Which AFL players could make it in the NRL?

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Why would you want to waste the SKILLS of Ablett and Chapman for a game where all they would be required to do was tackle ...oh and then maybe pass the ball 1 metre behind them.

In the Australian game they get to kick 50 metres, do dribbly goals from the sideline, dodge players, sprint, baulk, get out of a pack, take pack marks etc.

I would see no incentive at all for Ablett's skills to be bypassed to play a game of barge and push and shove.

Jeepers, sorry mate. I thought this was just a hypothetical exercise for a bit of fun, I didn't realise we were condemning them to a code-switch and a life on the darkside. I'll be more careful in future.
 

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I doubt any AFL-raised players could convert now and play in the halves. Takes far more knowledge of the game than just athletisism. We have plenty that could make it on the wing or at fullback though.
 
Brennan's not strong enough to even play as a genuine KPP in the AFL, let alone go up against the neckless meat-heads.
Can just imagine Tom Williams lining up on the front row and lining up at casualty with a significantly shortened neck about half an hour later.
Stick figures and rugby league do not match.
 
Chris Yarran.

If the pint sized Billy Slater can be a star because he's quick and can kick, then Yarran would be a dynamic player with his legspeed, tackling and disposal on both sides of his body.

Yarran is a manchild.

not sure if serious

I reckon Morabito would go alright. 192cm and 95kg at 18. Huge tree trunk quads and a great 'don't argue'
 
Ryan Griffen might go alright as a Billy Slater type at fullback very agile and quick in a straight line, would need to add a bit of bulk though
 
Seamus McNamara from the Pies and Pike from Sydney.

Harry O'Brien? He's quick, powerful, has good endurance, breaks tackles like he's swatting flies, hurts with his own tackles and can jump.

How about Leroy Brown, Nathan Brown (Pies) or Jonathan Brown as front rowers??
 
Jeepers, sorry mate. I thought this was just a hypothetical exercise for a bit of fun, I didn't realise we were condemning them to a code-switch and a life on the darkside. I'll be more careful in future.

I didn't mean it to come across as being heavy -apologies if it came across that way.

All I am saying is that if you have to choose a player to play rugby I reckon it would be a huge waste to choose one of the most skillful Australian football/footy/AFL players to play a game (rugby) where for the most part (90% of the time) they are tackling people.

I reckon choose someone who tackles well - from Geelong I would guess it would be Rooke or Mooney? , but I wouldn't choose Ablett or Chapman.
 

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None, would get picked up and pushed back meters each hit up.

i guess you dont watch much of it then..... not that often you would see a winger, half, 5/8, fullback or hooker take a hit up, or centres for that matter.... plenty of spots for them.

i reckon guerra has the build of a solid winger. anyone with solid legs and core would be a show.
 
A few could've been decent if they grew up in league. For the most part they couldnt handle the physical side, wouldnt have the leg drive and wouldnt have the tackling technique of skill. They couldnt cross over to the halves either, wouldn't have the reading of the play.

J Brown could be decent in a wide second rower style of player, although once again wouldnt be sure about his defence.

I think there is a fair underestimation of the skill and also the shear stregth required to play league at the top level (much like there's an underestimation of the skills of AFL on league boards).

So i dont really think many could cross over with any success (much like im sceptical of campaigner and anyone else suceeding in AFL). Plenty who could've been good if they grew up in the game, and a few of the more athletic types might be able to get away with playing based on their athleticism.

lol @ ARES's comment, NFI
 
A few could've been decent if they grew up in league. For the most part they couldnt handle the physical side, wouldnt have the leg drive and wouldnt have the tackling technique of skill. They couldnt cross over to the halves either, wouldn't have the reading of the play.

J Brown could be decent in a wide second rower style of player, although once again wouldnt be sure about his defence.

I think there is a fair underestimation of the skill and also the shear stregth required to play league at the top level (much like there's an underestimation of the skills of AFL on league boards).

So i dont really think many could cross over with any success (much like im sceptical of campaigner and anyone else suceeding in AFL). Plenty who could've been good if they grew up in the game, and a few of the more athletic types might be able to get away with playing based on their athleticism.

lol @ ARES's comment, NFI

Fraser Gehrig would have gone alright in the strength side of things, he was one player that used strength to excel his game and we know he had speed too and a great pair of hands...and could boot the ball a mile

195cm 110kgs can bench press over 180kgs


That said it wouldnt take long for Aussie Rules players to pick up the strength side of the game and the skills wouldnt be too difficult, basically catch and throw concept or is there another method of disposal? Cause what I see is 95% catch , throw and tackle...


In 2004 USA nearly beat a full Kangaroos team only narrowly losing 36-24
We are talking about an amateur part time USA team where only 4 amateur teams existed in the US at that time and the US just got a team together a few years earlier...
They had them rattled...just goes to show, strength and some idea of the game and go play and you have 1/2 a chance


Also of note, in 1953, when Mike Dimitro, a wrestling promoter, was asked to organize a tour of Australasia by an American rugby league team.
The team, known as the American All-Stars, was given a huge schedule that included 26 matches against Australian and New Zealand sides. None of the 22 American players had ever played rugby league prior to this tour, they presented themselves in American football-like attire early on in the tournament. The team only won six games and tied two.
Wiki

So a team of blokes that had never ever played rugby league won 6 games and tied 2 against Australian and NewZealand teams....Awesome achievement yes, but goes to show, the simplicity...
 
I watch enough of NRL to know that they will need to bulk up........alot.
 
For those who want a comparison of the size...

Billy Slater is slightly larger than Daniel Kerr, same height with a kg or 2 more bulk.

For those who don't know, Billy Slater is that little guy for the Storm who looks tiny out there.

So size wise there are a lot of guys you could just put a strike through straight away. Guys like Cyril Rioli would just get run over on the defensive side of the game, he is a great angle tackler but you rarely see him tackle a guy head on as he would be required to do.

Daniel Kerr would be a good fit. Great tackler and burst, great hands and good vision. Of course the fact he can't stay healthy playing AFL would be a pretty massive negative.

Kieran Jack is another obvious choice, given his pedigree and all. Also has the right type of basic build, though would need to spend some more time in the weights room.

Thats the main difference though, AFL players train for endurance and are naturally smaller, where as NRL players train for strength and explosion and are thus bigger.

Chapman has a good build. Fevola could get a good build. Brown should be able to but to be honest I've never really noticed his defensive skills to know if he could translate or not.

There are a lot of guys in the AFL that with the right training and advice could make the switch, there are a few useful skills that translate such as kicking and marking and this would speed up the process. It's hard to tell how the tackling would translate, most AFL tackles make for bad NRL tackles and with such differences in how tackles happen it makes it hard to tell if a guy is a good tackler in both or just one code.

There are also plenty of NRL guys with the requisite physical skills to be AFL players.

Though I still think if the AFL was trying to poach it would be better served targeting both the NBA and NFL guys who can't make it, basketballers are harder because there is Europe and minor leagues, but those who don't make it into the NFL are basically done and there are some flat out scary athletes of all sizes that fit under that criteria.
 
...but those who don't make it into the NFL are basically done and there are some flat out scary athletes of all sizes that fit under that criteria.

I think that's right, and it's been recognised for a very long time - it's a matter of how you go about it.

One wonders whether some sort of formal arrangement is possible.

The sheer numbers involved, all superb athletes, you can be assured that there are many there that could make it if singled out early enough.
 
Fraser Gehrig would have gone alright in the strength side of things, he was one player that used strength to excel his game and we know he had speed too and a great pair of hands...and could boot the ball a mile

195cm 110kgs can bench press over 180kgs

My god, he's a freak, sign him up.

lol


That said it wouldnt take long for Aussie Rules players to pick up the strength side of the game and the skills wouldnt be too difficult, basically catch and throw concept or is there another method of disposal? Cause what I see is 95% catch , throw and tackle...

Well that's 3 things AFL players struggle with now, what makes you think they can go to a sport that punishes you when you stuff up any one of these 3 skills in the game?


In 2004 USA nearly beat a full Kangaroos team only narrowly losing 36-24
We are talking about an amateur part time USA team where only 4 amateur teams existed in the US at that time and the US just got a team together a few years earlier...
They had them rattled...just goes to show, strength and some idea of the game and go play and you have 1/2 a chance

Hahahahahahaha

They put on a show you idiot and let the USA get a few tries on the board.

I watched the game and if you look on youtube, you can see behind the scenes footage of the game, it was a joke and it looks like a few morons like you fell for it along with a bunch of rah rahs.

If the USA were to play Australia in a WC match, you can bet the USA would have 100+ points put against them.

But you knew that already, it's just the points scoring exercise you were after, pity it failed.


Also of note, in 1953, when Mike Dimitro, a wrestling promoter, was asked to organize a tour of Australasia by an American rugby league team.
The team, known as the American All-Stars, was given a huge schedule that included 26 matches against Australian and New Zealand sides. None of the 22 American players had ever played rugby league prior to this tour, they presented themselves in American football-like attire early on in the tournament. The team only won six games and tied two.
Wiki


Yes, and if you have read any of the newspapers from back then, you'll know that the RL clubs took it easy on them and the ones they manged to beat probably had a population the size of Crookwell or Nauru.

Maybe they places a bet on themselves to lose huh, make a few $$$$ on the side ;)

So a team of blokes that had never ever played rugby league won 6 games and tied 2 against Australian and NewZealand teams....Awesome achievement yes, but goes to show, the simplicity...


lol, you keep believing this horseshit, shows how dumb you are.

For instance, that same USA side that you think gave it to Australia in 2003 was beat by Russia, actually, they were smashed, yet Australia put 106 against that same Russian side in the RLWC.

Then there's the fact that the USA had a 22 man team against a 15 man Aus side, that means the Aus players did not have a full team with bench to replace players, the USA was allowed unlimited interchange, thus the 20+ people in the team, if that doesn't tell you it was mickey mouse, nothing will.
 
No AFL player today would make it.

The biggest thing against them (even more than they don't know how to play the game) is their bodies aren't conditioned. When we were kids we played kick-to-kick in the playground - the league kids ran into each other. They started at age 6 and never stopped.

Without those years of being smashed about to prepare their body, any AFL player would last about 3 tackles. It would take more than a single pre-season. League is a far more physically punishing game than AFL.

And before anyone brings up Darren Clark - he had played for years as a kid.
 
Well that's 3 things AFL players struggle with now, what makes you think they can go to a sport that punishes you when you stuff up any one of these 3 skills in the game?
1. They don't throw at all. It's not legal.
2. Tackles are very different from one sport to the other. What is perfectly legal in one may not be in the other and in one sport the tackle is always front on and frequently it's a gang tackle. They can't be compared.
3. Catching the ball(a ball designed to be caught) from a 5 metre throw is pretty easy. AFL is a far higher pace and the passes are generally from much further way with a far more slippery ball usually taken out in the hands.
The ball is usually spinning more awkwardly and physical contact from any direction is a possibility.
League types such as yourself like to talk down the skill of Aussie Rules players at every opportunity without even considering some of the differences.
You don't see too many league players take a drop punt in their hands in front of their face while dealing with someone trying to punch it away.
If you don't think players are punished for skill errors in the AFL then you're having a laugh.
 
Can just imagine Tom Williams lining up on the front row and lining up at casualty with a significantly shortened neck about half an hour later.
Stick figures and rugby league do not match.

Tom Williams played Under 18s for Queensland, his dad played for the Eels and co-founded the Broncos, he could do it if he wanted.

Ryan Griffen would be the best one though from the Dogs and maybe all together IMO. He's very quick and has the best side step for a non stick figure player.

Harbrow would be interesting...to small though and size would ruin his suitable qualities.

Naita could do it.
 

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Which AFL players could make it in the NRL?

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