He has become used to being the centre of attention at the Dragons in recent years, but Ben Hunt insists his biggest focus this week is getting a much-needed win in his 300th NRL appearance.
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Hunt will bring up the milestone when St George Illawarra take on the Cowboys at Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday.
It's been a long journey to 300 for the Red V captain, who made his NRL debut as a 19-year-old for the Broncos in 2009. He would go on to play 187 matches for Brisbane before making a much-publicised move to Wollongong - with a five-year deal reportedly worth over $1 million per year - ahead of the 2018 season.
The Queensland State of Origin and Australian representative has had plenty of ups and downs during his time at the Dragons, including seeking help to improve his mental health. He also mustered a career-best campaign in 2022.
However, Hunt is now facing one of the biggest challenges of his career. The pressure continues to mount on coach Anthony Griffin, with the Dragons desperate to snap a five-game losing streak and reports surfacing that former Red V players and current assistant coaches Jason Ryles and Ben Hornby are among front-runners to be his replacement.
"I have thought about it [300 games] a bit, but my biggest focus is still trying to win games for the Dragons. We're obviously in a bit of a hole and I'd trade in the milestone to get a couple of wins on the board," Hunt, 33, told reporters on Wednesday.
"The milestone is something that I never really thought about when I started playing NRL. I was always just happy and grateful to be playing the game I love, and it snuck up pretty quickly. In the past couple of years, a few people mentioned to me that it's coming, and I just feel very privileged to get to 300.
"It's pretty special for my family, they're obviously extremely proud. They've played a massive part in me getting here. When you're younger, it's about your parents dropping you off at footy games and doing everything that they can to set you up as best as possible, and I'm very grateful for what they've done for me.
"My wife and kids now are everything that I play for. They're the reason I do it, and they inspire me to keep getting better."
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St George Illawarra remained in Queensland following their 18-16 loss to the Tigers in Brisbane last Sunday.
The match saw Hunt share his time between the No. 7 jersey and hooker, with the dual role revealed ahead of the Magic Round clash as Griffin attempted to ignite the Dragons' season.
"I think I'd still be doing a bit of both [this week]. We'll get in the meeting and have a look at it, but hopefully I'll play a bit more at halfback," Hunt said with a laugh.
"I don't think we got a good opportunity to look at how it's working. Through that second half, we did a lot of defending and turned over a lot of cheap ball to the Tigers, so we didn't get enough time to develop combinations between me and the halves to get a good look at it."
Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
