- Played an inspirational role in huge win over Wests Tigers
- Was slammed for getting carried away after scoring a try
- Comes as Tigers coach Benji Marshall threatens to swing the axe
The St George Illawarra Dragons crushed the Wests Tigers 56-14 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, however, Dragons captain Ben Hunt’s unusual outburst threatened to overshadow his stellar performance.
The Tigers led 14-12 at halftime but collapsed in the second half, conceding seven unanswered tries.
The 44-point concession is the worst any NRL team has suffered in more than two years.
Hunt, continuing his stellar form from his two-try performance in Queensland’s State of Origin win on Wednesday night, scored a phenomenal try, dodging three Tigers players.
His performance included four try assists, a line break, and a line break assist.
After scoring a try, Hunt then threw the ball at Tigers player Samuela Fainu on the ground
Television commentators and fans slammed the act by Hunt, saying there was no reason for it
Despite this, Hunt caused a stir by throwing the ball down on Tigers player Samuela Fainu after scoring.
‘And a little bit of nasty from Ben Hunt as he dumps the ball on the kid on debut,’ commented Dan Ginnane from Fox League.
Fainu was not on debut – it was his 16th NRL match.
The try was awarded, but pundits like Cooper Cronk slammed Hunt’s action.
‘He’s a competitor and I don’t think he had to do this Ben Hunt, throw the ball down on Fainu,’ Cronk said.
Ginnane added that Fainu’s reaction didn’t warrant an eight-point try.
Despite the incident, the try stood, and the Dragons continued their dominance.
On Nine, Phil Gould and Andrew Johns disapproved of Hunt’s behavior:
‘There is no need for that. I haven’t seen Ben Hunt do anything like that,’ Johns said.
Hunt backed up from a two-try performance for the Queensland Maroons on Wednesday
Hunt celebrates with Queensland teammate Tom Dearden after scoring a try against the New South Wales Blues on Wednesday night
Fans were left fuming as well.
‘Poor, gutless crap from Ben Hunt! Deserved a knuckle sandwich for that rubbish.’ one posted.
‘Imagine if Latrell Mitchell did what Ben Hunt just did. People would be calling for his head,’ added another.
‘Was unprofessional sportsmanship by him,’ fumed yet another.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall called the second half ‘unacceptable,’ warning of potential changes after the team’s ninth straight loss.
‘I feel sorry for fans to have to watch that capitulation in the second half,’ Marshall said.
He stressed that if player actions don’t change, the players themselves will have to.
‘I’ll say it again. If the actions don’t change, then the players have to change. It’s unacceptable,’ Marshall concluded.
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