Author Topic: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL  (Read 9828 times)

Offline nahadaman

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Whta do you reckon.??

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2009, 12:10:06 PM »
Whta do you reckon.??
Good on him for testing his limits! I really hope it puts to bed this theory that Rugby League is the toughest game in the world too! I hope he can catch the ball above his head as not too many leaguers can!
Overall, this is going to be one interesting exercise but it poos me that Gold Coast can speculate on a NRL player when they have so many recruiting concessions!

Offline Stripes

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2009, 12:30:12 PM »
I was speaking to some rugby enthusiasts and they say it is like losing Nick Riewoldt to rugby! Great promotion for the code and new Gold Coast club in particular. Given that he is a famous Queenslander, he will generate a huge amount of interest for the side when he plays. Regardless whether he is successful on the field the promotional advantages this signing holds can not be measured.

Well done to the AFL but just make sure that you underperform when you eventually play the Tigers  :D

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Offline tigersalive

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2009, 12:36:47 PM »
It's a massive coup although GC are really the only ones who can do this and get it done without a drawn out process because no one else has such free agency jurisdiction.

Should be interesting to see how he takes to the game.
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Offline Smokey

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2009, 01:01:31 PM »
He hasn't got a hope in Hades of making it to senior level.  And he has many detractors in rugby league - he ain't as good as some make out, although his ego would tell you otherwise.  Think Des Headland or Nick Davis to rugby league.  This is an exercise in PR for one K. Hunt - no-one else.

Offline tiga

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #5 on: July 29, 2009, 01:02:38 PM »
I think he will go okay! He is a ready made half back flanker, has a penetrating kick, good vertical leap, plenty of pace, obviously knows how to tackle but they will need to refine it to AFL standard. He will be a bit one sided at first I'm sure which will be tested when under pressure but above all its a huge marketing coup getting a league player to convert to AFL in a league dominated area and he's only 22 from memory.

We need Cameron to go up to the Bronco's and have a quiet chat to his mate Israel Folau. Now there is a KPP if there ever was one.  :pray

Offline mat073

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #6 on: July 29, 2009, 01:36:14 PM »
This is massive....Anyone who has played 10 state of origins and 11 Tests for Australia by age 22 is a star.
This is like Deledio quitting the Tigers to play for the Storm next year.

Hard not to be skeptical that its just a more of a public relations exercise....to get more local interest in the Gold Coast team.

The Western Force Rugby team have struggled to be embraced by the WA community and when Ben Cousins future was in the balance at the start of the year they were very interested in him....Thats the first thing I thought of when I heard of Karmicheals defection.
From a membership point of veiw....Great coup   On field....wait and see.

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Offline mightytiges

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2009, 01:43:14 PM »
Hunt played junior/school footy with Scott Harding apparently so he's played Aussie rules at least before. Can he kick and handpass and does he have 360 degree awareness will be the main issue coming from a sport that involves mainly throwing and frontal tackling. Scott Clayton just said on the radio Hunt has a secret kicking session with him and Buckley and that made Clayton say yes this is possible. Hunt prefers watching American sports and AFL. He apparently only played NRL because he was good at it so it wasn't that hard to poach him. The NRL are having fits lol. Imagine if we poached Inglis or Slater. They'd be superstars if they played Aussie rules.

Hunt is 187cm and 96kg so not a common AFL body size. Scott Clayton trying find another Mitch Hahn like he did at the doggies.
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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2009, 06:08:25 PM »
Interesting to see what happens when Gold Coast play Carlton.
He and  Fev aint best of friends ;)

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #9 on: July 29, 2009, 06:48:21 PM »
Interesting to see what happens when Gold Coast play Carlton.
He and  Fev aint best of friends ;)
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Offline Infamy

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #10 on: July 29, 2009, 07:42:07 PM »
His salary in the NRL was $400k per year as one of the highest paid athletes in the sport
That's just over the average salary of a senior AFL player, the best are in the $750-800k+ mark
Given the concessions the Gold Coast have, not only will it be a big drawcard for their fans, but for him personally there is a very big carrot dangling in front of him if he's any good

Online WilliamPowell

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #11 on: July 29, 2009, 10:09:13 PM »
Great publicity for GC17

Will he make it? Doubtful, very doubtful.
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Offline yellowandback

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #12 on: July 29, 2009, 10:13:22 PM »
Great publicity for GC17

Will he make it? Doubtful, very doubtful.


It's huge news. And Willy P, I reckon you may have said the same thing when steynes and keneally made the move from Ireland. If he works hard enough, look out!
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Online WilliamPowell

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #13 on: July 29, 2009, 10:17:59 PM »
Great publicity for GC17

Will he make it? Doubtful, very doubtful.


It's huge news. And Willy P, I reckon you may have said the same thing when steynes and keneally made the move from Ireland. If he works hard enough, look out!

 :lol :lol

I wasn't that interested in the Irish blokes when they came out when I was young(er) so I and didn't really have an opinion

I watch alot of NRL and although he will be good in the air, I am not sure how he will adapt to the other parts of AFL.

I actually joked at dinner tonight that i don't know why people are talking about his ability to tackle as I rarely see him tackle in the NRL and when he is about to be tackle, he heads straight to ground  :rollin
« Last Edit: July 30, 2009, 06:46:22 AM by WilliamPowell »
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Offline the_boy_jake

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Re: What Are Your Thoughts On Karmichael Hunt's Defection To AFL
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2009, 10:27:51 PM »
Very brave move for Hunt and a smart one I think. He'll be an Aussie sporting legend if he becomes an AFL star.

I say smart move, because although the Melbourne media will paint this as AFL poaching one of the NRL's best, he hasn't really fulfilled his early promise. He's a solid player. Billy Slater and him vie for the QLD fullback slot and Hunt is more versatile and consistent but just doesn't have the brilliance. At QLD level you could say he is a picked as a utility player and for the Australian team he is nowhere near the player that Slater or Stewart are and picked in the past again for his versatility and the fact that Australia generally have enough flashy creative players and need solid defensive players to beat their opponents.

Think Daniel Wells in the sense that he came on the scene and built a big reputation but hasn't kicked on in the last 3 years.

As far as making it goes, I wouldn't be so quick to rule him out as some. He'll have the basic skills, is a good athlete and will probably have it all over AFL players in terms of body strength, tackling ability and possibly even some ground skills given that in rugby league you cannot fumble a ball on the ground. The things that will hold him back is endurance and things like being able to handball both sides, being able to raise his arms and handball out of trouble, overhead marking, spoiling and other footy smarts like not diving on the ball.