When I first heard about the announcement that Karmichael Hunt had signed to play for the new Gold Coast based AFL team, I thought it was a publicity stunt.

I am a follower of both Rugby League (mainly State of Origin and Internationals) and AFL and couldn’t believe that such a dominating star of the NRL had decided to switch codes.

I have to agree with Michael’s comments that this is definitely is a bigger story than Collingwood’s ‘ground-breaking’ news and could have long lasting effects in both codes.

These are the stats on Karmichael Hunt;

Karmichael Hunt has decided to 'switch' football codes by signing with the Gold Coast.

Age: 22
Weight: 90kg
Height: 186cm ( 6ft 1inch )

Playing Information

Position: Fullback

• 115 games for the Brisbane Broncos

• 10 for Queensland Maroons

• 11 for Australia Kangaroos

• Debuted in 2004 for the Broncos and won the Dally M Rookie of the Year Award

• Brisbane Broncos Back of the Year 2007-2008

• Hunt became the youngest player in the ARL/NRL premiership’s history to reach 100 first-grade games.

• Debuted for Broncos at age 17 years, 118 days ( Youngest Brisbane Bronco )

• Brisbane Broncos Top Try Scorer (2004, 15 tries)

• Shares record of most tries in a match for Brisbane (4)

As you can see  from his highly decorated Rugby League career this is not just a case of any Rugby League player deciding to play Australian Rules Football. Karmichael Hunt is one of the most elite and talented Rugby League players in the world.

He has had offers to play professional Rugby in France and Japan as well as being highly sought after by every other team in the NRL.

This is the equivalent in Aussie Rules of a player like Matthew Pavlich, Nick Riewoldt, or a Jonathan Brown deciding to switch to Rugby League. But quite simply though, there is no straight comparison because even for his young age Hunt has achieved so much.

Then there are so many questions…. Why would the AFL target a Rugby League player like Karmichael Hunt?  Why would Karmichael Hunt seemingly give up such a decorated career in Rugby League to maybe, become just an average AFL player? Can Hunt successfully switch codes?  Will this be a future talent picking ground for the AFL?

These are just some of the many questions.

Queensland and the AFL

The AFL obviously understands the reality of the situation with having a second team in Queensland. Even though the game is growing in the ‘Sunshine State’, it took years for Brisbane to cultivate a healthy supporters base.

Three premierships during the early 2000′s (2001, 2002, 2003) can definitely do wonders in building a club’s support. The same can also be said for Sydney Swans who by winning the 2005 premiership have also been able to get more exposure in a Rugby League dominated state (NSW).

But back to the Gold Coast example; Queensland at the moment has 2 Rugby League teams (Titans and Broncos), an AFL team (Brisbane Lions), a soccer team (Queensland Roar) and a Super 14s Rugby Union team (QLD Reds).

Both Brisbane and Sydney have in the recent past voiced their concerns about the AFL’s expansion as they argue that it took a long time for them to develop a following and in league dominated states they still struggle with support.

The AFL understands that for a second AFL team to develop and survive they need success and media exposure. The AFL are doing their best by developing Carrara stadium and local football , giving very generous draft concessions and chasing marquee/high profile sportsmen like Hunt.

It is a common theme with the AFL to grab a marquee type player to generate interest, curiosity and instant support that in the past has had mixed results. In the cases of the Brisbane Bears and the early Sydney Swans – both teams had cashed up owners looking for a quick fix with the signing of cheque books.

The result was the signing of players that in their heyday were solid contributors but by this stage were in the twilight of their careers, and this did not equal the instant returns the the team expected.

Who remembers Dermott Brereton as a Swans player or Warwick Capper as a Brisbane Bear?

The AFL this time is taking precautions to develop a more stable foundation to build the new Gold Coast club on, and whether or not this will succeed only time will tell.

Switching Codes

Karmichael Hunt is a superb athlete and gifted young sportsman who when playing under the Brisbane Broncos had a good following. He is generally a popular player because of his ability to be creative and his attack on the ball. Quite simply in Rugby League, he is a game breaker.

Going to the AFL is a curious move  1) He might never reach the successes he had in League  2) If there is reasonable success, then the AFL will definitely look to Rugby League as an alternative talent pool.

Austalian Rules Football is a hybrid sport that borrows its history and development from a few sports namely Gaelic Football. There has even been some relative success in Irish players like Jim Stynes and Tadhg Kennelly playing AFL.

Some techniques in recent years have been borrowed from Basketball (blocking).

There have been instances of some players being talented at sports like Basketball/Soccer/Cricket and Aussie Rules and choosing to focus on AFL instead.

But these switches usually occur at a junior or teenage level and in some cases late teens. To go from being a professional athlete in one sport to being a professional at a similar level in another is extremely difficult.

One example comes to mind is Michael Jordan’s attempt to play professional Baseball after retiring from Basketball, which was a failure. If the sports are too different from each other it is very hard for an athlete to adapt.

There are numerous examples, another that springs to mind was Adrian Barich’s failed attempts to play Rugby League with the Western Reds after being a thereabouts player for the West Coast Eagles.

AFL players have made successful transitions to other sports namely, Gridiron or American Football but they usually fill highly specialized roles like Punters. Ben Graham used to play for Geelong and now plays in the states as a Punter because the role requires him to kick high and long.

There has been a long history of code switches between Rugby League and Rugby Union with mixed results.

The Wallabies have tried recruiting big name players like Wendel Sailor, Lote Tuqiri,  Matt Rogers and Timana Tahu looking for a band aid solution to their lack of back line depth. Although all these players have had some success, they have found the transition hard as the rules and style of play in Rugby Union  differ a lot more than they anticipated.

The expectation for the players and the ones the players put on themselves were a lot higher than reality. By being offered high paying contracts these League players were expected to develop their skills and understanding of Union quickly.

Factors like travel are used as reasons for these converts going back to League, but the truth is it is very hard for a player that dominated in one sport to accept the fact that they may just struggle to adapt to a ‘new football code’

Apparently Karmichael Hunt has played Aussie Rules as a junior which gives him the basics of understanding the AFL, and the AFL has mentioned he might start off in the 2nd tier competition. But even this might be too high a mountain to climb.

If he succeeds as a player, it will be one of the greatest professional sport switches in history.

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