The code shifters

Israel Folau from League to Aussie Rules. Photo / Getty Images

Karmichael reigned supreme yesterday. His unofficial title: The only man in history to have played top level football in three of the football codes - rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules.

Hunt turned out for the Gold Coast franchise in the VFL yesterday, a notch down from the top shelf of AFL - so maybe he is not quite at top level in all three codes yet. However, even as Australia copes with the controversy over league star Israel Folau switching to Aussie Rules, Hunt's jaw-dropping versatility underlines what appears to be a new trend of 'super-athletes' moving easily between codes.

There's a large dollop of cynicism around all this. Many sports observers think there is more marketing, publicity and recruitment at work than a new breed of sporting athlete.

Yet Hunt's almost casual stroll through the top ranks of rugby and league suggest there may still be a new place for athletes with the skills to boost themselves into new codes, new sports - and new revenue streams.

If there is a new trend to pick by skill rather than code, Hunt is the crowning example. When he left the Broncos last year he took up a six-month rugby contract with the Biarritz club in France, backing up from his days as an Australian schoolboy representative.

He scored the only try (from second five eighths) in the 21-19 Heineken Cup final loss to Toulouse.

This versatility was underlined by his appearance at centre in the quarter-finals and first five in the semi finals with minimal disruption of a team playing at the highest level in Europe.

Hunt's agent David Riolo says setting the deal up was tricky but worth the investment for Biarritz after an initial deal with Clermont fell through.

"Karmichael has speed, agility, strength, mental toughness and the ability to perform under pressure in front of a crowd - those qualities are in demand in any top level sport. They are willing to accept athletes rather than a specific type of footballer."

Sonny Bill Williams has had a similar experience with French rugby club Toulon after leaving the Bulldogs in the NRL.

He quickly showed an ability to slot into the midfield and even at blindside flanker. The level of interest in Williams turning out in New Zealand provincial rugby with an eye to being an All Black has created an almost unprecedented expectation.

He is even more of a cross-coder - he continues in professional boxing. His second pro-fight is in Brisbane on June 30, leaving an Anthony Mundine-type path open for the future. Given his renowned adaptability and ruggedness, the AFL could - theoretically anyway - beckon if Williams can lose some of his 108kg bulk.

Further cross-code signings cannot be ruled out. The Essendon Bombers (and inaugural Warriors) CEO Ian Robson is keen to convince Melbourne's Greg Inglis to switch. Inglis' skills such as leaping, mobility and being able to run 100 metres in 10 seconds on the fly are useful in any context. He is a short-priced favourite at a number of betting agencies to be next.

He is a logical target for plenty of teams given his shaky situation as an employee of the salary cap-rorting Storm.

Robson says he expected to join a long queue. Inglis has also been the target of a deal with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, proving good athletes are sought everywhere.

Essendon and other AFL clubs such as Collingwood are also alleged to have spent time scouting for similar talent in the Pacific Islands. That makes sense too, given the dynamic ball-playing skill sets of rugby sevens teams like Fiji and new world champions Samoa.

Meanwhile Folau's Australian Rules suitability has been questioned on the basis of his lack of endurance at training and the fact he's never played the game at any level. Yet his ability to leap is undeniable. That was evident as recently as last weekend when, as if to spite his critics, Folau jumped up to haul in Brisbane's opening try in the win against Manly. It is still uncertain what position he will play at the fledgling Greater Western Sydney franchise next year but he has been tested and can apparently kick, even if he's only done so 10 times in 81 NRL games.

Decisions to contract crosscode 'super athletes' are not being made lightly, given the millions of dollars at stake in the experiment.

Certainly the AFL have recruited an outstanding athlete in Folau. However there is another school of thought - that this is a publicity gimmick which will not result in scouts identifying an army of cross-coders because the demands of adapting to a different skill set is too great. Each of the oval ball football codes has specific physical demands: Australian Rules needs taller, leaner more aerobically fit athletes who regularly jump and kick; league needs a combination of smaller, muscular men to probe gaps and be fleet of foot, mixed with bigger men to tire out opposition defences; rugby is similar but needs specialist forwards for arduous set pieces and prolonged rucks and mauls.

Folau (21) and Hunt (23) are multiskilled exceptions who happen to be in the right place at the right time. The AFL is looking to expand into new territory and needs high profile names to promote fledgling franchises in league strongholds.

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary says it makes marketing sense: "It takes a special type of athlete to play AFL and there are probably question marks over those guys [Folau and Hunt] too. They will be answered over the next few years but a lot of that money is public relations-driven. Obviously the franchises are hoping they play well but it's more of a strategic move.

"Folau has plenty of time to come back too. He'll still only be young [26] at the end of his contract. You can't blame him, really."

Cory Williams is the vice chairman of the New Zealand AFL who retired from the top level of the sport in South Australia the year before the Adelaide Crows were granted an AFL licence in 1990. He coaches the reigning Auckland premiers, University.

"I can almost guarantee [the Hunt/ Folau signings] won't be a trend," Williams says. "It is a one-off business play by the AFL, an organisation with a whole lot of cash right now. The success of the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney teams is important as they try to recruit players from rugby league.The way to do that is by securing some stars.

"This is about getting kids to play. It is a decision based on business, not winning a grand final. I know from people I speak to that a lot of AFL players are indignant because they know these two guys won't make it, yet they're earning millions of dollars - but that is a drop in the ocean for the AFL."

Williams says the transition is not as logical as people might think when you get beyond the basics of fitness, catching and passing.

"Although the AFL will have done plenty of physical tests on these guys, like jumping and aerobic fitness, it is still a big ask. Take arguably the greatest - or at least the most dominant - sportsman ever, basketballer Michael Jordan - he tried to make it in [minor league] baseball but failed."

Moving into the AFL is expected to be a tougher switch than going from league to union. Specific Aussie Rules skills honed in the playgrounds and backyards across Australia need to be instinctive at the top level, something that is hard to teach players in their 20s. "I reckon Folau's too heavy to start with," Williams says. "It's a different skill set too, you have to be more alert to where the ball is going and then when you get it you can't afford to hesitate."

Player agent Jim Banaghan sums it up as a clever marketing exercise: "It's a media beat-up propagated by the AFL to get publicity. It's too tough to make the transition. You leap for the ball, you kick all the time and require more endurance. It'll be a good watch having a couple of top athletes trying it out, but the game's littered with such unsuccessful attempts and no-one has ever made it big moving across.

"However, it's not going to end in tears because the boys will get a few million each and still have stories to share back at league training. I can't see any reason for panic."

SONNY BILL WILLIAMS
* Age: 24
* Height: 1.93m
* Weight: 108kgs

ISRAEL FOLAU
* Age: 21
* Height: 1.95m
* Weight: 102kgs

KARMICHAEL HUNT
* Age: 21
* Height: 1.86m
* Weight: 92kgs

GREG INGLIS
* Age: 23
* Height: 1.95m
* Weight: 104kgs