Code Hopping: Is It Right??
Posted by JBricJun 1. 2010 7:24 am
Code-hopper Karmichael Hunt will this week start his crash course in how to play AFL with his new club Gold Coast.
It has been an exciting and interesting ride for the young talented sportsman.
In the past 6 months he has gone from NRL national hero, to a European Rugby Union star, to an AFL experiment.
The story about the first Rugby League convert to our game is just as interesting as the issue is represents.
In the past quarter of a decade, AFL has undergone a massive image overhaul. Going from the VFL to the national comp was just the beginning. 
Now we find ourselves in a situation where marketing ability and ratings are more important than the spectacle itself.
The reality is Hunt will be an OK player, but far from a gun he was in Rugby.
Everybody knows the decision was made to enhance the image of the sport up north, and is the reason why Greater Western Sydney are now chasing Broncos star Isreal Falau.
But, the recruitment of these players is nothing more than a slap in the face to all junior players with hopes of making it to the big league.
The sport should not be one that is compensated for financial reasons.
While the big winners out of the code-swapping saga is the league and the investors behind it, the losers are the fans and lovers of the game, who have to put up with players who really shouldn’t be there.
There is a chance both Hunt and maybe Falau could be future stars of the game, but the reality is that chance is slim, and they will more likely spend a few years in the system before the AFL realizes the poor decision they have made.
Tags: AFL, AFL News, John Michael Bric
Filled under: AFL Issues, Latest News
