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Ben Hunt says he will be at St George Illawarra next year but the door remains open for a move back to Queensland in 2026.

Ben Hunt remains open to finishing his NRL career in Queensland but insists he will first see out the final year of his St George Illawarra contract.

The half's future has been subject to intrigue since his drawn-out, ultimately unsuccessful push for a release from his Dragons deal when coach Anthony Griffin was sacked in mid-2023.

Griffin's successor Shane Flanagan eventually talked Hunt down to the point the captain spoke of his desire to sign a new deal for 2026, though the Dragons later put contract talks on hold.

Ahead of the last season of his multi-million dollar contract, Hunt was told by Flanagan that his form was not up to standard as the Dragons capitulated from finals contention in 2024.

"There's been a bit of noise around that (end-of-season review). I'm not too sure where it's come from, obviously someone said something somewhere," Hunt said.

"It was a bit disappointing that all the information did get out there."

Hunt found it difficult to stomach missing finals, but as he looked to Australia's Pacific Championships campaign, the veteran said he remained happy at the Dragons.

A high-ranking club source told AAP that Hunt was part of the Dragons' plans for 2025.

"Yeah mate, there's nothing wrong on my end," Hunt said when asked whether he would be at the club next year.

"I was disappointed with how the season ended, as probably most Dragons were.

"I was pretty upset with a few things and how we finished the season but I'll just be trying to get away and refresh myself. Now we've got this (the Pacific Championships) on, it's something I can focus on."

A Brisbane junior with 187 Broncos caps to his name, Hunt had been linked with a move back to either his old club or Gold Coast amid his ill-fated request for a release last year.

Hunt will be 35 by the end of next season, but would entertain joining a Queensland-based club for 2026 and can negotiate with rivals from November.

"I've always said I'll be open to it if the opportunity arose," he said.

"Queensland's home, I've had a lot of great times up here, I've got a lot of family up here. If that opportunity did come up, I'd never say no.

"Obviously November 1 is coming closely but I'm in Australian camp now and I'm just looking forward to focusing on that."

Hunt said he was "grateful" to have made the Australian squad despite coach Mal Meninga flagging a new era by ringing the changes.

Fellow veterans Daly Cherry-Evans, Jake Trbojevic and captain James Tedesco were omitted from the squad ahead of the series opener against Tonga in Brisbane this Friday.

"When I got the call and got told I was in the team again, you don't know who else is in. Then you see the team list when it comes out," he said.

"To be still be picked and to know there have been a lot of changes, I'm very grateful."