Having watched a procession of its talented players defect to other codes, rugby league has got one back with Penrith securing Gold Coast Suns player Josh Hall.

Hall, 25, is a former national high jump champion from Townsville, who was in line to compete at the London Olympics in 2012 but instead made the dramatic switch to the AFL.

He has played a handful of senior matches after injuring his shoulder last season.

Hall was earlier this year linked to the Gold Coast Titans, but Panthers boss Phil Gould has been patiently negotiating in the background for several months. Hall told his Suns teammates on Tuesday that he was switching to rugby league on a two-year deal.

Standing at 197cm and weighing 88kgs, and with a vertical leap that made him so desirable to AFL scouts in the first place, Hall has already been earmarked as an outside back in the same mould as AFL convert Israel Folau.

"If Josh can make a successful transition from one code to this code, with a position in the outside backs, leaping high for cross-field kicks, who knows how many others will follow?" said Gould.

The signing comes at a time when rugby league players are excelling in other codes, from Jarryd Hayne on his NFL journey with the San Francisco 49ers to rugby converts Folau and Sam Burgess with England ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

Indeed, when Folau and Karmichael Hunt were signed as "project players" by the AFL, many wondered just where it might lead in terms of other NRL players. The idea of an AFL player converting to rugby league, though, has never really been considered.

"Josh had a desire to play in the NRL," Gould said. "He has genuine athletic ability, he's shown that in the AFL code, and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what he could do in rugby league."

Hall was taken at No.94 in the 2012 rookie draft after he was spotted by AFL development officers. He was fast-tracked into the Suns Academy.

He claimed a bronze medal at the 2007 world junior championships with a personal best of 2.26m nine times in 2010, which cleared the B qualifying height for the Commonwealth Games.