New St George Illawarra Coach Shane Flanagan has emphatically made clear the Dragons will not be letting Captain Ben Hunt break his contract early to join a rival club.

Earlier this week, the Red V confirmed the Manly Assistant Coach would be the club’s next Head Coach for three years beginning in 2024.

Following the announcement, Hunt who’s contracted until the end of 2025, said he wasn’t sure if it would impact his future, but Flanagan said he won’t be going anywhere.

“Well, from a club’s perspective Ben Hunt will be there,” Flanagan said.

“He’s got a contract, I spoke to Ben before I actually signed because I didn’t want to obviously become the Dragons coach and then our halfback wanting out of the club, and he was fine with all that if I was to get the job.

“He’s in Origin camp at the moment obviously, and I’m not going to worry him while he’s in there, I’ll get to him next week and I’m sure that’s okay.

“But from the club’s perspective, he’s our captain, he’s our halfback and we need him, I won’t be letting him go anywhere.”

Flanagan, a member of The Continuous Call Team, had eight years at Cronulla and led the club to its drought-breaking premiership in 2016, with a winning percentage of over 55% in his 185 games.

See more highlights of The Continuous Call Team below.

Image: NRL Imagery – Robb Cox.