I am fascinated by this Hunt move to AFL. At 1st it seems like a gr8 PR coup for the GC club - esp as he will be employed as an AFL development guy. But now it seems he really likes the challenge. What I can't understand is that he said he did not want to move interstate & play against the Broncos....why couldn't he just get a new contract with them?

Probably because he is just about past it and wouldn't want a greatly reduced contract.

Channel Nine reports that Hunt was offered a 3year $3m contract.
He was offered $1.2m for 3 years at the Broncos (400k per yr) and with the sallary cap I would image the likes of Lockyer, Thurston et all are on about 600k per year.

What is the top tier of AFL players worth?

I also expect his contract has been 'topped up' by a 3rd party agreement from the AFL for the QLD 'development' role

Reading thru the reams of articles (more than Cousins) this is more than just a salary matter. Titans CEO Searle predicts doom (& "circus") - he made the same shrill comments when the GC club was launched & when upgrading of Carrara was proposed. Obviously he is worried.

It seems the major reason Hunt wanted out of the Broncos was to get out of the limelight in Brisbane. He wanted to regain his privacy. Moving to the Gold Coat will in some way achieve that. He is moving to the third rung of football (ie behind League and football) from the first rung in Brisbane. He will not be under daily scrutiny as he is in Brisbane. Good luck to him in his endeavour. As for the issue of whether he will be a success at AFL time will tell, but the side he is moving to has 20 years to wait before it can expect to be at the level of a Sydney or a Brisbane.

$1m a year for someone who is effectively a rookie? Sweet jebus that is a risk. And a less than wise use of salary cap space.
And is he going to be paid at the same rate while he's playing in the VFL?

Challenge? It's a croc of sh*t many people heve swallowed. He's getting paid $1m which is 2.5 times what the Broncos or any NRL club could reasonably offered him and he only has to move down the road. Plus his contract with the Lifesavers allows him to play RU in the coming off season where he can coin up without having to disrupt his life and move away - the equivalent of an IPL contract.

It's just like when he says he achieved everything he wanted to achieve in the sport even though he lost the RLWC and his only Dally M Award is for the Rookie.

Gyfox, I don't think this has anbything to do with limelight as he will be as recognisable on the GC as he is in Brisbane, even if his occupation isn't as popular up there.

It's about the coin. I have np problem with that. My problem is when players try to delude us into thinking it's something else.

Past it? He's 22 years old!!

Make no mistake, the number one reason they've recruited him is for marketing. If this was a Tasmanian club, wouldn't have been considered. Lots of Queenslanders who wouldn't have even known about the new Gold Coast Football Club, now do. Having said that, i'm sure he'll succeed and be a great asset for the club, on and off the field.

That may be true, but why do we automatically not believe the players when they say the motivation is something else?

Here's someone who has achieved just about everything in RL at the age of 22. Trying to achieve the same level of success in a very different code of football sounds like a huge challenge. Maybe he genuinely wants that challenge?

But being the first high profile NRL player to switch codes will mean the scrutiny on him will be like nothing else. If he thinks otherwise then he's a fool.

And considering that almost all the high profile NRL players who switched to RU have slunk back to the NRL with their tail between their legs, it will be fascinating to see whether a much greater change will be any different.

Will be fascinating to watch though...

Apparently due to a certain AFL drafting rule his $1m sallary wont be counted in GCFC sallary cap.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/spor ... 69,00.html

As a footballer his performances now are not what he and others would like to think him capable of. In League he has nowhere to go but down and he is on the way there.

No doubt Gold Coast have signed him as a marketing ploy but will it succeed? They will need much more than a dispirited league player and a couple of Burnie boys to make any impact at all on the market. Gimmicks hardly ever work.

Sydney have signed Mike Pyke the Canadian RU international .
This signing is much the same thing . An international footballer with proven ability and doesn't impinge on the salary cap .
Hunt has the edge over Pyke in that he played high school AR and played rl fullback and Pyke is doing fine in Sydney .
You don't have to worry the new GCFC has all the decent draft picks to use or swap for established players .
In fact other sites are talking about respect of their "premiership" .

Have to spend the Southport Sharks' pokie money somehow.

I don't intend to lose a moments sleep over it.

It is interesting that an ordinary international from a very lowly ranked Union country can make a good start in Aussie Rules. Its not where you come from but what you bring with you that counts. Pyke is tall (2.00m), fast (11s 100m), tough (you don't stand under a high ball as a Union international fullback against the All Blacks without it). Hunt is another story. I hope it works for him.

Then WTF are you doing here if you have no interest ?