sydneyfc wrote:rl as a game is probably more physical but thats where the buck ends
as far as skills go, ar is quite a fair bit ahead especially when it comes to hand eye co-ordination, kicking accuracy etc. i dont consider cardio to be a skill in the same sense but they probably trump that as well
folau was considered the most dominant rl player of all time under the high ball...and has reclaimed that status in union....but...in the AFL he was getting outjumped by people half his size and struggled to catch the thing half the time especially under pressure
hunt was considered one of the most creative players in rl, a sidestepping genius...in the AFL he ran around like a headless chook
hmm....
Really SFC,
Folau was the most dominant rl of all time under the high ball, big call.
On KMH, he used to be good at offloads and running over the top of people on kick returns which is not a normal trait of a fullback. I am surprised on the sidestepping genius comment. There have been plenty of AFPL in here who have said he was very successful, so what is it.
Long and the short, AFL did not get these guys to be world beater in AFPL players. They were selected because they are islander boys as a marketing ploy. I don't believe the AFL would be that stupid to have chosen a winger and fullback as there first choice if they were looking for the next AFL star. Especially when you consider kicking is such as huge part of the game and neither of these would generally ever kick in RL.