TonyK
CibbuanoHunt joins Gold Coast
July 29th 2009 02:27
THE Gold Coast has pulled off a major coup with the signing of Brisbane Broncos full-back Karmichael Hunt.
The AFL's 17th team which will enter the competition in 2011 announced on Wednesday that Hunt had signed a three-year contract.
Hunt made his NRL debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old and has played 11 Tests for Australia and 10 Origin matches for Queensland.
The 22-year-old won't join the Gold Coast until May next year with the club admitting he may still play rugby union for up to six months after his commitments with the Broncos come to an end.
Hunt said he was looking forward to the challenge of playing AFL football.
"If I had to leave Brisbane then I preferred to change codes rather than change teams as I did not want to play against the Brisbane Broncos," Hunt said.
"For me this is about the challenge of playing AFL at the highest level."
"The Gold Coast Football Club has given me a great opportunity to be part of its journey to AFL in 2011."
"I played AFL as a teenager and I am really excited by the challenge to change codes and still play at the elite level and for a Queensland team in a national competition. I can't wait."
Speaking on ABC radio, Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen admitted the news had caught him off guard.
"I was quite shocked," Cullen said.
"We've had him since he was 15 and he's been playing with the club for the last five seasons."
"He's a 100-game player now. He's played Origin, he played for Australia, so he's been a success story in a very short period of time.".
Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said he was impressed with what he had seen of Hunt.
"I've followed State of Origin, I know it's not AFL football, but seeing how he moves, seeing how he hits, he's going to bring another dimension to an AFL football team," McKenna said.
"Powerful, strong, quick and probably averages 23 tackles in a game. We're lucky to average 40 in a whole side. He's built for that, built for the physical demands of AFL football."
"Technically we are going to have do some work with him but that's no different to some of the Irish players who have crossed over. We are probably at an advantage given he played competitive AFL football as a teenager, so he's someone with a history in the game."
"We will sit down and map out his next 18 months and work out from a physical point of view and a technical side of things a program but I can't wait to get my hands on him."
The AFL's 17th team which will enter the competition in 2011 announced on Wednesday that Hunt had signed a three-year contract.
Hunt made his NRL debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old and has played 11 Tests for Australia and 10 Origin matches for Queensland.
The 22-year-old won't join the Gold Coast until May next year with the club admitting he may still play rugby union for up to six months after his commitments with the Broncos come to an end.
Hunt said he was looking forward to the challenge of playing AFL football.
"If I had to leave Brisbane then I preferred to change codes rather than change teams as I did not want to play against the Brisbane Broncos," Hunt said.
"For me this is about the challenge of playing AFL at the highest level."
"The Gold Coast Football Club has given me a great opportunity to be part of its journey to AFL in 2011."
"I played AFL as a teenager and I am really excited by the challenge to change codes and still play at the elite level and for a Queensland team in a national competition. I can't wait."
Speaking on ABC radio, Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen admitted the news had caught him off guard.
"I was quite shocked," Cullen said.
"We've had him since he was 15 and he's been playing with the club for the last five seasons."
"He's a 100-game player now. He's played Origin, he played for Australia, so he's been a success story in a very short period of time.".
Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said he was impressed with what he had seen of Hunt.
"I've followed State of Origin, I know it's not AFL football, but seeing how he moves, seeing how he hits, he's going to bring another dimension to an AFL football team," McKenna said.
"Powerful, strong, quick and probably averages 23 tackles in a game. We're lucky to average 40 in a whole side. He's built for that, built for the physical demands of AFL football."
"Technically we are going to have do some work with him but that's no different to some of the Irish players who have crossed over. We are probably at an advantage given he played competitive AFL football as a teenager, so he's someone with a history in the game."
"We will sit down and map out his next 18 months and work out from a physical point of view and a technical side of things a program but I can't wait to get my hands on him."
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