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Biggest waste of talent in the AFL?

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Willie Rioli is a wasted talent unfortunately.

By the time Asada get round to ending his case he will probably be entitled to the old age pension
 
Guys like Stringer and Wood are interesting to me.

Clearly talented players.

But are they underachievers or just players whose role doesn't really suit the way the AFL is played these days?

Neither has the skillset or tank to play as midfielders.
Both too short to be genuine KFs.

So are they underachieving or has the current AFL game style just left them out of a real role?

Stringer probably doing ok considering he plays a very difficult role.

It is not their fault in a way. Just more victims of the modern game.

Heeney and Hayward might be on the same path. Super talents who give serious effort and are very professional.

But they are now in a fwd line with no space and limited opportunity.

The role of the medium fwd has become very bloody tough gig in today's crowded fwd line.
 
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Willie is apparently the nicest of the Rioli's too. I know one of his cousins (who is also obviously related to Daniel and Cyril) and whenever he comes to Melbourne he buys clothes and shoes for his extended family.

Quit weed completely for a few months, got pretty fit, and there was a major racket about him moving into the midfield, and then he relapsed and hit the bong harder than ever.

Could've turned into a Michael Walters style high half-forward, and been one of the more damaging-per-possession players in the game. I think the Eagles are essentially trying to fashion Liam Ryan into the player they wanted Willie to become.
 
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Alex Fasolo looked like the next big thing when he broke onto the scene and kicked 5 on Anzac day... Had a huge ego, clashed with the coaches then got depression and his career came to nothing.
 
Trying to come up with others that haven't been suggested often.

Dyson Heppell was always expected to be something special, very injury prone and the sun has set on our optimism of his career progression.

Jamie Elliot - another player who is sublime, plays some ripper games, but hasn't shown consistency and has plenty of untapped potential

Sebastian Ross - highly touted, highly ranked and rated, yet even Saints supporters have given up on him being anything more than a midfield rotation and role player when the expectations were elite player initially.

Daniel Rioli from Richmond is a player that certainly did damage in big games - 2017 Preliminary Final against GWS kicked four massive goals - yet, after his torn ankle from that Grand Final, hasn't recaptured his initial form or elevated his career.

Patty Dow from Carlton is on the cusp of being underlined as a bust, very highly rated as a junior, it has come to a shock that he hasn't established himself in the team yet. 2021 will be the end for him, if he cannot cement his place, 2022 may be a rookie listed spot to join his brother at Richmond.

Josh Schache for the Bulldogs has been an uneventful and uninspired pick up. On that long list of key forwards that cannot translate their junior success at the highest level.

Johnathan Patton at Hawthorn has not only damaged his own reputation with his lewd behaviour, but before that, hadnt proven himself with any consistent football at AFL level. Although players such as Jesse Hogan have been mentioned here, Hogan has put together a few good seasons, this number 1 draft pick who was touted as the next Nick Riewoldt has only one thing in common - the awkward dick pic. On field success, leadership, talent and work ethic completely absent. Tom Scully the same
 
Tzatziki_Man said:
this number 1 draft pick who was touted as the next Nick Riewoldt has only one thing in common - the awkward dick pic.
Click to expand...

That’s gold.

From the past Colin Sylvia. He’d have a game or two each year when he had the ball on the string but for the rest... I dunno. He’d stand there looking at the clouds thinking about what trouble he’d get into after the game
 
The 747 said:
Hogan is not a 'good player" he is trash now. Could barely get a game for a rebuilding Freo that paid the world for him and got traded for nothing.
Click to expand...
True enough. I was more saying that "good" is all he was at his best. And like you say, he hasn't been that in many years. Anybody thinking he's going to magically start breaking the game apart is kidding themselves.
 

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Jayden Stephenson gets my vote.

Bloke just went through the motions and got by on doing the bare minimum when it came to his program while at Collingwood.

It didnt help that he was originally gifted games on the back of living with Sanderson and being able to sprint 20 metres quicker than any other forward.
 
Tzatziki_Man said:
Sebastian Ross - highly touted, highly ranked and rated, yet even Saints supporters have given up on him being anything more than a midfield rotation and role player when the expectations were elite player initially.
Click to expand...

Always thought this guy was a poor man's Matt Priddis. Got lots of opportunity early on, when the Saints were rebuilding and had to blood some young guys by default, but he's always been pretty mediocre. Gets a stack of the ball, but goes sideways and has limited hurt factor forward of the ball.

Exactly the kind of guy you take at his range in the draft, though he never had a big ceiling and one of the yardsticks for St Kilda's improvement has been him behind pushed back in the pecking order in the Saint's midfield.
 

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Jon Hay was a big waste of talent.

He won AA in 2001 and then off-field issues and depression ran him to ground.

He had everything you needed to be a dominant defender - he could have been something like Rance.
 
HairyO said:
At least 2 of those AA were not even close to deserved.

The 10th best mid in the comp shouldnt get a spot on the forward line ahead of actual forwards.
Click to expand...
Even if you take 2 out that's still damned formidable!
 
Tzatziki_Man said:
Trying to come up with others that haven't been suggested often.

Dyson Heppell was always expected to be something special, very injury prone and the sun has set on our optimism of his career progression.

Jamie Elliot - another player who is sublime, plays some ripper games, but hasn't shown consistency and has plenty of untapped potential

Sebastian Ross - highly touted, highly ranked and rated, yet even Saints supporters have given up on him being anything more than a midfield rotation and role player when the expectations were elite player initially.

Daniel Rioli from Richmond is a player that certainly did damage in big games - 2017 Preliminary Final against GWS kicked four massive goals - yet, after his torn ankle from that Grand Final, hasn't recaptured his initial form or elevated his career.

Patty Dow from Carlton is on the cusp of being underlined as a bust, very highly rated as a junior, it has come to a shock that he hasn't established himself in the team yet. 2021 will be the end for him, if he cannot cement his place, 2022 may be a rookie listed spot to join his brother at Richmond.

Josh Schache for the Bulldogs has been an uneventful and uninspired pick up. On that long list of key forwards that cannot translate their junior success at the highest level.

Johnathan Patton at Hawthorn has not only damaged his own reputation with his lewd behaviour, but before that, hadnt proven himself with any consistent football at AFL level. Although players such as Jesse Hogan have been mentioned here, Hogan has put together a few good seasons, this number 1 draft pick who was touted as the next Nick Riewoldt has only one thing in common - the awkward dick pic. On field success, leadership, talent and work ethic completely absent. Tom Scully the same
Click to expand...

Jamie Elliot had a career threatening back injury and he'll never fully recover from it, it's taken him from a potential superstar to just a handy small forward
 
Ando727 said:
If anything, all this shows is that Hogan is a serviceable 40-50 goal forward, but not a generational player. Maybe that's been his biggest problem, too much hype and expectation. Bit like Michael Hurley - was supposed to be a champion but turned out to just be a regular good player.
Click to expand...

What? Look at the age he was when he was doing that, this is just an incredibly bizarre take (also inaccurate).
GoEaglesGoSGIO said:
Jordan DeGoey

Should be top 5 player in the league etc but took the easy way out and sat at FP for Collingwood
Click to expand...

How has it taken 3 pages to list De Goey? He should be the first name rattled off with this question.
 

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Biggest waste of talent in the AFL?

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