Ben Hunt's $2 million move with wife that might not sit well with Michael Maguire at Broncos

Ben Hunt and wife Bridget have reportedly been looking at property on the Gold Coast and Burleigh Heads - a move that might not go down well with new Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire. Hunt has returned to his former club on a two-year deal for 2025 and 2026 after a seven-year stint with the Dragons.

Ben and Bridget Hunt are both originally from Queensland and are happy to be moving back closer to family. Hunt and his wife are yet to figure out where they'll be living next year, but are said to be looking at properties in Burleigh Heads and the Gold Coast around the $2 million mark.

It would mean an hour drive for Hunt to get to training and home games in Brisbane. According to realestate.com.au, Hunt and his family are renting on the Gold Coast for the time being and want to enrol their two kids in school there.

"Ben got in touch to try and set down some roots for his family on the Gold Coast,” buyers’ agent and former NRL player Matt Srama said. “They are happy to make the drive to Brisbane to be able to live the lifestyle here. It’s becoming super common for professional athletes and people from the entertainment industry to put lifestyle first in deciding where to live, and that is a really exciting decision for Ben and his family.”

Could Ben Hunt's living arrangements upset the Broncos?

But whether or not his living arrangements will sit well with Maguire and Broncos officials remains to be seen. Last month it came to light that Maguire had identified it as a problem that players were living so far away and battling traffic to get to and from training.

Reece Walsh and Patrick Carrigan both live on the Gold Coast, while Payne Haas recently moved from the Glitter Strip back to Brisbane because he was sick of the commute. It means the players who live on the Gold Coast travel 160km to training and back, which can take up to 90 minutes each way.

According to the Courier Mail, Broncos officials recently held discussions about whether players should be forced to live closer to Brisbane, amid fears the travel is taking too much of a toll. The Broncos are coming off their biggest fall from grace in club history after finishing 12th in 2024, just 12 months after making the grand final in 2023.

Maguire is desperately trying to change the culture at the club and 'rock star' attitude of the players, and it's been identified that travel arrangements have become a problem. Some players have reportedly asked to leave training early in the past in a bid to beat peak-hour traffic while travelling back to the Gold Coast.

“It was a nightmare,” the Courier Mail quoted a Broncos staffer as saying previously. “Players would want to finish weights sessions early to beat the peak-hour traffic to the Gold Coast. I never liked the idea of Broncos players living on the Gold Coast.”

Michael Maguire prefers players living closer to Brisbane

Maguire reportedly won't be bringing in a mandate that players must live closer to Brisbane, but the coach's preference is for them not to be living as far away as the Gold Coast. In the past, Broncos staff members reportedly had to adjusted training schedules to allow for players to get to and from the Gold Coast, but that certainly won't be happening under the hard-nosed Maguire.

Broncos legend Corey Parker, who lived on the Gold Coast for the majority of his career, previously said he can't see the problem. “My personal view is live wherever you want, who cares?” he said. “Why would it matter? If it’s impacting the team and their performance, then you might have to look at it.

“Some people might want to live on the Gold Coast and I don’t mind that. (Former captain) Alex Glenn lived on the Goldy for a long time and he was a great professional. You have to make sure you are performing and doing your job as a professional. I don’t see why it should be an issue for the Broncos.”

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Srama, who played 65 games for the Gold Coast Titans and helped Walsh with his property purchase, said: “My take on it is the happier you are off the field, the better you perform on the field. And when you compare the commute from the Gold Coast to Brisbane to cities such as Sydney, where a lot of my former teammates and friends used to travel 90 minutes to get to training, really the 45 minutes to an hour drive isn’t much. And who can blame them, when they get to come home to the beach and a surf after training?”