Analysis Players who should have been better, but stagnated at poor clubs

My Tilly

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Jun 30, 2018
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Could have retired a multiple premiership player at hawthorn if they hadn’t have given him the flick

He walked mate.
They tried everything to keep him but hated the life up there. Grew up at country kid and wanted to remain that way so Geelong was the next best choice.
 
I know that feeling.

nathan.jpg

The footy gods will see to it that he will not win a flag as a coach because of his abandoning of the Bears!

so like buddy Franklin's stint in Sydney?


The footy gods do not like what he did to Hawthorn.
 

Jordie_tackles

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Jun 25, 2009
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Jack Watts: Melbourne
Liam Jones: Western Bulldogs
Trent McKenzie: Gold Coast
Sam Mayes: Brisbane
Tim Membrey: Sydney
Jamie Cripps: St Kilda
Tom Lynch: St Kilda
Stefan Martin: Melbourne
Jack Crisp: Brisbane
Jeremy Howe: Melbourne
Tom Mitchell: Sydney
Shaun Higgins: Western Bulldogs
Would say Martin was just circumstance, we developed White, and Jamar was ahead of him before he left. Howe was a good forward and had been played down back with us also, no doubting his career has been good a the Pies but think guys like Toumpas, Morton, Watts, Trengove would have had better careers if drafted anywhere else.
 
Mar 2, 2015
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Well nerd suck up ya s**t opinions.
No, I'm going to stick with my opinion that Fev p1ssed his career away and that he had the talent to kick 1000 goals, but he was happy to cruise along, settling for being very good and but not getting the most out of himself.

OP suggested Deledio... Others suggested Wingard... Those guys won their club best and fairest and were multiple All Australian.

I think Fev is a much better example of a coodabeen champion who rested on his laurels.
He had 3 or 4 good seasons. He could've been a Hall of Famer.

You can disagree with me if you want. I couldn't care less.
 
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Jordie_tackles

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I think the point is Fev did that then was worse at Brisbane was it Carlton or him?

Would have thought it was just him.
 

Richo83

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 2, 2005
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I see the argument, but he's still a four-time B&F - seems harsh to compare him to Atley and Martin types.
Fair. He's much better than the likes of Atley. But there's going to be all levels of disappointment in this thread, some players have failed in their mark to superstardom by a little amount, others have failed almost completely. Atley is the latter, Steven is the former. I know he won 18 brownlow votes last year, but I reckon his talent would have been developed quicker at another club.
 

Richo83

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 2, 2005
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Agreed. To be fair I think with his size and speed, and flashes of brilliance, Atley *should* be the player that the clubs missed out on.
Atley shows he has got the skills when he is in the middle of congestion and doesn't have to think about it. Not consistently, but capable at least.
Give him some time for his brain to work and he's putrid and will put a 20m kick to an opponent. Marks/free kicks he will take his time and is heart in mouth.

Merrett has plenty of time still though.

He does, but ever since that season when the bombers were written off and Merrett basically ran around untagged, because what was the point, he hasn't improved. He's not great offensively and plays this kind of hybrid inside outside game which is neither overly strong or silky. King of the 40 "neat"' pass, but he doesn't dominate games on the outside or inside like elite midfielders do. In fact, none of their midfield does maybe bar Smith. None of the Essendon midfielders are really pushed to a) fully develop a contested game or b) work on being more damaging and accurate when they do spread.
 

Harvey to Hayes

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Jun 8, 2003
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Fair. He's much better than the likes of Atley. But there's going to be all levels of disappointment in this thread, some players have failed in their mark to superstardom by a little amount, others have failed almost completely. Atley is the latter, Steven is the former. I know he won 18 brownlow votes last year, but I reckon his talent would have been developed quicker at another club.
So how many B&Fs should he have won to satisfy you? Seven?
 

TigerTime88

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 8, 2009
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Marc Murphy for me. No one realises how good this guy was or could have been early but arguably played in one of the worst periods for a club ever.

Really wanted the Tigs to go after him last year for a 3 year deal and see what he can do in a good team.
 
Aug 17, 2006
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I really feel for the top Melbourne draft pick players from about 10 years ago. So many of them were really highly rated as juniors and then did nothing at an AFL level and I can't help but feel that was more down to Melbourne than because of their supposed lack of talent.

Yeah the discussion really starts with the Melbourne early draft picks over the first decade of the 2000s, many of whom looked very promising early and then stagnated badly.
 
Jun 29, 2006
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Guy needs to head to Sin City on the cheap for a year or two.
We'll set him up in a nice little beachside shack and feed him a diet of raw meat and cheap hookers over the off season.
Only the Swans can turn his career around.

Our new motto....Give us your scrap dickheads and we'll make men out of them.
 
The footy gods will see to it that he will not win a flag as a coach because of his abandoning of the Bears!




The footy gods do not like what he did to Hawthorn.
I know Buckley’s the golden child for bashing by people but surely even the footy gods would repent on a decision he made when he was 21.

He has shown he is a class act repeatedly ever since then. He has tempered his approach greatly even when it’s significantly against his nature and things that were weaknesses through much of his early playing and then early coaching career have become strengths.

You can’t fault his pursuit of excellence and ability to learn from negative experiences.

Bloke doesn’t deserve the s**t so many heave upon him.
 
Jun 23, 2008
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And the king in this regard (though he wasn't originally a Port player) is Jack Watts.

His early career was totally mishandled IMO.

Watts had the athleticism and ability to be a more skillful version of Nick Riewoldt. Melbourne should have just given him the (eventual) Jesse Hogan pathway, of playing VFL/VFL Reserves for his entire first year (while he was still 17/18), and then played him at CHF and CHF only from 2010 onwards. None of this "getting into the game", "learning how to play your position, by not playing your position" cruising and bruise-free footy on half back.
 
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