Sounds like Simon Haughton.

Why cant these players just play the sport they're good at and been brought up with, and a sport that also pays them very well, for their whole career? Is it really too much to ask? Controversially afterwards they could stay in the game and coach, and put something back into the sport that gave them so much?

They're all as bad, Farrell, Robinson, SBW, Sailor, Hunt, Rogers. Ive no respect for any of them.

You had to see him at the press conference.

It was a kid that wanted to be made to feel very special, but he looked ridiculous.


Its a dumb move on behalf of everyone involved....

Agree,he got his candy, now he can kcuf off.

Don't care.

The traditional 'pro AFL' press (particular Patrick Smith (a complete t*sser BTW who makes Stephen Jones look vaguely pro RL) are as you'd expect making all kinds of big noises about it. OTOH the league people here in Brisbane are basically laughing their asses off.

Bottom line is he's been brought in - at great expense - for the publicity value. It's really a sign of depseration that the GC franchise has to sign someone like Hunt, as they obviously are struggling to attract any high profile AFL players. I think the best comment I heard was from the Titans' CEO, who said that they decided not to go for gimmicks, and their star signing was Preston Campbell - the sort of player who can become a hit with fans and also be hugely influential on the field.

Unless he's an absolute smash hit, the chances of a 'mass' of defections to AFL are zero. Not that AFL wouldn't like to get more publicity, but which clubs in their right minds will take massive risks for players from other sports? Comparisons have been made to some Canadian RU player who's having a go, but that's nonsensical, because that lad was basically an amateur who probably got paid peanuts at first. Hunt OTOH is on a massive amount of dosh. Imagine how his 'teammates' will feel if he's a sack of sh*t and yet getting paid several times what they are.

I suspect he'll have to get a game if he's even close to standard, or this will quietly fizzle out when he moves to Japan or elsewhere for the dosh.

1 million pa






first wendall and lote, now karmichael have hit home runs.

hunt had better hope the AFL dont have the same attitude as the ARU.

can he box

=greenAFL line up more NRL stars. THE ink has barely dried on Karmichael Hunt's $3 million defection to AFL, but six more NRL superstars have emerged as potential recruits to the cashed-up enemy code. Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater head a marquee list in the AFL crosshairs as it prepares to launch a team in rugby league heartland - Sydney's western suburbs. And last night the three superstars' managers admitted they would not ignore future offers from the AFL to defect. "Look, Greg is a rugby league player but who knows what the future holds? He will only be 25 when he comes off contract at the Storm," said Inglis's manager Allan Gainey. "Already AFL coaches have identified him as a player who would be an outstanding convert. He has the right traits - athleticism, height, ability under the high ball and a powerful kick." Thurston's manager Sam Ayoub added: "Johnathan is natural freak at any sport. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5756068749

=greenAFL line up more NRL stars. THE ink has barely dried on Karmichael Hunt's $3 million defection to AFL, but six more NRL superstars have emerged as potential recruits to the cashed-up enemy code. Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston and Billy Slater head a marquee list in the AFL crosshairs as it prepares to launch a team in rugby league heartland - Sydney's western suburbs. And last night the three superstars' managers admitted they would not ignore future offers from the AFL to defect. "Look, Greg is a rugby league player but who knows what the future holds? He will only be 25 when he comes off contract at the Storm," said Inglis's manager Allan Gainey. "Already AFL coaches have identified him as a player who would be an outstanding convert. He has the right traits - athleticism, height, ability under the high ball and a powerful kick." Thurston's manager Sam Ayoub added: "Johnathan is natural freak at any sport. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5756068749

In the immortal words of Jerry McGuire "show me the money". Rl is a pro sport and business these days. Players feel they owe the sport nothing and so will go where the $'s are. I don't blame them, if someone offered me DOUBLE the salary I was on now I would leave as well.

NRL needs to get its act together so it can offer competitive salaries to its star players.

There is a reason why there is a salary cap in SL..because everyone is skint!

Whats the finances like in the NRL?

some clubs are skint, some have loads of money (or at least the opportunity to give players loads of money through 3rd party sposorships). We are once again seeing a have and have nots developing in the NRL and that is what led to the last war.

he wants to play union aswell in japan as top up

I think one thing people are over looking is that for 98% of players.....the NRL doesnt need to offer them much.



You can be a great athlete, big, strong, fast, great endurance.....and you are a dime a dozen.

I don't think Hunt is anything special when you look at the ridiculous athletes being turned out at clubs. Hell look at the Broncos, they have a few young kids there that are younger, cheaper and just need a bit more experience to do what Hunt is doing now.


To command huge money in the NRL you have to have an edge, you have to have specialized skills or bring something extra to a club.

Look at say Hunt vs Darius Boyd (I'm sure that happened in a pub somewhere but anyway).

Two young guys, both fullbacks, both very good, you could swap one out for the other with no problems at all......Hunt wants $500K while Boyd wouldn't be anywhere near that money.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5756903041 the lesson to AFL players and juniors, if you want the big bucks, play RL first. hunt is on more money than 99.9% of AFL players its good to see both union and AFL value origin players so well.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5756903041 the lesson to AFL players and juniors, if you want the big bucks, play RL first. hunt is on more money than 99.9% of AFL players its good to see both union and AFL value origin players so well.

Ban any turn coat for two seasons , =greenTHIS is not personal, it's about our game ... and its future. If we don't draw a line in the sand now, more and more players will take the money and run like Karmichael Hunt has done. And when they finally realise league is the better game, they will want back in. I'll tell you now, Karmichael will be back. But shouldn't we give these blokes something to think about? You want out, fine. But when you're ready to return, have two years on the sidelines first. We need to make a stand before other codes target our younger players. As soon as they go after our production line of talent - which is the strongest of all the codes - then we're in real trouble. On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to be invited to a lunch to pay tribute to the great Ron Massey, the man supercoach Jack Gibson used to turn to for advice. It was at the SCG, organised by Peter Wynn and businessman John Singleton. On the guest list were guys like Wayne Bennett, Gavin Miller, Roy Masters, Mick Cronin, John Quayle and other influential men in our game. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5757047461

Ban any turn coat for two seasons , =greenTHIS is not personal, it's about our game ... and its future. If we don't draw a line in the sand now, more and more players will take the money and run like Karmichael Hunt has done. And when they finally realise league is the better game, they will want back in. I'll tell you now, Karmichael will be back. But shouldn't we give these blokes something to think about? You want out, fine. But when you're ready to return, have two years on the sidelines first. We need to make a stand before other codes target our younger players. As soon as they go after our production line of talent - which is the strongest of all the codes - then we're in real trouble. On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to be invited to a lunch to pay tribute to the great Ron Massey, the man supercoach Jack Gibson used to turn to for advice. It was at the SCG, organised by Peter Wynn and businessman John Singleton. On the guest list were guys like Wayne Bennett, Gavin Miller, Roy Masters, Mick Cronin, John Quayle and other influential men in our game. www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 5757047461

There was a piece in todays WA Sunday paper by a Perth WAFL coach slating the decision. Worryingly though he did mention that the game (AFL) should be targetting the very best 15-16 year old RL players and it was something he intended to do.

AFL cant develop its own juniors either.

this is so funny.

looks like their teams in nsw and queensland arent producing any players then.

ouch, what happened to the $20 million they invested there?

I say let these lads go where they like and play whatever sport they like. Big money or no big money. If they're out of contract, they're free to do whatever they like. And when people talk about loyalty..! Loyalty went out the window years ago - if it ever really existed like people remember it did. I'd bet there's very few players who get anything like loyalty from their club when it comes to the crunch. Clubs have little or no loyalty, after all, they're franchises and like it or not, that means they operate like one.

The antiquated idea that those who 'defect' should have bans slapped on them or obstacles put in their way should they ever want to return to the game is more damaging than losing the likes of a Karmichael Hunt. In fact, it's just the sort of brilliant idea you'd see from those forward-thinking old farts in Union.

hunt will fit right in the afl party boy image

www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews ... 46079.html AFLs poster boy giving the code bad publicity. the sign in the article is funny " only soft hunts play AFL"

www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews ... 46079.html AFLs poster boy giving the code bad publicity. the sign in the article is funny " only soft hunts play AFL"

"Hunt stunned everyone in the sporting world when he announced last week he would quit rugby league".....
Talk about bigging it up. I doubt it was headline news in Australia, never mind the Heartlands of the UK

it was pretty big here actually! wouldnt expect it to be anywhere else though.

hunt wants too play for cook islands in the pacific cup at end of season. www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=34174 =rededited Learn to do this properly, without simply cutting and pasting the entirety of other people's content, or this identity goes the same way as fredie. tb

hunt wants too play for cook islands in the pacific cup at end of season. www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=34174 =rededited Learn to do this properly, without simply cutting and pasting the entirety of other people's content, or this identity goes the same way as fredie. tb

hunt is going to england rugby 1st