Darren Lockyer: NRL faltered in battle for Karmichael Hunt’s coveted signature
DARREN LOCKYER The Courier-Mail August 30, 2014 12:00AM
WHEN Karmichael Hunt runs out in a Reds jumper next season, I will watch my former Broncos teammate with a heavy heart.
Not because I have anything against rugby’s Queensland Reds. But because I always hoped Karmichael would return to wear the Queensland State of Origin jumper – and the NRL should have done more to make that scenario an irresistible reality.
For the past few months it became patently clear Karmichael was genuinely exploring other avenues.
What amazes me is that the NRL were never there when the whips were cracking putting together a financial package to lure Karmichael home to the sport that launched him.
If ever there was a time for NRL boss Dave Smith to wield discretionary powers on chasing a marquee player, this was it.
The NRL cannot afford to become complacent in a sporting marketplace fighting increasingly harder for corporate and consumer dollars. How many stars does rugby league, as a code, need to lose before its governors digest the pulling power of our elite players, and that replenishing such talent levels is not easily achieved?
Hunt is not the only example of a blue-chip performer lost to rugby league.
The NRL inexplicably dithered with Israel Folau, unable to agree on his contract value. Opportunity lost, he is now blitzing them in rugby.
At season’s end, two of the most intimidating players in the NRL, Souths pair Sam Burgess and Ben Te’o, will be lost to rugby in the Northern Hemisphere.
And while the trickle of NRL talent to rival codes may never become a full-scale flood, adopting such a mentality misses the point.
Any successful corporation must work hard to keep its best employees.
Hunt, Folau, Burgess and Te’o are all talents who I’m sure would have stayed put if the NRL found ways to keep them satisfied. That is the challenge for the NRL, and why, having missed out on Hunt, they should up the ante to make a play for Folau.
The AFL have been criticised for signing Hunt and Folau but it’s hard to argue the move wasn’t carefully planned with as much emphasis on footballing achievement as PR strategy. The AFL could see the newly created Suns needed a market presence on the Gold Coast. Hunt was parachuted in there. And with the Titans now needing a promotional injection after some turbulent years, Hunt would have been perfect.
I just thought it was a no-brainer. Karmichael already lives on the Gold Coast, has a young family there, and is perfectly suited to the NRL.
Make no mistake, the Titans were genuinely interested in Karmichael. His manager met with Gold Coast hierarchy and NRL head-of-football Todd Greenberg.
The Titans had made preliminary inquiries about NRL assistance. But without an aggressive push from the NRL, the Titans were never capable of trumping rugby’s Reds in a bidding war.
Last year, the NRL announced they had banked $49 million. That is a wonderful result, and surely some of those funds can be used to bring home the fine talents we lost.
Ideally, ‘‘K’’ and Izzy would be playing rugby league next season, but unless the NRL is prepared to formulate robust poaching bids, I fear the horse has bolted for both.
Source:
Fox NRL
