Hunt fires back at Flanagan after copping blame for Dragons woes

April 12, 2026 — 5:00am

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Ben Hunt has hit back at Shane Flanagan after the Dragons coach singled out the former captain as a big reason for the club’s ongoing roster problems.

I asked Flanagan at his media conference during the week if he had got his roster wrong, and he pointed to the dramas with Hunt – who left the club at the end of 2024 with a year left on his contract – for the issues with the team list now.

“Our marquee halfback walked out on the club,” Flanagan said. “Before I even started here, there were rumblings he wanted to leave. When your halfback walks out with no plan, it’s hard.”

Those who know Hunt say he left because he didn’t want to be coached by Flanagan. He stayed for a year under Flanagan, and didn’t enjoy it.

When asked about Flanagan’s opinion that his exit was a central reason for the Dragons’ poor and imbalanced roster now, Hunt replied via a text message: “I thought I was too old and had bad habits.”

Hunt was happy to be quoted on the matter. It’s an indication he felt he wasn’t appreciated by the Dragons coach, who replaced Anthony Griffin in 2023.

It’s interesting that Flanagan has gone from being a Fox Sports employee and a darling of the network to a frequent target of their commentators – and it’s in no small part due to his decision not to play Lachlan Ilias in first grade.

The narrative pushed by Fox around Flanagan being a great coach changed around the time the young halfback was dropped to reserve grade last season and eventually shown the door at the club. Ilias was left in NSW Cup while Flanagan’s son, Kyle, played first grade.

This column predicted at the time Flanagan’s decision would lead to more critical coverage by Fox Sports.

The contempt for the coach at Fox was laid bare during the week by Ilias’s agent and Fox host Braith Anasta, who said he felt sorry for those who had to play in the halves at the Dragons.

“I try and stay out of this as much as I can,” Anasta said on Fox. “It’s too late. If you look at Lachlan Ilias, Jonah Glover, [Lukhan] King-Togia and Daniel Atkinson, they have all gone backwards.

“All of them have potential to be first-grade halves and there is only one survivor – and who is that? They have all been battered, bruised and their confidence gone.”

Anasta had obviously been dying to get that off his chest and, with the end apparently near for Flanagan after six straight defeats, Anasta saw the chance to put the boot in.

There is no question Flanagan has been close to friendless on........

© The Sydney Morning Herald