So how bout them sports (OT).

[Petrify]

Sonny Bill then this...

Karmichael Hunt to depart Brisbane Broncos and join AFL

Brisbane Broncos rugby league star Karmichael Hunt is switching codes to play Australian rules after joining the Gold Coast Football Club, which joins the AFL competition in 2011.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25850508-23214,00.html

 

[Petrify]

Inglis now thinking of switching when his contract expires.

 

[Held]

*tumbleweed*

 

[Clog|Mordain]

Pet, I dont think anyone cares, this is a forum for an online game, the last thing that people would use this for would be the recent changes in sporting. The only reason you made this thread was to get a bite out of elwood, and well, its been 3 days now and nothing, so i dont think it worked.

 

[Petrify]

Actually, it was Sneaky who I was addressing this to. He has nothing to say about the AFL because he knows the NRL is dying, so I didn't really expect him to reply.

 

[Paradox_]

Too busy SCRUBBING away.

 

[Katlene]

scrubbing is better then being a scrub...

 

[Paradox_]

Witty comeback.

 

[Sneaky Que]

Sonny Bill then this...

How funny is this! What a cheap publicity stunt by the AFL. Can't really blame them though. They have a new team that is MAJORLY struggling for support, hardly anyone on the GC (or QLD in general) gives a rats about AFL or this new team.

So what does the AFL do? They get something the people of the GC do care about, NRL, to get their publicity. More than anything it is an addmission of inferiority by the AFL.

They didn't sign Hunt because he is a good AFL player, they signed him for the publicity that only a rugby league star can provide. Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised if he goes on to be one of the best AFL players ever.

Someone better tell Karmichael and his team (who trained this week by playing AFL) that he still playing the toughest sport of all, because they certainly looked like they were trying to play Aussie rules last night when they got absolutly obliterated by the Green Machine...

Brisbane have been handed their heaviest ever NRL defeat after a 56-0 thrashing by Canberra on Saturday.


The loss eclipsed 46-point defeats to Melbourne in 2005 and Parramatta in 2007 as the Broncos' worst and cast serious doubts over the club's finals hopes.


The Raiders were merciless at Canberra Stadium, running in 10 tries to none as they piled on 40 unanswered points in the second half.


Brisbane have now lost three straight matches and their proud record of making finals for the past 17 seasons seems under threat.
Canberra had the visitors on the backfoot from the outset, crossing for two tries in the first 10 minutes.
Raiders centre Joel Monaghan score in just the third minute, followed by another four-pointer to fullback Josh Dugan five minutes later.
A third try to Phil Graham, the first of his four for the night, ensured the Raiders held a 16-0 lead at the break.


But rather than fight their way back in, the Broncos were never in the contest as the Raiders piled on seven tries in the second half, including three more to Graham.


A switch by Broncos coach Ivan Henjak to move AFL defector Karmichael Hunt from fullback to halfback failed to spark the Brisbane attack.


While the Raiders made easy yards, particularly down the right side through Monaghan, the Broncos were never dangerous with the ball, making just two line breaks for the game.


The Broncos have now conceded more than 300 points in their past eight outings.




http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiersh...d/790/fixtureid/5507/infotabid/4/default.aspx

What a great signing by the AFL!

I think this says it best...

 

[Petrify]

How funny is this! What a cheap publicity stunt by the AFL. Can't really blame them though. They have a new team that is MAJORLY struggling for support, hardly anyone on the GC (or QLD in general) gives a rats about AFL or this new team.

Yeah that might be because of their poor on field performance, oh thats right they don't actually join the competition until 2011.

So what does the AFL do? They get something the people of the GC do care about, NRL, to get their publicity. More than anything it is an addmission of inferiority by the AFL.

Your logic is so stupid. The fact that AFL clubs can steal players off of the NRL is "an admission of inferiority." You would think that, if the NRL is a better game than the AFL, that NRL players wouldn't want to switch codes.

Let me clear up a few things for you:

1. The AFL had nothing to do with the signing of Hunt - it was all to do with GC.
2. The two reasons why GC wanted to poach him were because of publicity and the fact that he is an athletic freak.
3. I don't care how your team went in the NRL.
4. Hunt has only played roughly 7-8 games of AFL as a junior. The GC will have a mountainous task in trying to improve his foot skills.

 

[Sneaky Que]

Yeah that might be because of their poor on field performance, oh thats right they don't actually join the competition until 2011.

While that is a factor no doubt, it is more because QLD is dominated by rugby league. More specifically, the people of the GC are more concerned with how their Titans are going than any future club from the Melbourne competition.

Your logic is so stupid. The fact that AFL clubs can steal players off of the NRL is "an admission of inferiority." You would think that, if the NRL is a better game than the AFL, that NRL players wouldn't want to switch codes.

It was widely known for a long time that Hunt was looking to leave the NRL to play rugby, which he is still doing next year. So in fact the AFL is really taking him off Union, who is taking him from League.

If my logic is so stupid, then why do you agree with me?

2. The two reasons why GC wanted to poach him were because of publicity and the fact that he is an athletic freak.

1. The AFL had nothing to do with the signing of Hunt - it was all to do with GC.

Oh, really? Thats not what I heard...

Charm offensive: how Demetriou helped hunt that landed league star
Sebastian Hassett July 29, 2009

ANDREW DEMETRIOU opened the door for rugby league star Karmichael Hunt to join the AFL.


A friendly chat it may have seemed but when the AFL chief executive recently invited Hunt and his girlfriend Emma Harding to his Toorak home, Demetriou had persuasion on his mind.


Word had already passed around the AFL?s inner sanctum that Hunt was contemplating switching codes, and no sooner had Nathan Buckley given his personal approval after their soon-to-be-famous kick-to-kick session that Demetriou decided to get involved.


Demetriou laid on a rare charm offensive, gently wooing Hunt as he listened to him outline his hunger for a new challenge after six years with the Broncos.


Asked why he wanted to personally get involved, Demetriou was forthright when he fronted reporters at Sydney?s Intercontinental Hotel last night.
??Because it was unique, to be honest,?? he said. ??We only got involved when he decided he wanted to play for the Gold Coast Football Club and we saw it as an opportunity to help us promote the game. What really impressed me was that his motivation was really about the new challenge and being able to participate as an elite athlete.??


With Buckley?s endorsement ringing in his ears, Demetriou sat proudly in rugby league?s heartland and declared Hunt was well-equipped to make the transition.


??He?s played the game, and Mark Browning, who?s identified our talent in Queensland and NSW over a number of years, identified his talent very early on and he was one of those fellows who got away, to be honest,?? Demetriou said.
Hunt has been lured to the Gold Coast not only by a sizeable three-year package but in a role as an ambassador for the AFL and its state arm, AFL Queensland.


But Demetriou insisted there was no problem with the AFL paying players outside the salary cap and denied the suggestion it was effectively inflating the club?s capacity to pay certain players.
??It?s not unusual at all, we?ve got other players who are on promotional deals,?? Demetriou said, citing Barry Hall.
But the question will not go away, as Demetriou said he wouldn?t rule out using similar tactics in the name of ??promotional activity?? for western Sydney.


In effect, that could mean the AFL?s 18th club, due to start life in the 2012 competition, may be able to lure an uncontracted big-name player ? from another club or another code ? with a significant portion of the player?s annual earning sourced from the AFL, not the club.
Despite the promise of transparency, Demetriou refused to reveal how much Hunt would be paid for his extracurricular duties, although it is understood to be a significant amount. Such a move could raise the ire of clubs in traditional AFL markets where such intense promotion is not required.


While Hunt?s character was called into question following allegations of a sexual assault in a Brisbane nightclub last September ? he was later cleared by police ? Demetriou insisted the AFL had done its own background checks.


??We?re extremely confident [in his character], we?ve spoken to people who know Karmichael Hunt, we?ve spoken to people where Karmichael Hunt went to school, we?ve spoken to people who know Karmichael Hunt and we?ve also spoken to Karmichael Hunt and his girlfriend,?? Demetriou said.
Surprisingly, Demetriou suggested AFL might not be Hunt?s final destination.


I guess after AFL he?ll probably take on something else because he?s just got such a desire to succeed in many codes,?? he said.


http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/spo...nt-that-landed-league-star-20090730-e1py.html

Sure sounds like the AFL got involved to me, at the highest levels no less.

3. I don't care how your team went in the NRL.

The point wasn't how well my team played (although we did play very well), it was how BADLY Brisbane (Hunt included) played, but you know that and are just deflecting. I don't think I need to tell you that 56-0 is a massive, MASSIVE defeat. It was the Bronco's biggest loss EVER.

4.

Hunt has only played roughly 7-8 games of AFL as a junior. The GC will have a mountainous task in trying to improve his foot skills.

After watchng him on Saturday night, I think I might have to agree with you on that one! Like I said, they didn't sign him because he is a good AFL player (that is unknown at this time), the signed him for the publicity that only a league player can provide in QLD.

 

[Benny Lava]

PWNZORISED

 

[Petrify]

More specifically, the people of the GC are more concerned with how their Titans are going than any future club from the Melbourne competition.

... That would be why they are promoting it? The fact of the matter is GC will last at least 10+ years because of the support the AFL can give. Unlike the NRL the AFL is not on its knees financially.

So in fact the AFL is really taking him off Union, who is taking him from League.

Nope, he got poached from the NRL, no matter which way you try and twist it.

Oh, really? Thats not what I heard...

You got this article off the Brisbane Times. Demetriou had absolutely no influence on the decision - in the end it all came down to what the GC wanted to do.

The point wasn't how well my team played (although we did play very well), it was how BADLY Brisbane (Hunt included) played, but you know that and are just deflecting. I don't think I need to tell you that 56-0 is a massive, MASSIVE defeat. It was the Bronco's biggest loss EVER.

I dont care. How Brisbane played and Hunt played in the NRL has absolutely no relevance whatsoever to Hunt swapping codes.

Like I said, they didn't sign him because he is a good AFL player (that is unknown at this time), the signed him for the publicity that only a league player can provide in QLD.

They signed him because he was an elite athlete and because he would bring a tonne of publicity. Its succeeded too hasn't it? We are talking about it right now.

 

[Sneaky Que]

... That would be why they are promoting it? The fact of the matter is GC will last at least 10+ years because of the support the AFL can give. Unlike the NRL the AFL is not on its knees financially.

Just like the NRL's support that has ensured the Melbourne Storm has BEEN a success for 10+ years already? The NRL is far from on it's knees, in fact it has financial backing that the AFL could only dream of. Back on topic, lets not forget the Gold Coast Titans, who have been very successful on their own.

Nope, he got poached from the NRL, no matter which way you try and twist it.

He WANTS to leave, and did for a long time before the AFL came knocking.

You got this article off the Brisbane Times. Demetriou had absolutely no influence on the decision - in the end it all came down to what the GC wanted to do.

You're wrong kid. The following is from the Melbourne Herald Sun, just for you...

Andrew Demetriou was pivotal in snaring Karmichael Hunt

THE AFL's most powerful man, Andrew Demetriou, played a key role in convincing Karmichael Hunt to make his shock decision to switch codes. On the same day in late May that the AFL used Nathan Buckley to steer Hunt through a 40-minute training drill, Demetriou hosted Hunt and his girlfriend at his Toorak home.

There he outlined the league's expansion plans and made an assurance that his code of football would provide personal welfare unmatched by other sports.

No financial promises were made by Demetriou over a cup of tea that day, May 23, but it is known Hunt left the meeting all but convinced he would walk away from the Brisbane Broncos at the end of this season and join the Gold Coast AFL franchise in May next year.

Hunt told the Herald Sun yesterday his crash course in Australian football would "definitely" have him ready to be part of the Gold Coast team that will play its inaugural AFL match in Round 1, 2011.
Hunt will earn up to $600,000 a year playing for the Gold Coast, but considerably more from development and promotional roles that will be funded by both the AFL and his new club.

Hunt's package could be fully exempt from the AFL salary cap, as the AFL has allowed Hunt to be listed under special rookie rules, the same ones used by Carlton to recruit the O'hAilpin brothers from Ireland.

Hunt will need to be elevated off the rookie list if he is to play a senior match, and if that is done through an AFL allowance to cover for a long-term injured player, none of his wage will be included in total player payments.

AFL national and international development executive Dave Matthews, who also played a big role in the recruiting coup, said Hunt's decision should not be seen as an AFL message to the NRL.

"That is for them (NRL) to decide, but our message is to talented athletes," he said. "We have 780 jobs at an average $220,000 (a year). We reckon it is a great environment."

The fullback has played 10 Origin games for Queensland, 11 Tests for Australia, more than 100 games for the Broncos and won a premiership.

Hunt was seen as a potential star in the early 2000s by Queensland scout Mark Browning.

Hunt said he played "eight or nine" Aussie rules games in his final year of school in Brisbane.

"That was as high as I got," he said yesterday. "When I start (at Gold Coast) I will just watch it unfold rather than be in the thick of the action. Eventually, I might move to the centre, or even a bit further (upfield).

"I can't wait to get a feel for it, and yes, definitely, I want to be there in Round 1. I'm not swapping codes to drop down a level."

St Kilda's Lenny Hayes, an elite rugby league player at schoolboy level, said Melbourne Storm stars Billy Slater and Greg Inglis would be a hit in the AFL.

"It's going to create a lot of excitement and hopefully it works, because you want the best athletes playing our game. Maybe others will switch over," he said.

Hunt may make a big-money rugby union cameo in Japan or Europe before joining Gold Coast.


http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25854998-19742,00.html

I dont care. How Brisbane played and Hunt played in the NRL has absolutely no relevance whatsoever to Hunt swapping codes.

You may not care, thats fine, but it does matter...

Off the Wall
Written by: Jeff Wall
Aug 4, 2009 9:33am

It has not taken long for the AFL’s signing of Karmichael Hunt to be shown up for what it really is – a very expensive publicity stunt designed to promote the entry of a Gold Coast-based AFL team in 2011.

And, as so often happens with cheap or expensive stunts, it is rapidly unravelling.

Today Gorden Tallis put his finger right on the mark in his “Courier Mail” column headed “Karmicahel marked as a ‘barrel’ girl for Gold Coast”.
You don’t have to agree with everything Tallis writes or says, but you have to admire the fact that he never pulls punches, even if that means upsetting some of his former team mates and current players.

What is most interesting about the Hunt stunt is how quickly the AFL hierarchy has sought to distance itself from the stunt. As our old friend Patrick Smith points out in his column today the CEO of the AFL Andrew Demetriou was revealed last week as Karmichael Hunt’s “agent”.Ouch!
The media was fed the story behind Hunt’s recruitment last week – including coffee (or was it tea?) with the AFL CEO at his Melbourne mansion.

We were also told that the AFL had contributed to the million plus Hunt is getting, and had exempted him from the salary cap.
But in recent days that has changed. The AFL is trying to distance itself from what just six days ago was supposed to be the greatest defection of all time. Why?

If Demetriou, or Nathan Buckley, or anyone else in the AFL who gave Hunt a tick of approval, saw Hunt play against the Raiders last Saturday they would probably tell him that when he goes overseas to play rugby at the end of this season he should not bother coming back!

Even the Gold Coast media, which strongly backed the drive for a Gold Coast AFL licence, has been backing off on its glowing endorsement of Hunt as the face of the AFL on the Gold Coast.

There are undoubtedly several reasons for the AFL backing off from its promotion of Hunt as the game’s new messiah.

Firstly, his media performances since last Wednesday’s media “triumph” have been little short of embarrassing. As Tallis says today “Karmichael is a fairly quiet guy, he doesn’t like the spotlight. He likes 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 has another thing coming to him”.
And it gets even better! “As soon as he signed that contract he didn’t become the Gold Coast’s marquee player, he became their barrel girl...”

Secondly, his off field record – and recent record at that – is now subject to media scrutiny.

Thirdly, some of the most respected names in the AFL have exposed the whole issue for what it is – a very expensive media stunt driven by the AFL headquarters designed to somehow undermine the NRL.

That is why I read with sad disbelief today’s comment by the CEO of the NRL that Hunt would be welcomed back to the NRL anytime. The weak response that came out of the Broncos CEO when the news broke last week has sadly been replicated.

At least Gorden Tallis, and Ricky Stuart, have got it right when it comes to what this is really all about – how is it that highly paid, and highly placed, officials just don’t get it!

http://www.leagueunlimited.com/article.php?newsid=18309

They signed him because he was an elite athlete and because he would bring a tonne of publicity. Its succeeded too hasn't it? We are talking about it right now.

The ONLY reason why it succeeded is BECAUSE he is a rugby league star. Do you get it yet? The AFL needs the NRL and controversy to try and promote it's new club because it is strugling so badly to gain attention. It was a desprate move by the AFL.

 

[Petrify]

Just like the NRL's support that has ensured the Melbourne Storm has BEEN a success for 10+ years already? The NRL is far from on it's knees, in fact it has financial backing that the AFL could only dream of. Back on topic, lets not forget the Gold Coast Titans, who have been very successful on their own.

Are you serious? Honestly I don't know exactly how stupid you are but you are giving me a pretty good idea. The AFL's membership numbers, crowd numbers, sponsorship numbers and most recent T.V deals all point towards it being a behemoth compared to the NRL.

Also the Brisbane Lions have been around for longer than the Storm and more successful on field in comparison. Not to mention the Sydney Swans have been in Sydney since 1982. Could you please tell me how many NRL players there are from Melbourne actually playing for the Storm right now? Better yet, how many in total since they were formed?

Hunt will earn up to $600,000 a year playing for the Gold Coast, but considerably more from development and promotional roles that will be funded by both the AFL and his new club.

If you knew how to read you would understand that the AFL will be paying him to perform promotional roles - not to actually play. Also I said Demetriou had absolutely no influence on the decision. I stand by that.

I laugh at how you pulled an article off of a League forum and tried to use it as evidence.

The ONLY reason why it succeeded is BECAUSE he is a rugby league star. Do you get it yet? The AFL needs the NRL and controversy to try and promote it's new club because it is strugling so badly to gain attention. It was a desprate move by the AFL.

Of course the reason it gained publicity is because he is a league player. Its funny how you try and talk about how bad he is by quoting something off league unlimited when it suits you... but then you choose to call him a "star" shortly after? Where is your consistency?

The point you need to realise is that the AFL had no major influence in the decision, like I said it came down to what the GC wanted to do and ultimately whether or not Guy Mckenna wanted him on GC17's list. I fail to see how the AFL is struggling to gain attention when no major marketing campaigns have been released as of yet.

 

[Mijac_Chmon]

Do you post over at LU, Sneaky?

Oh, btw, lol@Hunt, lol@AFL.