Ben Hunt joins Broncos from Dragons on two-year deal with ‘unfinished business’ at Red Hill

Ben Hunt returns home to the Brisbane Broncos after signing a two-year deal with the NRL club where he played most of his career.

The 34-year-old made his decision on Tuesday, opting for the club where he played 187 of his 334 career games, rather than the Sydney Roosters or Dolphins.

Hunt will team up with Broncos captain Adam Reynolds in round one against the Roosters, with Ezra Mam’s suspension looming for driving without a license and having drugs in his system.

The former St George Illawarra Dragons captain came close to winning the 2015 grand final with the Broncos, a decider that ended heartbreak in a golden point loss to North Queensland.

Hunt, who can also play hooker, was concerned about the decision about his future. As of Monday, he had not yet reached a decision.

For Hunt, there is also a sense of ‘unfinished business’ at the Broncos.

In the Australian camp earlier this month, Hunt said returning to Brisbane was a romantic idea he would relish.

It was a dream he had not been able to realize until now.

Hunt was signed as a 12-year-old prodigy and went on to play in the 2015 NRL Grand Final (pictured, after an Origin match for Queensland)

Teammate Adam Reynolds is relishing the prospect of playing alongside Hunt next season (he’s pictured after losing the 2015 decider with Brisbane)

Hunt was first recruited to the Broncos as a 12-year-old by legendary talent scout Cyril Connell and came through the under-20s program before making his first-grade debut in 2009.

The Queensland star contacted Roosters coach Trent Robinson and Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf on Tuesday to let them know his decision.

It was his own initiative and in keeping with the decorum and honesty with which he has always conducted himself.

The partnership between Hunt and Reynolds in the halves will give the Broncos creativity and organization at both ends of the pitch.

Reynolds said earlier this week that he was relishing the prospect of playing alongside Hunt.

‘Ben is a great player, with what he brings to the football field. “He is also a leader off the football field, which is super important in any organization,” he said.

“He is an X-factor and one of the greats of football and it would obviously be a huge advantage to have him join the club.”

That advantage is now tangible, and new coach Michael Maguire will be licking his lips at the prospect of Hunt unleashing a return to the finals.