Karmichael Hunt comes with baggage
KARMICHAEL Hunt smiles for the cameras clutching a red singlet as the brand spankin' new face of the AFL's brand spankin' new franchise in the brand spankin' new market of the Gold Coast.
Evidently, those who nailed this incomprehensible coup have chosen to ignore that less than a year ago he could be found in the toilet cubicle of a Brisbane nightclub with a 24-year-old girl and two Broncos teammates committing a sordid drunken act that attracted a police investigation and a $20,000 fine from his club.
They have chosen to ignore the raised eyebrows of Queensland officials about his behaviour in the lead-up to Origin III this year.
Chosen to ignore the whispers about his loose ways during the Maroons' bonding session on the Gold Coast on the Friday before the match. In the very territory where he's about to be the face of a club and code.
Chosen to ignore his reputation at the Broncos where he went from unaffected schoolboy to full-blown superstar.
As the Gold Coast franchise's press release read yesterday: "[Hunt] will also work with the AFL and AFL Queensland to promote and develop the game over the next three years.''
As many remarked in League Land yesterday, Hunt is the PR stunt just waiting to explode in the faces of those who signed him. Kaboom!
For the all the hype and very simple fact that Hunt is an affable 22-year-old, there's no mistaking the Gold Coast have plonked all their chips on a player who comes to them as damaged goods.
The Broncos will say publicly they are sad to see him leave.
What they will not say on the record is they are partly relieved to be offloading an off-field headache, despite his abundant gifts. They were saying the same thing when Darius Boyd signed with the Dragons.
The Broncos had to withdraw a $1.2million offer months ago because they'd reached their maximum limit.
But it is understood they could not beef up their offer with third-party agreements.
Why? Because no company would touch Hunt with a 12-foot pole.
It needs to be made very clear that Hunt was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing following the incident last September involving a woman and teammates Sam Thaiday and Boyd.
But the mud has stuck.
It might have something to do with why he was never a chance of playing league on the Gold Coast for the Titans, with whom he was heavily linked.
"We didn't consider he would fit into our culture,'' Michael Searle said. "He's a nice enough guy but he doesn't suit us.''
It speaks volumes about the mindset of the two franchises as they compete for the same sun-soaked hearts and minds, that Searle hunted down a cleanskin in Preston Campbell as his marquee player when the Titans formed.
Campbell is an identity you can build a culture around. Is Karmichael Hunt?
Presumably, the AFL believes so after the GC17 franchise failed to lure Nick Riewoldt and any other headline name from its own ranks.
AFL boss Andrew Demetriou may think he's delivered a round-house kick to the head of rugby league, but Searle wonders how long the euphoria will las
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