Dragons 2019: Hunt backs former teammate Taylor to return to his best

He won't - he's got plenty on his own plate - but Hunt, more than anyone else, can understand what his former Broncos teammate has gone through this season.

The pair have been arguably the two most maligned players in the competition, wearing the brunt of criticism for their under-performing sides' position on the ladder - much of it stemming from their respective pay packets.

For Hunt it's nothing new. The 29-year-old last year revealed he'd sought help from a sports psychologist to help deal with the intense scrutiny that comes and wearing the No. 7 on your back at one the of the game's most famous clubs.

At 24, it's a new experience for Taylor who who made his first appearance since round 12 against the Roosters last week, a return from personal leave as he struggled to deal with the pressure of spearheading the struggling Titans.

Hunt praised the Gold Coast for allowing their marquee man to take the time away and hopes his former Brisbane understudy can re-find his best - though not this weekend.

"I had a couple of years with him up there at the Broncs and he's a good young kid Ash," Hunt said.

"I really enjoyed having him around the squad, he was always a bubbly, nice fella. He's a classy footballer, he's just found himself a bit out of luck at the moment. He's had some things that just haven't gone his way.

"I don't know his whole situation and what's going on with Ash but it sounds like he needed some time away. I think it was the right thing from him and the club.

"The club are struggling to win games and in a bit of a bad way so it was pretty brave of them to let their halfback take some time away and sort himself out.

"Hopefully it's done some good for him. I think with a bit of time over the off-season he can just get away from footy, come back and have a fresh preseason.

"They've obviously got a new coach coming in. It'll be a fresh start from him and I think he'll be fine. He's a classy player, he just needs to get his head back around footy."

It hardly been smooth sailing for Hunt in his second season in Wollongong either, with the Dragons tumbling out of finals contention with their 11th loss in their last 13 games to Parramatta last week.

He copped a barrage of criticism after he was rested from his side's loss to Penrith three weeks ago as he dealt with the post-Origin drain, despite coach Paul McGregor insisting it was his call.

He admits he's have to have been under a rock not to hear it, but says he's handled the criticism much easier the second time around.

"It's definitely not new after the last couple of years," he said.

"To start the season we won four out of six and it was all going all right, after that it went a bit downhill.

"I felt a bit of a spark against going into Origin and was feeling pretty good. We won the first one and then it turned again and went the other way. [Playing hooker] was a bit harder than I thought it was going to be.

"Coming back I was bit more fatigued and more mentally drained than I thought I was going to be so it's been a bit of a roller coaster year but it's something I've felt a lot more comfortable with after last year and all the things that happened.

"To be honest, mentally I've been feeling pretty good the last couple of weeks. It's still been a tough [year] but I feel I was better mentally prepared."

Having admittedly over-tried in his return from a spell against Souths a fortnight ago, Hunt was quiet against the Eels last week. He says he'll be looking to strike a better balance over the final five games.

"After that Souths game I was pretty disappointed because I felt like I tried really hard, I think I was just pushing my hand at times, trying to push the pass or do things that weren't quite on," he said.

"It's definitely a fine line and something I've tended to flirt with a bit throughout my career, trying to insert yourself as much as you can without overplaying your hand and doing a few silly things.

"When I went back and looked at it I was happy I was trying to do things rather than sitting back and letting the game go past me.

"I was trying to insert myself and, if I keep doing that, I think I can get that confidence back and start playing some good footy."