Andrew Johns has slammed the prospect of Ben Hunt joining the Brisbane Broncos on a short-term deal, declaring the move is evidence of the salary cap not working.
Hunt, the Dragons captain, has requested an immediate release and could potentially join the Broncos for the remainder of this season before signing a longer-term deal elsewhere, starting in 2024.
Johns didn't fault Hunt for wanting out of the Dragons, but said he shouldn't be allowed to walk from a team that's currently 15th on the ladder to one who's second.
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"If he wants to go, he can go," he said on Nine's NRL Sunday Footy Show.
"There's no loyalty from the clubs to players. If the club wants to get rid of a player, they just rissole him.
"I just find it really difficult that he's going into a team that's coming second on the ladder.
"He's going to go into a team that out of the 17 that's playing today there's 15 (current or former) Origin and international players. Then you're going to add another guy who's a champion player, I just find it sick."
Johns suggested players who break their contract should need to go through a draft system rather than walking to the club of their choice.
"Api Koroisau has broken his jaw at the Tigers, so they don't have a dummy half. The Knights have lost their starting dummy half in Jayden Brailey," he said.
"I just think if someone decides to break their contract, they've got to go into some sort of draft.
"I just find it really difficult to understand how he can go into a team which is a red-hot chance of winning the competition. Now that he's going there I think they win the competition.
"The next thing is the salary cap isn't working because we have third-party deals which aren't transparent. I think it should be out in the public.
"People in the public want to know how this is going to happen where Ben Hunt is going to go to a team which is full of superstars."
Fellow league great Brad Fittler also concurred, questioning the fairness of Hunt being able to join one of the NRL's most powerful clubs.
"You need a window in the middle where if you're not happy with the club or the club isn't happy with you (you can move). Maybe he (Hunt) might've missed that window (if it existed)," he said.
"If you do it in the middle it works for everyone, it's getting to the stage where people leaving clubs and coaches getting sacked is all pretty common, players are pretty used to it.
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"Once you start the season half of your money is already paid, so anyone who leaves at any part during the season it's not fair what the other club gets them for. It's the same if someone gets pushed out of a club for poor behaviour.
"That whole system could be looked at now and Ben Hunt is a high-profile person, so I think something will be done about it."
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