When Rugby league star-turned Australian Rules footballer Karmichael Hunt runs out onto the field for the Gold Coast Suns in 2011, the eyes of a nation will be scrutinizing his every move, ready to pass judgment that the ‘experiment’ has failed.
That experiment of course is that of a 24-year old Rugby superstar in his prime trading codes to succeed (and cash in) with Aussie Rules. It’s being touted as a brave and bold new move by the Suns. But players switching codes isn’t new in the AFL and certainly not in Aussie rules around the world. Canadian Rugby star Mike Pyke has successfully made the switch earning a regular spot in a top 8 team, Dean Brogan was a former National Basketball League star before pulling on the boots for the Port Adelaide Power and no one can forget the most successful of all ‘code-breakers’ Jim Stynes. The Irish sensation switched from Gaelic football and eventually was awarded Aussie Rules highest individual honour, the Brownlow Medal.
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