[el-capitano]

Never saw this one coming

Brisbane Broncos rugby league star Karmichael Hunt is switching codes to play Australian football in a move that will rock the NRL to its foundations.

In an unprecedented cross-code switch, Hunt, 22, is to announce today that he is signing with the new Gold Coast franchise, which joins the AFL competition in 2011.

He will begin his new career with the Gold Coast franchise next year. The club is yet to commit to which competition it will play in next year before joining the AFL, but it is most likely to be the VFL competition.

It is the first time a rugby league international has switched codes to play Australian football.

The move will intensify the fierce turf war between the strongest football codes in Australia, with rugby league in danger of suffering further raids on its most talented players, especially if Hunt makes a successful transition.

Hunt is regarded as one of the brightest talents in the NRL. Fellow Test players Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Israel Folau are other obvious targets for AFL clubs.

Hunt knocked back a $1.2-million three-year deal with the Broncos earlier this year and his manager David Riolo has been overseas looking at his options.

Irish club Munster had recently been linked with him through his connections with their coach Tony McGahan, Hunt's former high school coach.

French club Bayonne and Suntory in Japan were also believed to have expressed an interest in signing him, although former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones said last week that Hunt had priced himself out of Suntory's reach.

A number of English Super League clubs are believed to have also made approaches.

Hunt played some Australian football as a schoolboy in Brisbane, attracting the attention of Queensland AFL scouts, before joining the Broncos as a 17-year-old in 2004.

The Auckland-born fullback has since played 10 State of Origin matches for Queensland and 11 Tests for Australia.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/k...546753089.html

Its not April first is it?

[RoddyScarr]

Good for Footy from a marketing point of view, but thugby players have minimal skill, with one or two RARE exceptions, so I seriously doubt his ability to make the grade with significantly higher level of skill involved in Football...

[Caesar]

Originally Posted by RoddyScarr

Good for Footy from a marketing point of view, but thugby players have minimal skill, with one or two RARE exceptions, so I seriously doubt his ability to make the grade with significantly higher level of skill involved in Football...

[RoddyScarr]

Wow, SO clever! How long did it take you to come up with that?

[westcoast929406]

Mr Hunt IMHO will probably accept about 2 seasons worth of AFL money and then return to his original sport - Why -read on folks.
The Gold Coast Club will find it hard initially to recruit any higher priced/experienced players in decent numbers to join Mr Hunt in 2011 so he will be surrounded by young players, which he may or may not like.
Free trade in AFL ranks is not a concept yet fully accepted.
However his move has generated publicity for Aussie Rules in QLD that normally costs millions especially with the kids.
As always the AFL`s move into QLD is based in the long term which our friends in the other codes up there find it hard to get their minds around.

[RoddyScarr]

Originally Posted by westcoast929406

Mr Hunt IMHO will probably accept about 2 seasons worth of AFL money and then return to his original sport - Why -read on folks.
The Gold Coast Club will find it hard initially to recruit any higher priced/experienced players in decent numbers to join Mr Hunt in 2011 so he will be surrounded by young players, which he may or may not like.
Free trade in AFL ranks is not a concept yet fully accepted.
However his move has generated publicity for Aussie Rules in QLD that normally costs millions especially with the kids.
As always the AFL`s move into QLD is based in the long term which our friends in the other codes up there find it hard to get their minds around.

Hear hear...

[Caesar]

Originally Posted by westcoast929406

As always the AFL`s move into QLD is based in the long term which our friends in the other codes up there find it hard to get their minds around.

Northerners understand this, they just think it is a waste of time. The market is already oversaturated and while a greater share may be won, to what end? Australian football will always be considered a 'soft' alternative to rugby league by Queenslanders and New South Welshmen. At best, it establishes itself as the distant second code. At worst, it finds itself fighting for suvival against football and rugby union.

The AFL would be better off sinking the huge amounts of money it's spending into developing the game outside of Australia. The rate of return would be much better.

[westcoast929406]

Originally Posted by Caesar

Northerners understand this, they just think it is a waste of time. The market is already oversaturated and while a greater share may be won, to what end? Australian football will always be considered a 'soft' alternative to rugby league by Queenslanders and New South Welshmen. At best, it establishes itself as the distant second code. At worst, it finds itself fighting for suvival against football and rugby union.

The AFL would be better off sinking the huge amounts of money it's spending into developing the game outside of Australia. The rate of return would be much better.

Again 10/20 year long term. The kids taking up our game in QLD since 2001 dont think it is "soft" "
The QLD AFL U16`s travelled to Melb and won National Div 2 title at MCG on GF day. All reports back say they were in awe of the huge crowd and the whole day. Were they worried about our game being soft or lacking a overseas presence and they have been living in a Rugby/Soccer dominated sports culture.
Do you think that trip was an accident or careful planning - Tick the latter.

What is a oversaturated market. Who is getting what share.
Here are some AFL participation figures on QLD
2001 - QLD - 37,644 (After 100 years of neglect the AFL started spending)
2005 - 62,599
2008 - 97,917 (Greater than South Australia)
The rate of increase is about 7% per year since 2006 - QLD population rate about 3%. Auskick rate in Aust is now slowing down to normal growth after huge increases.
We are nowhere near our "share" at the moment, because the future is in the schools and elsewhere.
The AFL being pretty smart will have yardsticks such as TV, Schools, teams,clubs etc they are monitoring for the return on their money.

Do not get us started on Aussie Rules overseas and its development by an ambivalent AFL Dev Dept.

[Caesar]

Originally Posted by westcoast929406

Again 10/20 year long term. The kids taking up our game in QLD since 2001 dont think it is "soft" "

No, but that will always be the perception of mainstream sports fans in the northern states.

Originally Posted by westcoast929406

The QLD AFL U16`s travelled to Melb and won National Div 2 title at MCG on GF day. All reports back say they were in awe of the huge crowd and the whole day. Were they worried about our game being soft or lacking a overseas presence and they have been living in a Rugby/Soccer dominated sports culture.
Do you think that trip was an accident or careful planning - Tick the latter.

What is a oversaturated market. Who is getting what share.
Here are some AFL participation figures on QLD
2001 - QLD - 37,644 (After 100 years of neglect the AFL started spending)
2005 - 62,599
2008 - 97,917 (Greater than South Australia)
The rate of increase is about 7% per year since 2006 - QLD population rate about 3%. Auskick rate in Aust is now slowing down to normal growth after huge increases.
We are nowhere near our "share" at the moment, because the future is in the schools and elsewhere.
The AFL being pretty smart will have yardsticks such as TV, Schools, teams,clubs etc they are monitoring for the return on their money.

That's all great, but I'm talking long term. Where is this growth going?

It's not feasible to imagine that Aussie rules will overtake rugby league as the dominant football code. Aussie rules is also the only one of the four codes without a rusted-on fanbase in NSW and Qld. Sure, there's plenty of scope to build more market share but it will be expensive given the crowding.

It's not like the AFL is desperate for new markets for its professional teams. The competition is about as big as you'd want it to be, and the Melbourne teams aren't cutting each other's throats to the point where it's unfeasible for them to coexist.

Like I said, I'm not saying that there isn't growth to be reaped in the northern states - just that there's far better bang for the development buck outside of Australia. The opportunity cost of sinking all this money into the northeast is criminal. Surely it makes you ask why.

The unspoken reality is that the AFL isn't interested in growing the game - not really. Their true agenda is doing everything they can to obstruct the other codes to shore up their existing revenue streams.

It's a negative approach that doesn't serve the best interests of any sports fan.

[westcoast929406]

Originally Posted by Caesar

No, but that will always be the perception of mainstream sports fans in the northern states.


That's all great, but I'm talking long term. Where is this growth going?

It's not feasible to imagine that Aussie rules will overtake rugby league as the dominant football code. Aussie rules is also the only one of the four codes without a rusted-on fanbase in NSW and Qld. Sure, there's plenty of scope to build more market share but it will be expensive given the crowding.

It's not like the AFL is desperate for new markets for its professional teams. The competition is about as big as you'd want it to be, and the Melbourne teams aren't cutting each other's throats to the point where it's unfeasible for them to coexist.

Like I said, I'm not saying that there isn't growth to be reaped in the northern states - just that there's far better bang for the development buck outside of Australia. The opportunity cost of sinking all this money into the northeast is criminal. Surely it makes you ask why.

The unspoken reality is that the AFL isn't interested in growing the game - not really. Their true agenda is doing everything they can to obstruct the other codes to shore up their existing revenue streams.

It's a negative approach that doesn't serve the best interests of any sports fan.

Your Northern State paranoia becomes evident in the second last paragraph.
This paranoia and resentment runs through all Rugby/Soccer forums in Australia.
So what you are saying is quite crazy - The other codes are ok to expand because they are doing it for honourable reasons - But the AFL is the big evil machine trying to gobble everybody up.
We realise that we will NEVER be number one up there
Actually what is happening is the 100 year "comfortable" arrangement between the Rugby and Soccer football world in NSW and QLD of groundsharing, media etc etc is being interupted by this expanding "foreign" game from down South.
Yes folks we all live in the one country but the Northern media and forum posters refer to our game as a foreign code.
The last sentence is very strange - The AFL should desist from its policy because it is affecting other football sports - How

Rugby Union is in a shambles at the moment - Self inflicted

Rugby League - A News LTD subsidary - Going very well - definitley on the way back after the Super League dramas - Will copy the AFL with club memberships and forming a Commission to run it and wants unofficially to adopt their finals system

Hyundai A League - Has an EX AFL guy running it. Currently Has several clubs in finance strife - Only on Pay TV - Attendances way way down but will pick up now footy season over - Wanted to expand to 12 but had to back down to 11 -Relies on the Socceroos for exposure - Always will have what is called Euro Snobs to put up with.