The Mole: What 'doomed' Dragons should have done before 'biggest blunder' to release Hunt

The Dragons have made many, many mistakes in their time in the NRL - but the decision to part ways with Ben Hunt on Wednesday could, in time, rank as the biggest blunder of them all.

Yes, he wanted out and yes, he didn't have his best season in 2024 - but Hunt was still the Dragons' main man - by a long way.

The Red V should have played hardball with Hunt - he is on one of the richest contracts in the game, both parties agreed to it in good faith - and both should have stuck to it.

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The club should have learned from the Zac Lomax saga earlier in the year when they caved and let the star utility - the club's second-best player - fly off to the Eels in 2025.

Without their two X-men, I can't see the Dragons winning more than a handful of games next season.

Just about every one of their 11 wins this season was thanks to Hunt and/or Lomax - how are they going to replace that genuine class?

A look at the stats from last season should alarm Red V fans.

Hunt came up with an impressive 34 try assists during the year - a fine haul in a team that struggled in attack.

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The rest of the Dragons squad put together beat him - but not by much - with 47 try assists.

Hunt's critics will point to the fact that he also made many errors - and he did.

But most of these came about from trying too hard - because he knew if he didn't come up with the big plays in the big games, the mediocre Dragons were doomed to another loss.

Hunt's commitment and will to win can never be questioned - he gave the club great service over the years.

Clearly unhappy now, he needs a strong dose of man-management rather than simply to be allowed to head for the exit door.

Dragons officials should have sat him and his partner down and asked, 'What is the problem? What do you need to make you happy here again?'.

They should have worked it out like mature adults, rather than taking the easy option and making the problem go away.