Let’s get one thing straight: code hopping isn’t a new thing. It’s been happening for years, so why is there such anxiety around it in the modern day?
Some of the articles written about Israel Folau’s move to Rugby, including The Roar’s David Lord and Sydney Morning Herald’s Richard Hinds have read more like letters written by an angry teenage girl who has just been dumped by her boyfriend.
They tend to forget that Folau a) played union in his younger years and b) stated from the start he wanted to stay in Sydney, be it playing league or union.
To me he seems to be a pretty nice sort of guy-but perhaps that the cause of the angst Folau. We don’t want to see him as some cheap ‘I’ll holla for a dollar!’ money chaser, and we don’t want him to be a Sonny Bill Williams or a Quade Cooper.
The same point can be applied with Brad Thorn. He is widely admired for his hard work, durability and his improvement with age.
Yet he jumped from league to union twice, and represented both Australia and New Zealand. Was he chasing the bucks, torn, or bored?
At least Williams has only ever represented New Zealand in either rugby code, and changed codes twice. Again, perhaps we have ignored the crime because we like him as a person.
It is also interesting to note how Karmichael Hunt is now being left out of the conversation.
As the first high-profile footballer to jump from league to Aussie Rules, he copped a lot of flak for being a dollar chaser when he first moved, but is it now ok to chase the bucks if you’re good at the sport and people enjoy watching you?
The same could be said about Lote Toqiri and Mat Rogers and their respective moves between the Rugby codes.
The AFL community may have generally been annoyed by the whole Israel Folau saga from start to finish, yet they ignore Mike Pyke (rugby), Setanta O’hAilpin (hurling) and Dean Brogan (basketball).
When Elyse Perry was told by Canberra United FC to choose between football and cricket, it was Canberra that was chastised, and Perry moved to Sydney FC where she could continue to do both.
Imagine if Archie Thompson was a potential first-drop batsman, with a good technique, for the Australian cricket team.
Do you think he would be allowed to be a Socceroo wearing a baggy green cap? I like Elyse Perry, and the way she goes about her sport, but perhaps playing two sports internationally sends the wrong message about professionalism in women’s sport.
Perhaps that’s the point: professionalism is now firmly entranced in Australian sport, and we don’t like all of it.
We don’t want to see a nice guy like Folau, or a great old warhorse like Thorn, forgoing loyalty or passion to go chasing dollars.
Yet we still want to see the increased skills that professionalism, so it’s ok take the pay if, like Karmichael Hunt, you become a bona fide player in your new code.
The case of Perry shows it from the other side of the mirror. We like her playing two codes because it isn’t the professional thing to do. It’s much more amateur.
It harks back to day when the likes of Simon O’Donnell, Craig Bradley and even Geoff Marsh were playing both first class or international cricket, and league football, because they could.
Or like when Nova Perris-Kneebone went from hockey to athletics for one more crack at a gold medal. It wasn’t about money.
In the modern day, any athlete only has finite time making income. I don’t think there is much of a choice – you have to make hay while the sun shines (and your knees still work).
It would just be nice to believe that there was still a bit of amateur values still in sport. We don’t want athletes chasing bucks. We want to see loyalty, stories, and personalities.
It would be nice to see a batsmen walk, or a footballer not dive and keep going, without the game and their career potentially depending on it.
We want to admire the skill, determination and courage of athletes, not the pay cheque. Code jumping is not admirable, it is a symptom of the ‘sport is a business’ disease.
For now, I hope Israel makes it in rugby, and I hope he enjoys it. It would be a great story.
Mr Taylor
Roar Rookie
I remember back when some all blacks switch to rugby league in the 80's and I remember the first question the league bloke who was writing for the NZ herald asked when they came back to visit families and friends. Which code is harder? Which code hits the most, Which this and that? I can still see some articles in some rugby league sections of the Brisbane and Sydney papers asking the same thing when Sailor, Tahu, Rogers, Gasnier, Thorn and Chambers return to rugby league from rugby. This is why in most RL forums the two question you get straight after a game whether its club or an international game is "Whats the crowd?" or What's the TV ratings?". This is so they can compare it to rugby union and lately AFL.
PeterK
Roar Guru
FOS Folau would not of went. He wants to stay in Sydney near family, friends and his church. Thats why he did not go to France etc.
formeropenside
Guest
I'm only angry that Folau went to the Waratahs; surely "for the good of Australian rugby" he should have been directed to the struggling Rebels, who could use outside backs, rather than the struggling Waratahs who have plethora thereof.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
I have no idea.
Mr Taylor
Roar Rookie
Its the victim mentality that rugby league picked up around the 1980's to this day. No matter how rich, fancy and how great their professional competition was in Australia/Northern England in those days or that they think rugby league is the greatest game of all rugby union just seem to tick all the right box. It was an amateur game at club level watch by a man and his dog in some places and huge crowds in others but there was something special when international matches is played. Crowds will flock to see the all blacks, five nations, springbok & lions tours and bledisloe cup back into those days. International test matches was the secret and rugby league didn't have any idea so they stick with their professional clubs and those professional clubs held back their sport. That is why we have many on here and other places try to blame rugby union, armed forces, Universities, Vichy and anything they can come up with because they have been beaten by rugby union world wide. Two things hit them hard in the late 80's and mid 90's, first was the introduction of the rugby world cup in 1987 and second was when the game went professional in 1996. Having already had a strong present at international level for over 100 years it was just a matter of time before the grassroots (clubs, province) catch up with the professional rugby league clubs. It didn't take long and the rest as they say is history. That is the reason why rugby league fans, journos, administration former players such as Gordon Tallis, Mark Geyer Laurie Daley always go nuts whenever rugby union is mention or someone from their sport switch to rugby union.
Funk
Guest
He also played a bit of AFL at high school.
Matt Simpson
Roar Guru
I suppose for the pupose of the article I considered someone who changed sports at an elite level. Otherwise literally every sportsperson would be a hopper.
Funk
Guest
Come on KPM settle down, yes the names you put forward are all good players, but that is most definately not the be all and end all of RL talent. You seem to forget that Idris didn't really set the world on fire this year, Hopoate had a good 1st season but we'll have to wait and see after he finishes his mission. Here a a few others that you failed to mention, Cam Smith, the Morris brothers, Ben Barba, Brett Stewart, Cooper Cronk and Todd Carney just to name a few. If rugby did get a few of the names you mentioned, sure RL would scream like banshees, but they have a fairly deep talent pool over there, and every year some new superstar pops his head up. I have to say though, I would love to see Barba on the counter attack in rugby...lightning quick with magic feet, I doubt you'd see him kick it down field ala Barnes.
Not Inerterested
Guest
Good to see we still have Australian Rules fans who fall hook, line and sinker for anything that comes out of the AFL propaganda machine. As they know the AFL counldn't do anything untowards. After all the AFL tells them so.
eagleJack
Guest
Would be very interesting if this was true. I have no doubt League would stoop that low. Sailor, Tuqiri and Rogers were all given advice on returning to League to bag Union. Some would say it was good advice. No better way to be accepted back into a League fans heart than to bag the other code. Look at SBW. At his press conference he stated how difficult it was to leave Union as he genuinely enjoyed the game. The League media went into meltdown over this -"How could he say that? Now we will never accept him. Our code is the best. SBW is a disgrace" etc etc. Sad state of affairs in the NRL. Lucky they have a good product which I love watching as the other stuff nearly puts me off it.
Mantis
Roar Guru
Just the way he dealt with it. Im not saying that the Doggies may or may not have treated him right, I dont know exactly how they treated him, but for him just to jump ship overseas without letting anyone know, he acted like a spoiled brat. He was public enemy number one for a long time, now they are welcoming him back. Folau is being treated relatively similar, although he has done nothing anywhere near as bad as that. He hasnt done anything wrong at all. It was just assumed he would go back to league.
TC
Guest
Yes, well done Izzy. At no point has the AFL asked either Karmichael or Izzy to bag out League, and they haven't done it. TC
TC
Guest
Very good point Doghouse. I said on another thread, all kids these days play soccer (and run, swim and cycle), therefore all sportsmen in Australia come from a soccer background. In the days when footballers would also play Sheffield Shielf cricket (or even play for the national team), were they footballers playing cricket or cricketers playing football? People forget in all these discussions that Karmichael Hunt also grew up playing basketball, and was a keen basketballer right up to becoming a professional footballer (and I believe it shows and is one of the reasons why he was able to develop in the AFL a bit better than Izzy). TC
Steve
Guest
very good point. funny what the repurcussions of one act of stinginess can lead to!
Doghouse
Guest
What does code hopper mean - Brogan played AFL as a kid and went back perhaps- O'Hailpin played gaelic as well so no different to Kenneally/...Lots of kids play many sports...
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
abf the outrage when Tuqiri, Rogers and Sailor are were bought was laughable. League tends to have 10 or so 'stars' at any one time, spread across the age ranges. At the moment, forgetting which code they're playing in, there are: Hopoate, Idris, Folau, Hayne, Inglis, Hunt, SBW, Slater, Marshall, Thurston in ASCENDING order of age. That list is obviously debateable and I'm not talking about who the best 10 are but only the 10 that qualify as 'superstars'. If rugby bought Hayne, Idris and Hopoate it would have league future for the next few years until further young talents emerged.
allblackfan
Guest
i'm struggling to contain my amusement at all the outrage shown by rl fans over the code-hoppers. For almost 100 years, ru had to put up with this kind of BS. What was Rl's response -- ``if you paid them more, they wouldn't come to rl''. Well, guess what, rl? We are playing our players more - so much more, in fact, that your players are now switching to RU. Sometime you just got to love karma!! You'll have a nice day, y'hear?
clipper
Guest
If that is true, then Izzy will have gained a lot of esteem in many people's eyes for refusing to stoop so low.
Sam
Guest
Don't forget Michael Jordan tried his hand at Baseball too....
Skills and Techniques
Guest
I'd just like to say "Great job Michael Cheika". Israel was obviously impressed by his integrity!