Players you thought were going to be elite but never got there

[Toump Ass]

He's 65th on the all time goal scorers list with 483. Take out all the key forwards and he'll be right up there in the top 10-20 all time small forwards. Playing in losing teams doesn't lead to a lot of awards.

He's elite, even if he could have been better.

Fair point.

 

[Skindy]

Chad Wingard got to elite very quickly. All-Australian in his second year and a dual All-Australian and club BnF winner by age 22. Looked set to have a career that would put him in the frame for Port's GOAT. However he fell from elite just as quickly and has been nothing more than a moderately above average player ever since.

 

[CrazyJoeFevola]

Not elite, but Jesse White. Thought he'd be a very very good player. Admit to thinking John Butcher would be elite. Cam McCarthy too.

 

[Matrix10]

Going back a few years , for the Pies. Lee Walker , had talent and skill to burn in every facet of the game , speed , good overhead , penetrating and accurate kick , unfortunately, his knees were not so good

 

[Guardian Hawk]

He's 65th on the all time goal scorers list with 483. Take out all the key forwards and he'll be right up there in the top 10-20 all time small forwards. Playing in losing teams doesn't lead to a lot of awards.

He's elite, even if he could have been better.

Was going to say the same thing!

All time non key forward goalkickers:

1. L. Matthews 915
2. K. Bartlett 718
3. E. Betts 640
4. S. Milne 574
5. B. Johnson 558
6. D. Harris 548
7. S. Johnson 516
8. B. Hutchison 496
9. J. Farmer 483
10. L. Breust 481

9th ever in 130 years (and 5th of the AFL era) is pretty good going. Definately in the 5-10 range of small forwards of the AFL era which counts as elite for me.

 

[Johnny Karate]

Was going to say the same thing!

All time non key forward goalkickers:

1. L. Matthews 915
2. K. Bartlett 718
3. E. Betts 640
4. S. Milne 574
5. B. Johnson 558
6. D. Harris 548
7. S. Johnson 516
8. B. Hutchison 496
9. J. Farmer 483
10. L. Breust 481

9th ever in 130 years (and 5th of the AFL era) is pretty good going. Definately in the 5-10 range of small forwards of the AFL era which counts as elite for me.

Looking at that list I reckon Farmer should’ve had more goals than Milne and Betts (no disrespect to them, but I think Farmer was more talented). Nonetheless, there is a case that Farmer was elite and Melbourne supporters such as myself are harsh on him. I guess it just feels as though he could’ve achieved more than he did whereas the likes of Milne, Betts and Breust fully lived up to their talent levels.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

He's 65th on the all time goal scorers list with 483. Take out all the key forwards and he'll be right up there in the top 10-20 all time small forwards. Playing in losing teams doesn't lead to a lot of awards.

He's elite, even if he could have been better.

Absolutely. He was a star.

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

Looking at that list I reckon Farmer should’ve had more goals than Milne and Betts (no disrespect to them, but I think Farmer was more talented). Nonetheless, there is a case that Farmer was elite and Melbourne supporters such as myself are harsh on him. I guess it just feels as though he could’ve achieved more than he did whereas the likes of Milne, Betts and Breust fully lived up to their talent levels.

Betts was a superstar. Milne was great too.

But I'm not sure he was more talented than both of them.

Farmer was a very good footballer in his own right though.

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Great entry.

I kind-of see the OP question as blokes who u thought would be elite but turned out just average and bland.
WHE personifies this.

A lot of people are naming blokes who got injured or went "off the rails" which I don't think is the intention of the OP question.

Could chuck in Shiel alongside WHE.

James Aish as well. Though he was finally better this year

 

[Tarkyn_24]

Was going to say the same thing!

All time non key forward goalkickers:

1. L. Matthews 915
2. K. Bartlett 718
3. E. Betts 640
4. S. Milne 574
5. B. Johnson 558
6. D. Harris 548
7. S. Johnson 516
8. B. Hutchison 496
9. J. Farmer 483
10. L. Breust 481

9th ever in 130 years (and 5th of the AFL era) is pretty good going. Definately in the 5-10 range of small forwards of the AFL era which counts as elite for me.

Surely you didn’t consider Peter Daicos a key forward in making this list?

 

[WillHayward]

Played 7 years at Melbourne for one AA, and 7 years at Freo for none.
He was a matchwinner on his day, and had a good career, but far from what it should have been IMO.

One of the greatest small fwds ever.
A genuine legend

 

[WillHayward]

James Aish as well. Though he was finally better this year

I like James Aish.

Came in with a huge star reputation as a junior.

Grinded out a career as a solid journeyman.

Also the ultimate anti mummy's boy.

Played in Qld, Vic and WA but never his home State.

Dont hear him whinge about wanting to go home.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Bryce Gibbs

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Pretty obvious but Joe Daniher. So many physical gifts and abilities. 201cm and could pretty much do the lot. Sadly injury cut him down.

Still more than capable but in 2017 he was on a very special trajectory.

Joe's career has flourished since joining Brisbane, so an argument could be made that Essendon held him back all along.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Mark Coughlan comes to mind for me. He played about a season and a half of what I would describe as A-Grade football and looked like he was going to step into that echelon of players that are genuine stars of the competition. Just absolutely ended by knee injuries and was like a small ray of hope in a pretty dreadful era was snuffed out.

Mark Dragacevic I always thought had immense promise but again blew his knee multiple times.

From other clubs I always thought Andrew Walker was going to turn into one of the very best but never seemed to quite get to ceiling of his potential. Shaun Higgins probably another one who played very good but never top top football.

Pretty early to call it but I fear Jack Billings will probably end up in this discussion also.

I have always felt Nick Daffy should have been a better player than what he turned out to be thh

 

[Purple Suit]

Looking at that list I reckon Farmer should’ve had more goals than Milne and Betts (no disrespect to them, but I think Farmer was more talented). Nonetheless, there is a case that Farmer was elite and Melbourne supporters such as myself are harsh on him. I guess it just feels as though he could’ve achieved more than he did whereas the likes of Milne, Betts and Breust fully lived up to their talent levels.

I recon the game that Farmer kicked 9 goals after half time summed him up as a player. He could have kicked 18 had he played like that the whole game / career but 9 goals in a game is still amazing.

 

[Young Redleg]

Definitely. Before recruiting Oliver and Petracca, Gawn’s development and trading in May we never had stars of the competition.

There were guys who had elite seasons/games like Johnstone, Yze, White, Sylvia, Green, Bruce, Frawley, M Febey, Woewodin, Robertson, Neitz, Stynes, Farmer, Davey, Rivers but lacked consistency to be considered absolute stars.

Blokes stuffed by injury: Tingay, Lyon, Schwarz, G Lovett, Prymke.

Failed high draft picks: Watts, Molan, Scully, Trengove, Gysberts, Strauss, Maric, Cook and Blease.

Shooting stars: Jakovich, Charles, Pike, Jurrah and Clark.

s**t recruits from other clubs: Turley, Moorcroft, Heffernan, Dawes, Lumumba, Rodan, Meesen, Michie, Paul Johnson.

Blokes who looked good early and never developed: Hogan, McLean, Bate, Morton, Grimes, Kent, Garland, Kennedy-Harris, Stretch, Tyson, J Wagner, Wonaeamirri and Petterd,

Neitz kicked 500+ goals and was a 2× AA. That's a star in anyone's book.

And there's no way that Stynes wasn't a star. He's arguably one of the best ruckmen of all time.

 

[Tonga Bob]

These guys may not have become elite but imo they will always have the "What if?" question around them:

Luke Valente
Harley Balic
Ryan Murphy

 

[just_kick_it]

John 'The Future' Butcher - 22 goals from his first 12 AFL games, including 6 goals from 6 disposals in his second game.

 

[Rod Stroker]

I had Tarryn Thomas as my left field Supercoach selection who I thought could propel himself into the best players of the competition in the way Touk Miller had done the year prior.

Not sure where he is at

This could be the year it all comes together and he has a breakout session under Clarko. The recent signs in pre-season are good, he seems happy and has been performing well.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Joe's career has flourished since joining Brisbane, so an argument could be made that Essendon held him back all along.

In his last full year at Essendon before injury wrecked him he was All Australian, won the Best & Fairest and kicked 65 goals.

He hasn’t returned to those heights so no, he hasn’t flourished.

 

[PT Bar None]

Ben Ronke

 

[RUNVS]

Ben Ronke

He would have been if 17 teams in the competition were Hawthorn.

 

[extractasam]

Beau Muston. Felt like we waited forever for him to debut then he had like 30 odd touches straight off the bat.

Turned out Melbourne was just really bad at the time

 

[Thuggee_Cult]

Two players from the 90s who come to mind for having promised for 10 years and delivering for 2/3 are Dale Lewis and Marc Mecuri.

Lewis had talent but was inconsistent, he teased and showed glimpses for a long time but when Rocket Eade first joined us , it looked like the penny dropped and he put together 2 good years of footy. Then that was pretty much it.

Mecuri was an interesting one. Always had elite talent, and for a brief period (1999-2000) he was arguably one of the best players in the league and then dropped right off after 2001.

Can’t remember if he got injured or what but his sudden rise and decline was a mystery. Could have been one of Essendon’s all time greats