Passport bungle leaves Karmichael Hunt's French rugby stint in jeopardy
By James Hooper
October 11, 2009 A deal for AFL convert Karmichael Hunt to play French rugby union with Biarritz is in jeopardy after the ex-Brisbane Bronco bungled the organisation of a Pacific Islands passport.
Hunt has secured a $300,000 six-month stint to play in the southern seaside French town's Top 14 club starting in January, but negotiations have stalled after a late hiccup.
The Sunday Mail reports learned player agent Greg Willett negotiated the deal on the proviso Hunt would be playing on a Cook Islands passport, but the former Bronco has failed to produce the correct documentation and the deal is now in jeopardy.
The confusion centres around New Zealand-born Hunt believing a Cook Islands visa would make him eligible, but Biarritz powerbrokers have demanded he produce a Cook Islands passport.
Hunt's management team is now rushing to try to get a Cook Islands passport in the next fortnight.
If Hunt joins Biarritz, the Queensland Origin and Kangaroos star would become the first professional athlete to play all three of Australia's major football codes - NRL, rugby union and AFL.
"I've done the deal and Biarritz have sent me all the documentation but at this stage we can't do anything because of this passport stuff-up," Willett said.
"I negotiated everything on the understanding that Karmichael would be travelling and playing on a Cook Islands passport but there's been a bit of a hiccup there and now it turns out he's got a visa but he hasn't got a passport."
Hunt's regular agent David Riolo said: "In the past month I've thought I've had about four different deals over the line and then something has come up at the last minute and it's all changed."
Privately, several NRL chief executives have questioned the AFL allowing their $1 million investment for the Gold Coast franchise to be granted a leave pass to try his hand in another sport in a foreign country.
The major question mark centred around what would happen if Hunt sustained a serious injury, placing his immediate AFL playing future in doubt.
But at the time when the ex-Brisbane Bronco was paraded as a marquee AFL convert in Surfers Paradise last July, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the rival code had no issues with Hunt having a short stint in rugby union.
Retired AFL legend Dermott Brereton questioned whether a six-month stint in rugby union would help Hunt's development as an AFL footballer.
"The more he gets kicking into his game the better. But the main thing he's got to get his head around when it comes to making the transition is getting 360-degree awareness," Brereton said.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26192293-23217,00.html
By James Hooper
October 11, 2009 A deal for AFL convert Karmichael Hunt to play French rugby union with Biarritz is in jeopardy after the ex-Brisbane Bronco bungled the organisation of a Pacific Islands passport.
Hunt has secured a $300,000 six-month stint to play in the southern seaside French town's Top 14 club starting in January, but negotiations have stalled after a late hiccup.
The Sunday Mail reports learned player agent Greg Willett negotiated the deal on the proviso Hunt would be playing on a Cook Islands passport, but the former Bronco has failed to produce the correct documentation and the deal is now in jeopardy.
The confusion centres around New Zealand-born Hunt believing a Cook Islands visa would make him eligible, but Biarritz powerbrokers have demanded he produce a Cook Islands passport.
Hunt's management team is now rushing to try to get a Cook Islands passport in the next fortnight.
If Hunt joins Biarritz, the Queensland Origin and Kangaroos star would become the first professional athlete to play all three of Australia's major football codes - NRL, rugby union and AFL.
"I've done the deal and Biarritz have sent me all the documentation but at this stage we can't do anything because of this passport stuff-up," Willett said.
"I negotiated everything on the understanding that Karmichael would be travelling and playing on a Cook Islands passport but there's been a bit of a hiccup there and now it turns out he's got a visa but he hasn't got a passport."
Hunt's regular agent David Riolo said: "In the past month I've thought I've had about four different deals over the line and then something has come up at the last minute and it's all changed."
Privately, several NRL chief executives have questioned the AFL allowing their $1 million investment for the Gold Coast franchise to be granted a leave pass to try his hand in another sport in a foreign country.
The major question mark centred around what would happen if Hunt sustained a serious injury, placing his immediate AFL playing future in doubt.
But at the time when the ex-Brisbane Bronco was paraded as a marquee AFL convert in Surfers Paradise last July, AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the rival code had no issues with Hunt having a short stint in rugby union.
Retired AFL legend Dermott Brereton questioned whether a six-month stint in rugby union would help Hunt's development as an AFL footballer.
"The more he gets kicking into his game the better. But the main thing he's got to get his head around when it comes to making the transition is getting 360-degree awareness," Brereton said.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26192293-23217,00.html
