pretty bloody handy.
And with most of the veterans on short-term contracts and coach Anthony Griffin in the final year of his deal, the people who need to set the tone are all on notice (not for nothing, Hunt’s one of them, he’s actually on the market for 2023).
If people want to keep their jobs at St George Illawarra, a finals finish is essential. But that’s not a bad thing.
A bunch of old stagers who see this as their last shot and put in every last drop, leading some of the most exciting young talent in the game, who have existing combinations and understanding due to coming through together? That’s how clubs go on a tear.
And if that’s going to happen, Hunt will be at the forefront, leading his side to September footy, making an inarguable case that he deserves a contract extension and that he should even be the Kangaroos’ No.14 at the World Cup.
Worst-case scenario
Round 1, Saturday March 12, Sunshine Coast Stadium.
The Warriors go high off the kick off, the ball reaches its zenith, then descends into Ben Hunt’s bread basket.
Hunt drops it.
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