Sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of negotiations told this masthead that the Dragons will enter the marketplace for a quality playmaker,however scarce they may be at the moment.

Hunt last year asked for a release,which was rejected by the club,and was asked by incoming coach Flanagan to give him 12 months to prove he could turn the Red V around.

Hunt isn’t seeking a release,but Flanagan and the Dragons are now discussing whether it is in the club’s best interest to keep the veteran halfback to attract sought-after players to join the club.

Hunt was not told at Thursday’s meeting that he was free to explore options at rival clubs,but sources with knowledge of the situation talking under the condition of anonymity told this masthead that the Dragons are unlikely to stand in his way if he requests permission to do so.

The rumour mill has been in overdrive after Andrew Johns declared that he couldn’t see Hunt,one of the team’s best players since joining the joint venture from Brisbane seven years ago,being at the Dragons in 2025.

“Do you think Ben Hunt will be there next year? No,” Johns told Wide World of Sports’Freddy and the Eighth.

“I’ve heard[Titans hooker] Sam Verrills may be going back to the Roosters ... have a look at Brandon Smith,he won’t play until mid-next year.

“So that opens the way for Ben Hunt to go to the Titans. Because Ben Hunt has been[saying] the last couple of years ‘I want to go back to Queensland’.”

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