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'I wanted to give up the game completely': Ben Hunt lifts lid on Dragons rock bottom in raw interview

Sacha Mirzabegian
Sacha Mirzabegian

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Ben Hunt says he felt "let down" at times by the Dragons and there were days he wished he hadn't left the Broncos.

Speaking to Nine's 100% Footy on Monday night, Hunt touched on the impact of his fatal golden point mistake in the Broncos' 2015 grand final loss and how the contract offer from the Dragons was too good to refuse.

The halfback admitted the $1 million a-year-deal he signed helped improve his family's life, however, when the club failed to perform to expectations, it sparked feelings of regret within him.

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Hunt said there were times he wanted to quit the game entirely.

"When you start getting it from everywhere and constantly you really start looking at yourself and thinking that it is all you," he said.

"You start trying to take the blame for everything and it gets tough. I guess I stopped enjoying the game of rugby league.

Ben Hunt. Nine

"The only reason I really started playing, I just loved playing footy and there was definitely times after losses where you'd just get home and you'd sit down and you just couldn't get out of your own head.

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"There was days I woke up and said to my wife, like, 'I think I've had enough.'

"I felt like I wanted to give up the game completely, it wasn't I wanted to give up on the Dragons, it was just I wanted to get out of it completely at at stages.

Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.

"Purely football perspective, there are days there you just wish I shouldn't have left the Broncos. Yeah, there was definitely times that, yeah, I wish I hadn't left. There was different times where I'd felt let down, for sure."

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The playmaker also circled back to the grand final loss against the Broncos 10 years ago, with his dropped catch off the kick off to start golden point gifting Johnathan Thurston field position to slot the premiership-winning field goal.

Hunt's costly mistake in the 2015 decider. Nine

"I definitely think it's something that happened in my career that's made me who I am today, made me the person I am and made me the player I am," he said.

"I went through some pretty dark times after that. Some periods where I thought I was through it and it always just found a way to creep back in and sort of drag you down.

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"My wife was the most influential and got me through some tough times there and it's something that I'm pretty proud of that, you know, I've been able to come out the other side of that and sort of push all those demons away and and move on with my life."

While he feels he's mentally and emotionally over that grand final loss, Hunt said he felt like he needed "to give back" to the Broncos when assessing his future once his tenure at the Saints came to an end.

"There was definitely some opportunities to go to different clubs, but once Broncos put up their hand, it was pretty obvious to me that that's where I wanted to be, it's where I wanted to finish my career," he said.

"I kind of feel like I need to give back a bit to the Broncos. I'm just grateful that they reached out really. I love this club and pinching myself that I'm actually back here now, you know, I'm very grateful for that."

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