How much is one person worth?????Brain Surgeons , nurses,Tax accountants, paramedics, Salvos people, BUT REALLY A FOOTBALLER??????????????????????
I think he's a good example. He's called Israel and he hasn't shot anyone all week.
Had never heard of the bloke until yesterday but regardless makes me wonder if that kind of money couldn't be better spent on junior development programs.
I dont think the AFL even care if he ends up being any good or not. His sole purpose is to bring NRL supporters over to AFL. Trying to crack the West sydney NRL dominated market. Trying to get Pacific islanders over to AFL.
The man is a marketing investment. Its a bit of an agressive move by the AFL towards the NRL trying to increase their market share of aussie sport. I think there might be a bit of a war coming on.
I hear Richmond are recruiting robbie naish to get kitesurfers and windsurfers interested in football.
Mattyjee is spot on. The western suburbs of Sydney is rugby league heartland.
It is an attempt to get people out to see AFL, same as what they did with Karmichael Hunt with the other new AFL franchise.
Folau is a top athlete but to pay those bickies for a totalled untested guy must be getting current players, fans and admins totally offside!!!!!!!
Look how many RL "stars" have got their money from other codes, played OS and now come back to be snapped up again.
Cant see any good coming from it.
Poke in the eye to existing clubs, especially the ones with the big supporter bases that will be bankrolling all of this.
AFL is banking on the value of TV rights staying at the high levels previously negotiated, somehow I can't see that happening given the absence of Kerry Packer. Murdoch and News limited won't throw those big bikkies around, and neither will Stokes and CHN 7.
Anyway, why not throw that sort of cash and resources at starting a team in Tassie? Exisiting AFL stronghold and something that money won't buy - tradition.
If there is going to be a fight for fans in the westen suburbs of Sydney and Gold Coast then I reckon Rugby League will eventually be the winner. No end of AFL ticket give aways on FM radio stations in those markets will establish a core supporter base.
The AFL stands to lose a truck load of money and credibility over this one.
What about the guy's who have slugged their guts out to make it in the AFL and the spot is taken by a NRL player 
This means some young and up and comer will miss out.
I hear that some top AFL player are on 400k + and this unproven guy gets a mill.
This is coming from NRL fan who knows little about AFL.Its just wrong IMO
The monkeys running NRL are killing it. The whole Storm incident was ridiculous...
NRL has suffered some serious PR blows thanks to this... and on its way to the grave.....
I recon the Super League was one of the first serious nails in the coffin, and then the Storm overkill sarga....
Would be good to see AFL rise nationally.... those NRL chiefs are too old school and outdated to be able to manage it effectively nationally...
Agree AFL should have setup a Tas team - large base... rather than two Sydney teams...
The GC17 was a good move though, there was a lot of support up there, VIC expats mostly, but good vibe.
Go forward 20 years it will be all about soccer.... hate to say it....
All dollars and no sense. Can't wait to see the bloke hoik the footy 50m into the air.. but 20m forward.
AFL are pushing shizzle up hill and will waste the other clubs $$ attempting to push too far into NRL territory I reckon.
Sydney and Brisso have had success but in quite times there is not a lot of AFL diehards going through the turnstyles. Not enough to support a 2nd club anyhoo. The support will be needed from other AFL clubs for decades.
AFL should have moved 1 or even 2 existing Melb clubs north (as per Lions/Bears and Swans) for there to be any chance of standing on their own feet. But hey - that is a whole other can o' worms.
Agree with Diver about a team in Tassie, makes 110% sense. Some still maintain footy was started in Tassie not Vic but you'll never get a Vic to consider that. They'd rather oil up Eddie in a black leather thong.
This is just an expansion of the mindless one upmanship that has been going on between Rugby Union and rugby league in recent years.
Easy to understand how supporters get pissed off about it but wait until Socca pull out all the stops. They have more money to throw around than everyone.
It all boils down to sport being an entertainment business first, sport second, market share and all that ****. There was a time when supporters were family and ex-players. Now no one can afford to get injured so we watch and whinge as the money men turn our games into businesses.
**** them, I have not had a TV since 2004!
I find it amazing that anyone expects to get any value (other than a cheap headline) by poaching a sportsperson with the allure of $$$ when they have had no interest whatsoever in participating in that code before. WTF??
I guess union and league have enough similarities but seriously getting a thugby player to get serious about AFL when they don't actually love the game?? Get real.
What is going to sustain them through injury, poor form or other down times?
