The forgotten HLF option?
One of rugby leagues greatest stories, Ben Hunt. From a guy that dropped a grand final catch to a Queensland origin hero and World Cup winner. In his history he has never had massive fantasy implications except for random runs of form.
Have a look below….
| Averages | Points | Base | Kick | Attack | Negatives |
| 2022 | 45.2 | 20.7 | 16.1 | 21.3 | -13.4 |
| Career | 47.2 | 27.9 | 11.8 | 18 | -10.6 |
We saw Bent Hunt be the dominant half since arriving at Dragons. Since arriving in 2017 he had 63% of kick meters which has increased over the years to him taking a whopping 77.5% of kick meters in 2022. With the current lack of half stocks at the Dragons the current options to partner him will either be MBye, Bird or Sullivan (currently injured). Please note that none of these are guys that are going to take kick meters from Hunt. We can safely assume these kick stats will stay close to the same (or slightly increase).
His biggest strength (kick meters) can also be his Achilles heel. Unfortunately, every other team knows that Hunt will be the only kicker, so with decent kick pressure it really limits his attacking stats. Plus, with a rookie fullback and no decent depth in any position it’s also not hard to assume that the Dragons (my favorites to get the spoon in 2023) aren’t going to be known for their attacking prowess. And in 2023 I honestly don’t even know where they are going to get points from. So, there is no real argument for Hunt’s attaching stats to increase.
Let’s keep this short and sweet. While I think Hunt is a terrific player and one of the best #7’s in the NRL, that doesn’t transfer over to fantasy. Hunt will have a tough season ahead of him with a C grade squad around him and no improvement in sight.
We know his kick meters will be a massive benefit for Hunt but other than that there’s no real obvious improvement for him fantasy wise.
Do yourself a favour and don’t buy Ben Hunt in 2023. While I am confident there will be a point Hunt will string a few 50+ games together, long term he just isn’t worth the headache. Especially with a lot better options available.
AVOID
INTERN DALE
Amateurs Fantasy Sports 