VETERAN playmaker Ben Hunt has admitted that his heart was always set on returning to the Brisbane Broncos once he was released from the final year of his contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons.<\/p>\n
Hunt began his 334-game career at Red Hill in 2009 before joining the Dragons on a lucrative deal in 2018. After a torrid final 18 months at the Dragons, the relationship between Hunt and the club became untenable which ultimately led to the Dragons releasing their captain a year before his contract was set to expire.<\/p>\n
Despite interest from the Dolphins, Hunt told SEN that his desire was always to return to the team that launched his first grade career.<\/p>\n
“It was always in my heart that if there were to be an opportunity to finish my career (at the Broncos) or get back there that (I was going to take it),” Hunt said on SEN 1170.<\/p>\n
“It’s something that I’ve always really wanted to do.<\/p>\n
“They put a lot of time into me as a young guy and I played a lot of great footy there which has given me a lot of great memories.<\/p>\n
“If the opportunity ever arose, it was always going to be hard to pass up.<\/p>\n
“I’m at 187 games at the moment. To play 200 games for such a great club is something I will definitely cherish.”<\/p>\n
Speculation is rife over where Hunt will play for the Broncos in 2025. The 34-year-old has made his name as a halfback at club level but has excelled at hooker in the representative arena for both Queensland and Australia.<\/p>\n
Brisbane have a plethora of hookers on their roster for 2025 but Hunt has nominated 20-year-old Blake Mozer to take a big step towards being the starting dummy half for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n
“I’ve had a few sessions with him now and he’s got a great head on his shoulders,” Hunt added.<\/p>\n
“He’s a great talent and there’s a lot of good young hookers at the club competing for that spot.<\/p>\n
“I’m pretty confident in saying that Blake’s put his hand up to be amongst one of them.<\/p>\n
“He’s having a great pre-season and I’m really excited to help him grow and further develop his game.<\/p>\n
Hunt will make his likely return for the Broncos in their Round 1 match-up against the Sydney Roosters on March 6 at Allianz Stadium.<\/p>\n
BY CHARLES GOODSIR\/SEN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
VETERAN playmaker Ben Hunt has admitted that his heart was always set on returning to the Brisbane Broncos once he was released from the final year of his contract with the St George Illawarra Dragons. Hunt began his 334-game career at Red Hill in 2009 before joining the Dragons on a lucrative deal in 2018. […]<\/p>\n