Broncos star’s future in doubt after honest admission

Brisbane Broncos and a number of their players have endured difficult seasons.

Fresh off the back of ending a 19-year wait for a premiership, it’s not the year many would have predicted for Michael Maguire’s side.

The Broncos look certain to miss the finals, having lost 9 of their last 10 matches. Injuries have hampered Maguire’s men throughout the season, but those stepping in have failed to deliver.

One player who has been in an out of the side is veteran Ben Hunt. ‘Dozer’ was outstanding during the Broncos run to glory last year, but he has struggled to get anywhere near those heights in 2026.

Despite this, Hunt signed a one-year extension in June. The decision to lock in the 36-year-old for another season split opinion among the Broncos faithful.

Turning 37 come the start of next season, many believe Hunt’s time is up, and that is certainly the opinion of his former teammate Corey Parker.

Hunt and Parker are long-time friends, but speaking in his weekly column for SEN, Parker has urged his old mate to call time at the end of this season, pointing to his ‘average’ performances this year.

“I want to go down the path with Ben Hunt and whether he should be playing on or calling time,” Parker wrote in the column.

“My concern is this… Ben is a great friend of mine, he’s been a wonderful teammate, and I’ve loved every moment I’ve played with him. I am just concerned about the legacy that he leaves.

“People have really short memories. They don’t remember what you did for the first 18 years that you played, they just remember the last 12 months, and it’s not fair.

“Ben still has an opportunity, if he would like to, to walk away and retire this year. It pains me to say it, and I say it so respectfully, but we’re in the job where we need to have an opinion, and we need to say what we feel.

“I just would hate to see his legacy as a player, as a person, be tarnished because of that slippery slope that father time can provide.”

It’s understood that despite signing that one-year extension, Hunt is now considering whether to play on in 2027 after struggling during the second half of this year.

Hunt has played 14 times this season, with the Broncos winning just 4 of those games. He started at halfback in the recent losses to the Roosters and Sharks, before dropping back to the bench for the upset win over Penrith.

Playing 52 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Cowboys, Hunt again looked off the pace and butchered a certain try at the end of the first half after throwing a shocking ball from dummy half when the Cowboys defence was shot.

Hunt’s legacy at the Broncos is potentially on the line, and another season like this one may leave his dream homecoming and premiership heroics of 2025 a distant memory.