Philip Mendes is a BPL citizen journalist.

The current AFL frenzy to recruit a handful of big rugby names is both opportunistic and silly.

It is opportunistic because it is so transparently intended to win over rugby fans in the developing states of NSW and Queensland to the Australian game.

And it is silly because there is absolutely no evidence that these rugby “thugs” can competently perform the key AFL skills of kicking, marking and handball. Most of them don’t regularly kick the ball for length or placement, many don’t fly for marks, and all of them throw the ball rather than handball.

This argument is easily confirmed by a relative comparison with soccer goalkeepers. Over the last three weeks, my son and I were fortunate enough to watch three Fulham games in the English Premier League and Europa Cup League respectively.

Fulham's goalkeeper, our own Mark Schwarzer, is a wonderful high mark who rarely fumbles in a pack of players. He is also a powerful kick who regularly sends the ball 50 or 60 metres towards the other goal. I suspect he could easily learn to kick an oval-shaped ball an equal length. I am also confident he could learn to handball effectively given that he often hurls the ball more than 30 metres.

Now, at 37, Schwarzer is probably too old for a career change. But what about other younger goalkeepers like former Victory goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos now at Brisbane Roar after being shown the door by English Championship guide Norwich City?

Of course I realise this probably won’t happen because soccer does not control the territory that the AFL covets.

But this just proves that the recruitment of Karmichael Hunt and potentially Israel Folau is pure marketing, rather than being a serious attempt to extend our great game.

Associated Professor Philip Mendes teaches Social Policy and Community Development at Monash University.