Broncos great’s brutal message to Hunt; Galvin opens up on secret hobby — NRL Daily

Broncos legend Corey Parker has made the tough call to tell “great friend” Ben Hunt he should consider retiring at the end of this year.

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Hunt has extended with the Broncos on a team-friendly one-year deal in June that will see him remain at Red Hill until the end of the year.

The 36-year-old will provide Brisbane with some much-needed experience following the retirement of Adam Reynolds, but the question is whether Hunt will be blocking Brisbane’s younger and more effective players from getting on the field more.

It is an awkward conversation to have but one Parker has urged the Broncos to consider ahead of next season after their failed premiership defence.

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

“... 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.

“We all know Ben and, and we all love Ben.

“You go back to the Origin, the winning moment at Suncorp Stadium. An unbelievable moment at Suncorp Stadium and he’s had many throughout his career.

“So I would hate to see the last six weeks of the competition this season, if things don’t go to plan, and he leaves the game with a a sour taste in people’s mouths.

“People have really short memories; they don’t remember what you did for the first 18 years that you played in.

“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.”

The Broncos are stacked for options in both the halves and at hooker next year, with Jonah Pezet joining the team from Parramatta while Ezra Mam and Tom Duffy are also on the books.

Meanwhile, Billy Walters has not officially extended with the Broncos but there were reports last month he was poised to sign a two-year extension.

If that is the case, he would join Blaze Mozer, Cory Paix and Hunt as contenders to play at hooker.

GALVIN’S SECRET HOBBY TO DEAL WITH OUTSIDE NOISE

Bulldogs halfback Lachlan Galvin has copped plenty of crap ever since he made the shock move from the Wests Tigers last year, but shovelling it has helped him get away from the noise and focus on helping his team sneak into the finals.

The dramas at the Tigers have continued long since he left, with Jarome Luai off to the Eels next year and Adam Doueihi refusing to play on Saturday.

Some fans haven’t forgotten and won’t forgive Galvin for what happened in 2025 when he switched to the Bulldogs midway through the season, but he’s done well to block it out, including being booed when the sides clashed in round 13.

“I think there’s always a bit of noise, but I kind of just block it out,” he said in his first proper interview of the year.

“I just love playing footy and love being around the boys, so nothing really changes for me. That’s rugby league, that’s part of it, so nothing really changes.

“I’ve got a massive support base with me. There are things I do away from the field that obviously get me away from footy when I’m not at footy, which obviously helps.

“I do that away from footy, and then when I come into footy, I’m refreshed and wanting to play and wanting to train. I’ve got a massive support base and shout out to them, they do so much for me.

“And obviously the coaches and the boys (help), so we are all behind each other and all love each other’s company.”

While Galvin has done well to ignore the noise, it hasn’t always been so easy for his family.

“I think any parent is going to hate when people are talking about their kid, but at the end of the day, we’ve got our getaway, and we get away from footy when we can,” he explained.

“They’re all supportive and they know who the real ones are and who the close ones are, otherwise they’re not really listening to anything else.”

Social media is a tempting place for young athletes, but Galvin has found solace in the Warwick Farm stables where he’s been able to escape the scrutiny and find peace with another one of his loves in life.

“I love my racehorses, so I’ve got a couple of racehorses now,” he said, with Galvin a part-owner of the aptly named Exit Clause.

“I’m in at the stables with Jason Coyle doing a bit of work there like feeding, picking up their crap, and saddling them up.

“So that’s my getaway; that gets me away from footy, away from the noise. It’s my kind of little bubble by itself with Jason and a couple of family members. So that’s me away from footy, but otherwise, I’m into Belmore and training hard.”

There were no winners for Galvin’s horses on Saturday, but he’s hoping for some joy when the spring carnival rolls around in a few weeks.

He might not have as much time to get to the stables if the Bulldogs keep winning, with Canterbury closing in on the top eight with Galvin and Stephen Crichton killing it in the halves.

The combination raised a few eyebrows but it’s worked a treat, with the pair nailing their roles, allowing Galvin to focus on his running game and his partnership with Jacob Preston on the right that led to another try against the Warriors on Saturday.

“He’s a freak. He makes me look good,” Galvin said of his edge forward.

“I just run to the line and he picks what hole to run at, and he knows the best hole to go through. I love playing with him, he’s probably one of the best back-rowers I’ve played with.

“To have a guy like that inside me in defence and outside me in attack is pretty cool, and hopefully we just keep building. It’s pretty cool to set him up for another one, making me look good again.

“Critta (Crichton) I think he’s killing it at five-eighth. We’ve been preparing there really well at training and that’s what Ciro (coach Cameron Ciraldo) wants, and we think that’s best for the team.

“I think that’s something that we obviously want to build in the future and in the back end of the year, and he’s killing it at the moment.

“Kudos to him, he had a newborn last night (Friday) and came out and played tonight, so big effort from him and I thought he killed it tonight.”

Galvin praised Ciraldo and his teammates for helping him develop as a playmaker this season, with the 21-year-old smiling again after a turbulent 12 months.

“Winning helps everything, and as I said, I’ve got a great support unit around me, so they’ve always helped,” he said.

“When you’re winning and everyone’s smiling, it makes it much better.”

— Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)

FLANAGAN PUTS HAND UP FOR NEW COACHING ROLE

Shane Flanagan has put his hand up for a new coaching role as he looks to return to the NRL.

Stepping down from his head coaching role at the St George Illawarra Dragons in April after a 0-7 start, The Herald is reporting that Flanagan is open to linking up with the Wests Tigers as a senior assistant coach.

This comes amid rumours that Tigers assistant John Morris is set to depart at the end of the season to join the Dragons under Dean Young.

The man who led the Cronulla Sharks to an NRL premiership in 2016, Flanagan would bring valuable experience to the Tigers coaching staff as they look to return to the September football after a 15-year absence.

Not only has he coached 240 first-grade matches - at the Sharks and Dragons - but he has also held assistant roles at a number of teams including the Sydney Roosters, Manly Sea Eagles, Australian Kangaroos and NSW Blues.

“It’s been really difficult. Obviously I didn’t plan on this happening at all,” Flanagan said of his departure from the Red V in May.

“We seemed to get worse week-in, week-out and I think players lost a lot of confidence.

“I feel that something had to change and we can’t get rid of five or six players. The something that had to change was probably me. There was a little bit more to it.”

“I’ve still got more in me but probably not as a head coach,” Flanagan said in May, revealing his desire to return as an assistant.

“I’d like to get to a club I can get in there and assist a coach. I really enjoyed my year at Manly (in 2023).

“The stress (as a head coach) is so different. Just this year, the stress of it all probably in the end got to me.”

CRITTA OVERWHELMED BY BABY JOY

There are plenty of reasons to celebrate out at Belmore with the Bulldogs closing in on a finals berth, but it was a different kind of birth that means the world to skipper Stephen Crichton, who became a father the night before their win over the Warriors.

Crichton and his partner Leone welcomed a little girl into the world on Friday, with the superstar five-eighth paying tribute to Praise with a rock the baby celebration after he scored the opening try.

“It’s been a massive 24 hours for me, just being there for wifey and seeing what she goes through. It was a massive motivation for me to come and get strapped up,” he said.

“The moment she told me that I could go and play, it was just like no matter how tired I was today or how sore I was, it wasn’t as bad as what she was going through. So massive motivation there.

“But to hold the baby last night (Friday) was the biggest blessing and probably the biggest thing in life right now.”

Leone was staying in Penrith with family while her partner was getting ready for the Warriors game, but he made the mad dash west when his phone rang.

“It was like 4am, and she called me while I was sleeping. She’s been staying out in Penrith, and I’ve been staying at home,” he explained.

“So she called me, and straight away at 4am we headed out to the hospital. She was there for basically the whole day and pushed the baby out at 9.30 last night. It was a long day, but she did really well.

“She’s a strong woman, and respect to the ladies that go through that.

“Not really (it hadn’t hit me that I’m a dad) until probably just last night holding her. I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews – she’s going to be the tenth grandchild for mum and dad.

“I’ve got a lot of nieces and nephews, but obviously it hits different because she’s mine. She’s going to be a little princess for the rest of her life, and I’ll be protecting her.

“It has hit me now, but the most important thing while I was on the field was just doing my job for the boys and getting that win. Now, going back and seeing her is going to be really special.”

Crichton has already jokingly ruled out a potential NRLW career for Praise because there’s “too much media”, but she’ll always get to look back at this game as the night her dad did something special for the world to see.

“Even if I didn’t score, I would have had an opportunity (to celebrate her) but to get a try and just give it to them is pretty cool,” he said after scoring.

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo praised his captain for not only getting on the field but for playing a starring role again in the halves after he made the switch from centre last month.

“He looks pretty good as a five-eighth,” he said, with plenty of people questioning at the time whether it was the right move.

“Especially one that didn’t sleep so I’m very proud of him.”

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