Ben Hunt has admitted he often felt “let down” by the St George Illawarra Dragons – and regularly felt like he’d made a mistake leaving the Brisbane Broncos at all when he moved for huge cash in 2017.
The million-plus-a-year deal the Dragons had for him to play in the Red V from 2018 was too good to ignore, he declared, but when the club continued to fail, he began to regret everything.
Win $500 Cash In Our Free Giveaway Here
It got so bad, the 350-game veteran told Channel 9, that he considered quitting rugby league completely. “When you start getting it from everywhere and constantly, you really start looking at yourself and thinking that it is all you.
“You start trying to take the blame for everything, and it gets tough.
“I guess I stopped enjoying the game of rugby league. There were days I woke up and said to my wife, like, ‘I think I’ve had enough.’”
Hunt quickly added that it was more generally the sport he wanted to walk away from, not just the Dragons setup, and that he “wanted to get out of it completely at stages” – though some fans have since suggested they go hand-in-hand and aren’t unique.
The halfback wasn’t clear when, but any of the three or four times he antagonised to leave are reasonable bets.
🚨🏉 Ben Hunt regularly thought about quitting #NRL completely during his time at @NRL_Dragons, saying he felt "let down" at times and sometimes wished he never left @BrisbaneBroncos
Read all the #NRL news on TSB's app: https://t.co/ksSjfZg3Rw pic.twitter.com/qqV8RnQ7zA
— The Sporting Base – NRL (@BaseNrl) August 27, 2025
St George Illawarra struggled to make the NRL finals through the seven years Hunt played at the joint venture Sydney-Wollongong club, and through that time, he often thought, “I shouldn’t have left the Broncos” at all.
Are you reading on our app? Download now for the best Sporting Base experience.
Win $500 Cash In Our Free Giveaway Here
“[From a] 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,” Hunt continued. That ate at him all the way up to 2024 – until he got the chance to return to the Broncos for one last ride.
More NRL news
Time to gamble: Rookie coach Hannay to replace Hasler on the Gold Coast
Fifita to Sydney: Titans-Rabbitohs deal leaves both parties happy
“There was definitely some opportunities to go to different clubs, but once the 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.
Hunt said he had a feeling he could “give back” by going to the Broncos, and so took their deal over several richer offers.
“I feel like I need to give back a bit to the Broncos,” the veteran declared. “I’m just grateful they reached out, really. I love this club and pinching myself that I’m actually back here now, you know… I’m just very grateful for that.”
Hunt is currently playing halfback for Brisbane right now with Adam Reynolds injured.
