Dragons coach Shane Flanagan is confident the club will sign a quality No.7 to replace Ben Hunt with the club armed with a $1 million war chest to target a hit list of candidates.
The Dragons now have a number of options to choose from including Tyran Wishart, Braydon Trindall, Dylan Brown, Lachlan Ilias, Daniel Atkinson and Jonah Pezet, but all are contracted for 2025.
The Daily Telegraph reported Flanagan believes that while Hunt will be tough to replace, the Dragons will acquire a suitable player on the open market and move forward in the best interests of the club.
“No one player, person, staff member or coach is bigger than the club,’’ Flanagan said.
“This decision allows us to get moving (in recruitment) for next year and beyond and I’m more than confident on what will unfold.
“Ben is an exceptional player and his skill set will not be easily replaced.
“However, we are committed to finding the right solutions and believe in the strength of our club moving forward.”
The club are now facing a total spine overhaul from 2024, with Damien Cook coming in at hooker and Clint Gutherson set to play fullback.
The club are now on the lookout for a halfback to partner incumbent five-eighth Kyle Flanagan in the halves.
The Dragons face a waiting game with most of the quality halves signed for 2025.
However, the plan is to offer a player a deal for 2026 and beyond in the hope they can be granted a release to switch to the Dragons in 2025.
Unfortunately, one of their prime candidates in Wishart, who is a local junior, has a mutual option with the Storm for 2026 and would need to be released to return home to the Dragons.
Brown is contracted until 2031, but has a player option to leave the Eels in 2026.
Trindall would make the most sense as he plays for arch rivals the Sharks, with several clubs swapping between the two teams in the past.
The Sharks are desperate to keep Trindall, but the Dragons now have considerable funds to trump any offer that their rivals could make, given Nicho Hynes earns $1 million a season.
Within their current ranks, the Dragons are light on for halves depth with Lyhkan King-Togia the club’s leading young gun half.
Pezet is set to sign an extension with the Storm, but with an inserted clause to allow him to explore starting opportunities in the future, given he is behind Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster in the Melbourne pecking order.
Atkinson is coming off a breakout season for the Sharks and his future could depend on whether Trindall stays at Cronulla, but he would be another handy pick-up for the Dragons albeit short of Hunt’s experience and skill-set at this stage of his career.
Reuniting Ilias with former Souths teammate Damien Cook would make sense, but the young halfback didn’t light the world on fire for the Rabbitohs in the No.7 role and Wayne Bennett reportedly is eyeing him as a bench utility.
Despite Flanagan’s confidence, the Dragons are now the longest priced club to win the 2025 premiership after Hunt’s departure.
If the Dragons can land one of Wishart, Trindall or Brown for 2026, that will be a fair trade for Hunt, given their younger ages and ability to be long-term halves for the club.
However, that won’t help the Dragons push to break their finals drought in 2025, with the year increasingly looking like a write-off without a recognised halfback.
