Lost in the noise of Lote getting punted from the ARU, was the news this morning that Brisbane Bronco’s wonder boy, Karmichael Hunt is looking to move to rugby. In a delicious irony, as one former Bronco leaves rugby, a current Bronco is looking to join it.
After a fairly turbulent off field career, Hunt will not play rugby in Australia as the ARU’s High-Performance Unit Manger, David Nucifora stated earlier this year.
“We had some discussions when he was talking with Queensland (early 2009), going back quite a few months, and we made it clear at that point that we didn’t have an interest in pursuing it.
“We’ve decided we’re not interested and we won’t be revisiting that (signing Hunt).”
The road for league converts is littered with failures as poor on field performance and in some cases, poorer off field behaviour, have put paid to the hopes of many. One common theme in the failure of many converts is their inability to fit in with the ‘culture’ of rugby.
John O’Neil stated as much in his book “It’s only a game” when he wrote this about the problems faced by former mungoes Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers.
“I observed Mat Rogers first hand during a rowdy incident at a Johannesburg hotel … When the bus left almost two hours later, Rogers was still not sober. It was by no means a serious example of player misbehaviour, but it did leave me thinking why the cultural assimilation of Rogers and Sailor, a moth to nightclub flames, never really happened”
The then NSW rugby CEO, John McKay, also voiced similar concerns during the demise of Tah’s winger and former mungo, Nathan Blacklock.
“The simple matter is that we’ve got some standards guys have to live up to and if they don’t meet those standards, it’s better off (him) not being around.”
Italian Coach, Nick Mallett cited off-field behaviour as a concern over his initial reluctance at bringing Craig Gower into the Italian rugby set-up. Mallett hinted at the need for everyone in his team to fit in with the ‘culture’ he was trying to build.
“He seemed to have been in a lot of trouble in rugby league, and his disciplinary record didn’t look good at all.
“That didn’t inspire much confidence from our end. Here in Italy, we don’t have the best players in the world, so the only way we can compete as a team is to have a tight unit. We can’t afford to have any loose cannons in our team.”
Even today the issue of ‘culture’ is at the forefront of the debate over Tuqiri’s demise with there being no shortage of speculation that it has been Lote’s off-field performance that has lead to his sacking.
The struggle for mungoes to make a successful transition to top level rugby is not just an Australian phenomenon with more than a fair share of overseas league players flaming out after much hyped transitions. The names Iestyn Harris, Henry Paul, Andy Farrell and Brian Carney spring easily to mind. While wild-boy Chev Walker is another that didn’t make the grade.
There have been some successful transitions; Brad Thorn, Jason Robinson and indeed Lote, have proved what can be achieved. Current Wallaby Ryan Cross continues to improve and showed this season that he is now an instinctive rugby player.
Players like Mark McLinden, Clinton Schifcofske and Sam Harris have also shown that the switch is something that can be made a success, perhaps not on the International stage but certainly at provincial level. The success stories however seem to be in the minority rather than the overwhelming rabble of the majority.
Hunt, who was a schoolboy union star, has stated he will look overseas to make his move to rugby, perhaps following other troubled NRL stars to the Top 14 in France as part of their career “re-birth”. The thing in Hunt’s favour is his clear understanding of the game from his schoolboy days but once again it will be how he adjusts to the different behavioural standards between the two codes.
Hunt is probably too good a footballer not to make the switch and have a modicum of success, but the wider question is should rugby sign him. I say that the answer should be “no” based on the fact that there is already enough evidence to suggest he will not fit the rugby ‘culture’. He is still only young, so perhaps his off-field hi-jinx can be put down to the exuberance of youth to some extent, but history suggests that trouble seems to follow these blokes.
What is without question however is the ARU’s intention to no longer be saddled with the NRL’s problem children. Where some months ago the likes of Le Gaz and Luc Rooney may have been expected to be greeted with open arms by the ARU after learning the rugby trade in France, this can no longer be a given.
I wonder if that realisation has yet dawned on Special K?
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="4055 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=4055">19 Comments
Interesting article JC. With regards to Hunt – putting the culture clash aside, I was watching him go around a couple of weeks ago for the Broncos and noticed that he couldn’t pass left to right for the life of him. Don’t know what his kicking is like but safe to say he wouldn’t be a Gerrard from the back. His skill set doesn’t suggest that he has anything we don’t already have.
Watching Gower in the 2nd test against us and the test against the ABs (a commentator remarked that he outplayed all the AB’s backline with the possible exception of Mils) shows the type of league skills which would make a transition a success – although ideally in a younger player.
Culture wise, there are plenty of league players which could make the transition with no problem at all. As someone who does a lot of recruitment, the way a person fits into a structure is of vital importance in any team. I really don’t think this was given enough importance when some of these recruitments were made. You can’t tell me that a Shane Webke or a Steve Menzies would not have fitted in. Look at ex-league players who play such a large part in our game these days, Muggo, Les Kiss, Phil Blake. I have a feeling from listening to Ruggamatrix that should Gaz want to come back (and it doesn’t sound at this stage like he wants to) he wouldn’t have any problems at all…
Good stuff JC
I’m just happy that Union in Australia seems to have finally grown up enough to stop thrashwanking at the idea of signing just any big name Mungo they can get their hands on.
It’s been a painful and expensive learning curve with many of these super Mungo’s, and has almost always ended in tears.
Having said all that, the new S15 franchise will be a good place to blood a few at low risk.
Without wishing to be incendiary or ignite class war, rugby players on the whole are more educated than their mungo counterparts. Plenty of blokes in Super 14 and the Wallabies set-up have or are working on getting degrees, Al Kanaar had some quite extensive credentials in environmental resource management, or something like that, Dan Vickerman is at, I think, is it LSE? and its hard to imagine many first-grade NRL boys are trying to get further education, or if so, I haven’t really heard of any examples that spring to mind. More educated group of guys, less likely to be embarrassing idiots even when hitting the booze. In other countries it may be different, but in Australia rugby’s demographic, both in supporters and players, is that more educated demographic.
Its worth a good background check before any future mungo investments.
Karmichael Hunt I would say probably no, unless he proves to be really shit hot in Europe, in which case maybe he might be worth reevalutating, but is he even interested in playing for the Wallabies? Gasnier has a pretty clean record – if he’s interested, I’d say he’d be worth a look.
Mate – fair point. Dan Vickerman is actually at Cambridge, not a bad academic institution. He is actually captain of the Cambridge Blues this year.
Actually think this is a legimate point, about education. I believe that in most countries rugby still has its roots in private schools. There is a long list of well educated, talented rugby players: Felipe Contempomi is a doctor, Al Baxter is an architect, Conrad Smith is a lawyer. The captain of the Canadian rugyb team went to Oxford. John Roe is a doctor as well. I definately think this makes a difference. Though to be fair, its not like there aren’t heavy drinkers in Union (Matt Dunning we are looking at you) and idiots (FOOD FIGHT!), but I think its something that does still distinguish the two codes.
Should rugby be interested in Karmichael Hunt? No.
People would always be curious about switching codes so let them. If union wants to poach then they should be picky. Get thurston.
Greg Inglis and Israel Foleau would make a great Tahs …
poach another couple of maroons to go along with dell and lote… they would start rioting in queensland
If you think of Lote financially, the five year contract was a bad investment, and that was undertaken by Gary Flowers. I think J O’N are looking at the bad finances the ARU was left in, the state of the rugby market in Oz and the global rugby market in general and have realised that the Dark Shark is just not good value for money.
Off-field incidents are the legal backup for his sacking, but why shouldn’t he be subject to redundancy like any other employee? Deans has concluded that Lote is excess to the company’s requirements so why should anyone shed a tear. Tuqiri has had a comfortable run of popularity without setting the world on fire. But what is mroe exciting is the refreshing eagerness of the likes of Burgess, Barnes and other newcomers that actually want to play for Australia, not play for a fee.
Tuqiri forgets that market forces are still at play, and his stocks have been sinking for a while. As for K. Hunt (pronounce as you wish) does he have anything that our current squad lacks? Methinks not.
Deans is a rugby man and won’t entertain rubbish from ego-centric mungoes. The best mungo converts have played themselves into teams, not been signed for the top team.
The biggest winner, dare I use the cliche, is grassroots rugby. Maybe with a million a year freed up there might be some more money flowing to clubs to keep them going.
Intriguingly, the NSW Waratahs are said to have supported his sacking – the sacking of their biggest drawcard? There is certainly a very good reason for this.
NO!
If we need any more mungoes, which is debatable, we don’t need Hunt. Billy Slater, yes in a flash. Israel Folau, of course. Greg Inglis without hesitation. But not a lot of other compelling candidates.
If Hunt wants to come to union, fine, anyone can apply! But no contractual guarantees, no wallaby selections, he comes alone and works his way up if he can.
Remember peter hewitt? I bet he doesn’t feel sorry for lote.
Hewat is doing pretty well in Europe now… he struggled not to grin when they asked him about the money on The Rugby Club. Since Giteau learnt to kick for poles there’s not so much demand for him in the Wallabies setup either.
Sam Norton-Knight is off to Cardiff Blues, would be pretty funny if Lote ended up there as well cause they’re the closest of mates
If ‘Special K’ goes to Munster as a potential rugby destination (as being touted in the media today), it will be interesting to see where they put him. The Munster backline for the recent Heineken Cup semi, which they lost to Leinster, was:
P Warwick, D Howlett, K Earls, L Mafi, I Dowling, R O’Gara, P Stringer.
They had Denis Hurley, Anthony Horgan and Rua Tipoki out injured – the latter two have both departed Munster anyway. Hurley and most of the other Irish guys are internationals, however, they’ve reportedly had a bit of a cleanout of other squad members. Paul Warwick has gone to London Irish – he’s been RO’G and Hurley’s backup.
I’d say if he rocks up there, K might begin as a five eighth/fullback option, replacing Warwick. They have to have a fair bit of depth to be able to cover the number of matches they play. It would be interesting to see how he came to grips with the game and the position he would actually play.
Munster coach Tony McGahan is apparently his former schoolboy coach (at Churchie).
The first Munster trial game is on 14 August 2009 v Sale.
He would be FB.
Yep, probably right. His union experience at Churchie was at fullback. In league he’s played five eighth, centre, lock and obviously most successfully at F/B.
He’s eligible for the All Blacks as well…..
Paul Warwick’s transfer to London Irish didn’t come off; he’s staying at Munster.
We should use any players at our disposal to make the best team possible no matter what their off field track record is, whatever it takes to smash the All Blacks & Springboks!.
Actually, with the possible exception of Matt Henjak (and of Diggers if they let him go to Japan), I’m pretty sure that’s what they’re doing.