Karmichael Hunt marked as 'barrel girl' for Gold Coast
Gordon Tallis | August 04, 2009 12:00am
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AFL clearly has learnt nothing from rugby union's failed experiment with paying over the odds to recruit rugby league players.
While rugby union scored some cheap publicity by splashing millions to recruit Mat Rogers, Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri, ultimately it did more damage to the code than favours.
By paying those guys inflated salaries they caused great unrest within their own playing ranks and it has contributed to that code's current woes.
Youngsters who had grown up with dreams of being a Wallaby became disillusioned that their place in a state and national team was being taken by a league player who crossed codes solely for the money.
It made them think differently about their sport. They realised if the ARU hierarchy wasn't prepared to show loyalty to their own, then it was a two-way street. So they began to explore their options in Europe and Japan, and by all accounts there is now enough Australian talent playing rugby union overseas to fill a far more competent Super 14 outfit than the Reds have for many years.
The AFL won't suffer the same fate because their players have nowhere else to go.
But the decision to sign Karmichael Hunt to a three-year, $3 million deal will have the rank and file restless.
How do you justify paying a guy who has never played a senior game the same salary as the code's absolute elite? It is a recipe for disaster.
The Gold Coast club insists it is not a publicity stunt, but how can we view it as anything but?
I don't begrudge Karmichael the opportunity to go and earn big dollars, far more than he could have if he stayed with the Broncos.
When you are presented with the chance to get ahead in life then you should seize it.
But I hope he knows what he has got himself into. Karmichael is a fairly private guy, he doesn't love the spotlight. He likes to be able to have a life away from football, but if he thinks he is going to be allowed to keep a low profile playing AFL, he is kidding himself.
As soon as he signed that contract he didn't become the Gold Coast's marquee player, he became their barrel girl. There won't be a function or marketing event he won't be expected to attend.
He says he is going for the challenge but I don't buy that. A far bigger challenge would have been for him to stay with the Broncos in their hour of need.
Rugby league also shouldn't stress about Karmichael's departure. He is a very good player and I love watching him, but we should remember he is a bench player at Origin level and a fringe selection for the national team.
Rugby league should be proud that it continues to produce players other codes are so desperate to poach.
Every time a player leaves it hurts, but someone takes their place and we don't have to go and raid another code to maintain the high standard of our elite competition.
There isn't a player in the AFL a rugby league club would be interested in signing – they simply couldn't handle the physicality.
Matt Giteau, the son of former rugby league player Ron, is perhaps the exception from rugby union who could cut across and play representative level rugby league, but they can keep the rest.
