Dragons finally make the right call in denying Hunt release

Most thought Ben Hunt getting his desired release, perhaps to chase an asterisk premiership in Brisbane this year, was fait accompli.

People are right, once a player makes public a desire to leave a club, it becomes a matter of when, not if.

The Dragons' move to deny Hunt's release on Monday doesn't mean the club's not awake to that reality.

What it signals, is that it's not going to just roll over. Perhaps Shane Flanagan can pull off the impossible and get his skipper to stay and play willingly.

In the more likely event Hunt does end up going, then it needs to be on the club's terms and something that equates to the $1.7 million value it stands to lose.

Hell, it might even look to get some sort of return on the $6.5 million its paid Hunt over the past six years. No doubt the requests will keep coming, but hopefully the club holds its nerve.

It's fallen into the "compassionate grounds" trap in the past with disastrous consequences.

Many still point to the Jack de Belin sexual assault case as the main destabilising force at the club through Paul McGregor's tenure.

There's no doubt it had a huge impact, but McGregor himself has pointed out the fact that it did shift the attention off Gareth Widdop up and leaving in the same way Hunt currently desires.

Like Hunt, Widdop was the club's skipper and best player in 2017 when he inked a lucrative four-year contract extension that was supposed to make him a career Dragon.

Instead, one year into that extension, Widdop asked for a release on compassionate grounds to 'return' to England and play in the Super League.

Against its better judgement, the club agreed to a release at the end of 2019 and, in a state of desperation, threw the coin at Corey Norman who appeared the best available option.

It'd be generous to call his Dragons stint underwhelming, and the deal proved a salary cap millstone alongside Hunt's $1.2 mil a year.

Releasing Hunt now would surely see a repeat. Denying the request, shows they club's learned some lessons out of that saga.

Hunt and Widdop are both terrific blokes, not hard to find compassion for, but the wider organisation needs some level of self-regard.

Jason Saab also sought a "compassionate" release one-year into a three-year deal with the Dragons in 2020, citing the travel demands from his home in Merrylands.

Apparently that deal didn't cover rent. Likewise, Wollongong must have drifted a hundred kilometres further south once he signed the deal.

Narrabeen also seemed to suddenly shift closer to Merrylands when he signed a deal with the Sea Eagles.

Current GM of football Ben Haran said at the time: "a big focus for the Dragons on the recruitment and retention front is that our players, whether they're already here or are signed by the club, are 100 per cent committed to representing this proud organisation."

Hunt clearly doesn't fall into that category at present but, in standing its ground, the club may well be taking a step back towards being that proud organisation.