But with star five-eighth Anthony Milford offered just $900,000 a year in a new three-year deal, which is less than his market value, Brisbane might not be willing to splurge on Hunt’s replacement.

And even with Benji Marshall in their ranks, Parker said Brisbane supremo’s must pay for a quality No.7.  

“At this stage I think they have to go to market,” Parker told foxsports.com.au.

“There’s some quality young players within the system of the club. But in terms of them being an NRL No. 7, you’ve probably got to invest a couple more years into them.

“If you’re prepared to do that there’s certainly some players that are worth that, or you go to market in the meantime.

“But again the tricky one there is if you’re going to the market you obviously want a No. 7 you want there for a while.

 “You want a No. 7 for the long term, not to plug a hole for a year or two because that just keeps disrupting you.”

Parker knows what it’s like to get paid unders, something the Broncos are known for.

At the end of 2013, Parker, who managed himself, was coming off his best season as the Broncos’ best and fairest, as well as the Dally M Lock of the Year and the International Lock of the Year, was offered just over $200,000 a season.

He said he understood why Hunt was leaving Red Hill for the Dragons in a deal worth more than $1 million a season.   

“You hear these conversations about taking less to stay together in sport, but until it’s in front of you, those conversations are really hard to answer,” Parker says.

“Ben Hunt’s got what is essentially, a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s a five-year deal worth astronomical amounts of money.

“ … One I thing I learned is I played for 16 years, but I was very fortunate. The average lifespan of an NRL player is two years. You don’t know what tomorrow brings.

“To win premierships you need a lot of luck and quality players. The luck side of it — injuries and the like — you can’t control.

 “I think the youth of the group is certainly a big positive … The (premiership) window’s definitely open, the challenge is trying to maintain as many young players as you can.”