Phil Gould has called for radical changes to the NRL player market, as the saga surrounding Ben Hunt's future at St George Illawarra continues to linger across the game.
The 33-year-old publicly requested a release from the final two years of his contract last week, before lining up for the Dragons in their shambolic Round 17 loss to the Warriors on Friday night.
Hunt's request has since been denied by the club's officials and while he is expected to see out the remainder of the 2023 campaign, the noise is unlikely to disappear any time soon as the Gold Coast Titans continue to circle.
Speaking on 100% Footy, Gould said he had no issues with the Dragons shutting down Hunt's bid to move back home to Queensland and believes all parties will get on the same page in the coming months.
MORE: Luke Brooks finds new home for 2024 | Reece Walsh denies controversial incident
“He made it very public about his discontent, he made a request and the request has been denied," he said.
"The club wants to hold him to his contract, that’s fine – but the next time a club turns around to a player and says ‘You’re on contract, but we need you to move’, the player is within his rights to say no.
"It’s a double-edged sword here, clubs move players all the time.
"I can’t imagine any club, particularly the Dragons and particularly Shane Flanagan – if Ben Hunt was to go, he will get players in return.
"There’s no way he’s going to let him go for any financial compensation or just let him walk out of his contract, unless whatever club wanted Ben Hunt… he will get two players out of it, that’s how he operates.
"I think this will fizzle out by the end of the year – Ben Hunt will serve out his contract for the next two years and retire and fade off into his home wherever it is."
Phil Gould calls for changes to NRL transfer system
Hunt's own contract drama is the latest in a long list of players seeking an early exit from their deals, with the likes of Tevita Pangai Junior and Matt Lodge the prime examples in recent years.
And with so much at stake, Gould pushed for a radical move that could shake up the player market, urging the league to stop allowing powerhouse clubs to pick the bones of struggling organisations mid-season.
“It’s wrong, it shouldn’t be allowed to happen," he said.
"In our farce of a system, and no one has got the courage to fix it, that’s what happens. There’s nothing wrong with the Dragons knocking back the request… I’m saying it’s dumb.
“I’ll tell you where the system is broken – if Ben Hunt wanted to leave the Dragons mid-season, he should have to go into a draft and the first team that gets picked, is the team running last in the competition.
"That might stop them from doing that… that might change their mind, you can’t just walk out of a contract mid-season and walk into one of the top sides in the competition with the hope of winning a competition."
