Hunt switch grim omen for League
Published: 5:41PM Wednesday July 29, 2009
Source: AAP
In years to come, Karmichael Hunt's departure to the AFL may be viewed as the straw that broke rugby league's back.
Or, more specifically, the beginning of the end for rugby league's high billing among the mainstream football codes in Australia.
Rugby league, as it has for 100 years, will survive but it faces one hell of a battle keeping pace with Australian Rules and soccer in this country.
Although Hunt was already seemingly lost to rugby league, most thought the talented 22-year-old's future lay in rugby union.
It may well - but only temporarily - with the Gold Coast AFL franchise saying they won't stand in Hunt's way if he opts to make a big-money cameo in Japan or Europe before joining them next May.
The bottom line, though, is Hunt's unprecedented move to the AFL - regardless how he eventually fares after the club debuts in 2011 - has sent shockwaves through the rugby league community.
As Manly's premiership-winning coach Des Hasler said on Wednesday, it is "gloves off".
"It's a real battle of the codes," Hasler said.
A battle rugby league is fast losing - and on many fronts.
Already reeling from no end of off-field scandals and international raids from cashed-up rugby union clubs and Super League clubs, the NRL now finds itself under fresh attack in an unexpected way.
You can bet AFL clubs, encouraged by Hunt's trailblazing move, will already be drawing up a wish list of other NRL players who could potentially make a successful code switch.
Superstars Greg Inglis, Jarryd Hayne, Billy Slater and Israel Folau - who can soar with the best of them - would be on top of the shopping lists.
And don't for a minute think NRL player agents across the country won't have taken notice.
They'll be rubbing their hands together at another avenue to explore as they seek to up the values of their charges.
Loyalty is already dead remember.
But the player raids are only a small part of rugby league's problems.
Fast forward two years when Football Federation Australia has an A-League soccer side in Sydney's west and their neighbours will be a second AFL team in the Harbour City.
The Socceroos will have featured in their second successive World Cup and the AFL will have an even greater foothold in Australia's rugby league heartland.
For decades, soccer has enjoyed the highest participation rate of players at junior level, before losing many young teenagers to rugby league or union because that was the cool, manly game to play.
Now, with the huge influx of bigger, stronger and faster Pacific Islanders in rugby league, many parents fear for their children's welfare in the 13-a-side code and there's a real question mark over which sporting direction kids will take.
Cashed up Australian Rules has been working hard to win kids' hearts and minds in traditional league heartland.
It all points to the next generation of Australian sports stars being unlikely to talk of modern-day league legends like Wally Lewis, Brad Fittler and Laurie Daley.
It's more likely kids all around Australia will be dreaming of being the next Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell, Buddy Franklin, Brendan Fevola or Karmichael Hunt.
Karmichael Hunt the AFL star, that is.
