League great Paul Gallen is worried Ben Hunt is making a "hasty" decision to leave the Dragons and believes he should see out his contract at the club.
The Dragons skipper is seeking an immediate release from his deal despite the pleas from newly-appointed coach Shane Flanagan for him to remain at the club.
Gallen, who was coached by Flanagan at Cronulla, believes Hunt should give his new coach a chance to turn things around at the trouble club before leaving.
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"It's surprised me like everyone else," he told Nine's NRL Sunday Footy Show.
"Ben Hunt is probably basing all his decisions at the moment on what's happened at the club in the past.
"He said he's fed up with what's happened at the club in years gone by, and they haven't gone well, but he's been paid a hell of a lot of money to be at that club and has never taken them to a semi-final. Now that's not his fault, it's a club game, a team sport, but he also hasn't attracted a lot of talent there either.
"He's got to start thinking about what's going to happen in the future.
"Shane Flanagan is known for being able to put a roster together. He took a team that won the wooden spoon to winning the premiership two years later.
"He's got to consider that and at least meet with Shane Flanagan and talk to Shane Flanagan about what's going to happen and what he sees with the future at the club.
"I think to be making a decision (based) on what's happened in the past now before Shane Flanagan has even been there is a bit rushed and a bit hasty, and if I was the Dragons I wouldn't be letting him go."
Hunt has been linked with moves to the Bulldogs and Titans, but Gallen believes neither roster would offer the 32-year-old a better chance of winning the premiership compared to the Dragons.
"You'd think he wants to win a premiership," he said.
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"He probably sees the Dragons at the moment as not having a roster that's going to win a premiership in the next year or two.
"You think about where he could go to win a premiership, the teams mentioned, the Dogs, you wouldn't think they're going to win one in the next two to three years.
"The Titans are the other one. Are they going to win the comp in the next two to three years? Probably not."
While it remains to be seen whether Hunt will be granted an exit from the Dragons, his teammate Josh Kerr's request has been granted, with the 27-year-old set to join the Dolphins.
Kerr will be available to line up for the Dolphins next weekend against the Eels, having already signed a two-year deal with the club starting 2024.
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