So Karmicheal Hunt is ditching league for the AFL. He has copped a serve from The King and it is obvious the challenge he is looking for is how much more money his manager can squeeze from him.
The AFL can rightly crow about the coup but in a few years I predict this experiment will fail. I’m with the Titans CEO Michael Searle on his one. He says:
This would have sounded like a really good idea in Melbourne, but anyone who knows the Gold Coast market, and the Queensland market … if the AFL wanted credibility, the first player they should have signed was Nick Riewoldt or Kurt Tippett,’’ Searle said. ‘‘That would have been a really good message. But what sort of message does this send to every AFL player?
‘‘It reeks of desperation if you’ve got to recruit a rugby league player to play AFL.
Hunt’s significant paycheck is for his initial advertising and commercial potential over any playing potential. Hunt may become a decent AFL player but he is not going to be one worth a couple of million over three seasons because of his ability alone. In fact, after the first season, Hunt will need to be sure that his skills are up to the task because his drawing power will wane after the initial interest. AFL players with greater ability than Hunt will wonder what they need to do to earn the same coin.
The AFL is displaying the same short-sighted petty approach that lead the Australian Rugby Union to try and get one over on the NRL by poaching its stars (some past commentary on the ARU poaching). The game has survived very well without Gasnier, SBW and the others that jumped ship for “the challenge” of the other code.
One thing the NRL should do is have a serious look at changing the the salary cap. Gallop has dithered on this for far to long. There is a good argument to allow marquee and long serving players concessions as well as improve the scope for third party payments for all players.
Hunt’s defection was based on a set of unique circumstances. And that is why the NRL has nothing to fear from the AFL. In a few years, the AFL, like the ARU, will rue their short sightedness and rugby league will be stronger than ever.
