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

[TheGreatBambino]

Probably only Hawthorn supporters will likely remember him, but Adrian Cox was someone who could have been pretty bloody excellent as a player, but he never had the mental application or fortitude to make it. Peter Schwab indulged him because he could see how talented Cox was as a footballer, but when Clarkson came to Hawthorn at the back end of 2004, he was pretty much the first out the door at the end of the season, as Clarkson didn't have time for him.

He could kick a footy
His 2001 final series always stands out.
Apparently wasn’t the most dedicated off field.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Troy Cook, used to just rack up the ball and thought he was going to turn into an A grade midfielder, even backed him to win a brownlow one year..

 

[Triggering Tiger]

We have a winner and he's a real looker as well, Josh Thurgood.

 

[James Colorado]

Richard Tambling ended up having a decent career (100+ games), but is remembered solely for being picked ahead of Buddy. It doesn't matter who you picked in that draft, just by virtue of being drafted before a generational player their name has been tarnished.

 

[weltschmerz]

I went to school with Josh Toy and he was already being talked up as a superstar. His heart condition meant he never got going.

 

[Rich01]

Why?

5 goals in less than a half in his only intra club game with us over the one pre season he had with us.

 

[Headless]

I have a few family friends that support Melbourne and in the mid 2000s they genuinely believed Brock McLean was going to win a Brownlow one day.

This is the one for me. Have never been so sure a player was going to dominate the competition.

 

[My Tilly]

I once stated Jarrad Jansen would play 200 games.
The real kicker was he hadn't even played a single game when I made that comment

I think I was obsessed with the insistent need for a couple of big bodied mids at the time.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

This is the one for me. Have never been so sure a player was going to dominate the competition.

There are some pretty funny threads from around that time about Brock McLean on this board

 

[Headless]

There are some pretty funny threads from around that time about Brock McLean on this board

Any links? I 100% thought he'd lead us to premierships.

 

[GastevsBeard]

Richard Tambling ended up having a decent career (100+ games), but is remembered solely for being picked ahead of Buddy. It doesn't matter who you picked in that draft, just by virtue of being drafted before a generational player their name has been tarnished.

Reckon he might have kicked 3-4 goals in a first quarter against a star-studded eagles outfit one Saturday afternoon. Thought he might be on his way to prove the doubters wrong, but never got momentum

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Any links? I 100% thought he'd lead us to premierships.

How bloody good is Brock McLean?

He just gets better every week 12 kicks, 10 handballs, 12 tackles and 2 goals - respect Roos was forced moved Brett Kirk on to him Not bad at all

www.bigfooty.com

McLean is officially the best player in the comp

So Ya'll can blow me. Call him over rated, but when judged in the most accurate measurements available, there's only one guy EQUAL to him, some bloke called Chris Judd or something. I heard though that Chris Judd, or whatever his name is, felt bad because he realised he ain't got ******** on...

www.bigfooty.com

 

[Just Watching]

I always thought Ryan Griffen would be super elite. Ended up being a very, very good player but I thought he'd be a top 3-4 in the comp guy.

 

[the harry]

How bloody good is Brock McLean?

He just gets better every week 12 kicks, 10 handballs, 12 tackles and 2 goals - respect Roos was forced moved Brett Kirk on to him Not bad at all

www.bigfooty.com

McLean is officially the best player in the comp

So Ya'll can blow me. Call him over rated, but when judged in the most accurate measurements available, there's only one guy EQUAL to him, some bloke called Chris Judd or something. I heard though that Chris Judd, or whatever his name is, felt bad because he realised he ain't got ******** on...

www.bigfooty.com

None on the punting board? Think that would explain his shortcomings a bit.

 

[Big Blood]

Ed Barlow sticks out for me back in around 2008-2010. Had all the attributes - about 6'3", athletic, good mark and kick but never gelled at AFL level. What qualifies him for this thread was ANdrew Ireland said publicly he was the next Adam Goodes.

 

[TheRealComptroller]

Despite recently becoming my team’s coaching GOAT it could be argued the playing career of Chris Scott was a bit underwhelming when you consider how well it started.

He won the Norwich Rising Star (as it was known at the time) and he was still seventeen in his first six games of that season. At 21/22 in 1998 he won the BL B&F. Then after that there really wasn’t much he accomplished on an individual basis.

He never made an All Australian team.

Fun fact - he played more AFL games before turning eighteen than he did after turning thirty; just two.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Courtney Johns and Scott Gumbleton. Both injury-ravaged but could have been anything.

Still time for him but in 21 I thought Ridley was going to be elite but 22 was a bit disappointing. Hopefully under a new coach he'll recapture his 21 form.

I remember reading a lot of hype about Courtney Johns in the early- mid 00's but whenever I watched him play I couldn't figure what all the fuss was about.

I'm not sure what caused all the hype and expectations to start with.

 

[the harry]

I remember reading a lot of hype about Courtney Johns in the early- mid 00's but whenever I watched him play I couldn't figure what all the fuss was about.

I'm not sure what caused all the hype and expectations to start with.

Sheedy

 

[Wojcinski]

Kane Tenace, athletic and quick

Just didn't really know how to play football in the end

 

[Frank Hansen II]

I had high hopes for Hartlett.

 

[SSSSSS]

If footy was a non-contact sport the Lonie brothers would have been elite.

 

[Le Grille]

I thought Devon Smith was a future Brownlow medallist

 

[Mofra]

Ed Barlow sticks out for me back in around 2008-2010. Had all the attributes - about 6'3", athletic, good mark and kick but never gelled at AFL level. What qualifies him for this thread was ANdrew Ireland said publicly he was the next Adam Goodes.

Used to blow everyone else away in the pre-season time trials when we took him off your hands.
Looked like a jet until someone blew the siren to start a game

 

[emuboy]

The Brisbane Bears drafted a galaxy of young stars in the early 1990s, many of them forming the powerhouse early 2000s Brisbane Lions team.

The Bears first pick in the 1992 National Draft, second overall, was Nathan Chapman, a talented key position player from Kangaroo Flat in the Bendigo Football League. He proved a brilliant recruit for the Bears as they moved from the Gold Coast to the GABBA for the 1993 season and the young team began to show the first signs of developing into a strong team. Chapman played every game for Brisbane in 1993, very impressive for a rookie aged just 18.

In 1994 injuries limited Chapman's number of games, but he still showed his potential in the improving Brisbane team. However as the Bears' fortunes improved further in 1995 and 1996 those of Chapman declined. Nathan Chapman was a member of the first Brisbane Lions squad in 1997 following the merger with Fitzroy, but he managed just 11 games for the new team and was traded to Hawthorn.

At his third team, Chapman made a promising start to the 1998 season for the Hawks, but his appearances in the second half of the year, 1999 and 2000 were limited and amounted to just 16 games for the Hawks. When the Brisbane Lions thrashed Essendon to win the 2001 Grand Final Nathan Chapman had already left the AFL at age 26 with 76 games to his credit in 8 seasons.

 

[Rich01]

I had high hopes for Hartlett.

Was very close to joining Richmond at the end of 2016.