Brisbane Dad Drifts Off Thinking About Ben Hunt’s Redemption Arc Again

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

A full week since the Brisbane Broncos triumphed against all odds to snatch both the NRL and NRLW premierships, and the Brown Snake is still buzzing with the warm and fuzzy feeling that only champions know.

Last Sunday’s glory was the icing on the cake of a Brisbane Lions premiership in the AFL, and a herculean State Of Origin series victory before that.

It’s the greatest place on earth. A place of sun and fruit. A place not yet ravaged by the housing crisis. A place where men and women from every creed and colour have permission to call themselves Queenslanders, the most exclusive yet egalitarian demonym in the country.

It’s not lost on locals that only Queenslanders will ever know this feeling. Only Queenslanders get to take ownership of this thing they call the Queensland spirit. Only Queenslanders will ever know what it’s like to see three premierships in one year.

There is so much to celebrate – and with the River City set to host the 2032 Summer Olympics – there is also so much to look forward to.

However, in the midst of all of this Queensland mythology and folklore, there is one moment that stands out in 2025.

A story that has been unfolding since 2009, when a country boy from Central Queensland arrived at Red Hill to live out his lifelong dream of playing for the mighty Brisbane Broncos.

Ben Hunt announced himself early in his career, even in the slump that followed Wayne Bennett’s departure, white-knuckling through several tumultuous seasons until the elder statesman returned and coached them to an all-Queensland title match at Accor stadium.

A very human error in the final moments of the 2015 grand final would go on the haunt Ben Hunt for the next 10 years. In the early days of social media, met with very little etiquette from sports journalists, and outright cruelty from faceless men on the internet – this became a very unnatural form of heartbreak.

In 2017, he departed the Broncos to play for the embattled St George Dragons in Sydney, where he saw season after season of bottom eight finishes. It was at this time that his childhood club sank to depths far lower than a grand final loss. Their last match of the 2020 season resulted in a 58-0 loss to Parramatta and the wooden spoon

Then, in 2023, a now aging Ben Hunt scored a full field try to tie up the State of Origin series for Queensland. The fans could see an old friend who was never going to give up. Meanwhile, the Broncos went on to lose another grand final in golden point.

Ben Hunt’s heartbreak of 2015 had been diluted by the horrors the Broncos faced without him. He came back in 2025.

And so did his club.

Right across Queensland this week, there are men and women who cannot stop thinking about this fairytale.

Local Brisbane dad, Milton Corro (59) says he’s found himself drifting off once again this arvo.

“I keep thinking about bloody Dozer” he says.

“This Premiership doesn’t happen without him. But it wasn’t just the grand final match. It was an entire finals series of grand final matches. And he did it all at 35-years of age. I mean, fuck, he must be sore.”

“But he can rest now.”