Being the main guy can be hard, especially when you don’t want to be there anymore. That’s what happened to Ben Hunt when he announced his desire to leave the Dragons midway through last year. The team’s poor performance, as well as the departure of their coach, Anthony Griffin, made him want to leave. Although he made it clear that he wanted to move back to Queensland, he ultimately decided to stay and is now committed at least until 2024. This decision may have been influenced by the rugby league clubs actually enforcing contracts. Despite the team’s lackluster performance in recent years, Hunt has been their leader, captain, and best player. The current state of affairs in the Dragons’ spine brings to mind the quote about facing New Zealand’s bowling attack with Richard Hadlee and three other blokes. Although Flanagan will bring more structure to the team, it remains to be seen how that will play out. The team’s dismal performance in the 2023 season calls for significant improvement in many areas, especially their attack. The success of the side will depend on the support they can get around Hunt. Now everyone else has to pull their weight to turn things around.