Karmichael Hunt

[cumberlandsashes81]

I seem to recall an interview from his Broncos days where Hunt said he preferred to watch basketball and didn't ever watch Rugby league... I could be wrong but I would suggest he has no great love for the game.

 

[LineBall]

The game has moved on without him. I thought he was a loss at the time, but now I couldn't care less. As other's have said on here, he never has professed to have a great love for the game anyway.

 

[DarceyLawler]

Yeh, I remember the basketball interview. I follow him on Twitter and would say Golf is his main thing now.

 

[--Storm--]

He was a success in the AFL, if injuries didn't hit he could have become a very good player, unlike Folau he was accually a good player, I'd still have him in Gold Coasts first choice team, heaps of young guns though, was always going to be hard to hold his spot.

 

[davi]

Interestingly, Leigh Matthews has come out and slammed the AFL for signing Karmichal Hunt and Israel Folau.

He uses the word "poached" and suggests that signing players to attract publicity for the code on offers that don't match there talent should never happen again.

In some ways, I don't think anyone really benefited from this experiment. But I think Rugby League were the biggest losers- Hunt and Folau in the AFL did nothing. While league lost two players would have contributed so much more in league. However, the show goes on and League has moved on so in some ways it hasn't been that bad.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...el-hunt-and-israel-folau-20140829-109trk.html

 

[kbw]

crap in the AFL and not much better in reality in RL

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Interestingly, Leigh Matthews has come out and slammed the AFL for signing Karmichal Hunt and Israel Folau.

He uses the word "poached" and suggests that signing players to attract publicity for the code on offers that don't match there talent should never happen again.

In some ways, I don't think anyone really benefited from this experiment. But I think Rugby League were the biggest losers- Hunt and Folau in the AFL did nothing. While league lost two players would have contributed so much more in league. However, the show goes on and League has moved on so in some ways it hasn't been that bad.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...el-hunt-and-israel-folau-20140829-109trk.html

The AFL spent literally millions on just these two guys trying to attract polynesian/islander fans to the game and they ended up leaving the AFL as soon as they could. How is that not a massive backfire on the AFL? :?

 

[no name]

In some ways, I don't think anyone really benefited from this experiment.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-ne...el-hunt-and-israel-folau-20140829-109trk.html

Hunt & Folau literally got millions to play reserve grade. That's quite a benefit.

 

[Knownothing]

Interestingly, Leigh Matthews has come out and slammed the AFL for signing Karmichal Hunt and Israel Folau.

Leigh Matthews was one of the very toughest footballers ever, in any code. He would have been a sensational inside centre.

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Leigh Matthews was one of the very toughest footballers ever, in any code. He would have been a sensational inside centre.

He was a talentless thug.

 

[oikee]

Hunt and Falou should never be offered contracts to the NRL ever again.

I would rather sign Robson from the Sharks than either of those two muppets.
The NRL have got to start promoting the Cronks, Robsons, and other players who love our code and bend over backwards to promote and shout about our game.

Falou and Hunt would sell their grandmothers if a dollar could be made.

 

[davi]

Hunt & Folau literally got millions to play reserve grade. That's quite a benefit.

Yeah they got cashed up, but in terms of legacy there is none. What is Hunt and Folau now? Code Hoppers part time players League/AFL/Union.

I can guarantee you that if Andrew Johns switched to Union- he would not have the same aura that he has now, one man team, two premierships, and now a immortal. Hunt and Folau are not on Johns level, but they could have had something more special if they stayed in league that money can't buy, but now will never know.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Hunt and Falou should never be offered contracts to the NRL ever again.

I would rather sign Robson from the Sharks than either of those two muppets.
The NRL have got to start promoting the Cronks, Robsons, and other players who love our code and bend over backwards to promote and shout about our game.

Falou and Hunt would sell their grandmothers if a dollar could be made.

Noble..but hardly viable in the commercial world we now live in. Kids don't give a shite about the integrity or lack thereof of an SBW, a Folau, etc. No one's buying a Robson jersey or getting fired up about buying a season membership based on John Morris' career highlights.

Incidentally, Folau/Hunt haven't backfired on the AFL because they're no longer in the code. The AFL aren't stupid - in fact they're a much smarter, slicker-run competition than the NRL. They knew Folau wouldn't last. They figured cutie wouldn't either, even with past experience in the code. Their pay might as well have been filed under marketing expenses, not player salaries.

Folau/Hunt bought them relevancy and exposure in the early days for two sides in geographical areas that required it.

 

[no name]

Yeah they got cashed up, but in terms of legacy there is none. What is Hunt and Folau now? Code Hoppers part time players League/AFL/Union.

I can guarantee you that if Andrew Johns switched to Union- he would not have the same aura that he has now, one man team, two premierships, and now a immortal. Hunt and Folau are not on Johns level, but they could have had something more special if they stayed in league that money can't buy, but now will never know.

A legacy? As if they give a f**k about a legacy, they got paid a shit load for being not very good at a sport.
They clearly came out in front from their respective deals.

 

[davi]

A legacy? As if they give a f**k about a legacy, they got paid a shit load for being not very good at a sport.
They clearly came out in front from their respective deals.

So you saying for no professional athlete legacy is not important? I doubt it- yeah they got cashed up. But I can guarantee you for some a legacy is important. For Sonny Bill Williams it's not though.

Brad Fittler: "I was able to win a premiership with the Roosters. Have you ever thought about staying at the Roosters and building something?"

Sonny Bill Williams: "oh, um, no, I just like to go around where I am happy and where I feel best"

In other words where the biggest pay check- I'll take it and club loyalty means nothing.

P.S. Don't take a swipe of Fitler leaving Penrith. He was forced too, when he found out they were heading to Superleague.

 

[no name]

What are you on about?
You originally said that no one benefitted from Hunt and Falou going to AFL, when the 2 players clearly gained the benefit of the millions of dollars.
They obviously thought it was an awesome deal, they had both won a comp, played origin and test footy.
I don't know what SBW has to do with it.

 

[typicalfan]

Noble..but hardly viable in the commercial world we now live in. Kids don't give a shite about the integrity or lack thereof of an SBW, a Folau, etc. No one's buying a Robson jersey or getting fired up about buying a season membership based on John Morris' career highlights.

Incidentally, Folau/Hunt haven't backfired on the AFL because they're no longer in the code. The AFL aren't stupid - in fact they're a much smarter, slicker-run competition than the NRL. They knew Folau wouldn't last. They figured cutie wouldn't either, even with past experience in the code. Their pay might as well have been filed under marketing expenses, not player salaries.

Folau/Hunt bought them relevancy and exposure in the early days for two sides in geographical areas that required it.

If GWS goes belly up, then Folau did backfire. Can't say he has introduced millions of dollars worth of support to that side.

The use of rugby league players to market your sport is the biggest complement the sport could have.

 

[El Diablo]

Leigh Matthews was one of the very toughest footballers ever, in any code. He would have been a sensational inside centre.

who?

 

[TheDalek079]

So you saying for no professional athlete legacy is not important? I doubt it- yeah they got cashed up. But I can guarantee you for some a legacy is important. For Sonny Bill Williams it's not though.

Brad Fittler: "I was able to win a premiership with the Roosters. Have you ever thought about staying at the Roosters and building something?"

Sonny Bill Williams: "oh, um, no, I just like to go around where I am happy and where I feel best"

In other words where the biggest pay check- I'll take it and club loyalty means nothing.

P.S. Don't take a swipe of Fitler leaving Penrith. He was forced too, when he found out they were heading to Superleague.

If it was about where the biggest pay check is, then SBW would be in France or Japan playing club rugby. He's in the NRL because he wants to play league. He's going back to rugby to try to win another rugby world cup, then aiming for 7s gold at the Olympics. Sonny Bill is a determined young superstar with clear goals that he wishes to achieve. It is not about the money.

If he achieves his goals, he'll have 2 (or 3) NRL premierships, at least one super rugby title, a couple of Bledisloe Cup triumphs, Two Rugby World Cups, an Olympic Gold Medal, the NZ Heavyweight Championship and a WBA International Heavyweight Championship Belt. With that, he'd leave one hell of a legacy

 

[TheFrog]

P.S. Don't take a swipe of Fitler leaving Penrith. He was forced too, when he found out they were heading to Superleague.

He certainly wasn't forced to, he was offered the Australian captaincy and given legal advice that the Penrith club could not do a thing legally if he elected not to honour his contract as the contract was to play in the (then) ARL competition. Matt Sing left under similar circumstances. So just like Williams, Fittler went where the grass was greenest.