Obscure Players That You Remember

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MJG14

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 29, 2018
6,191
7,449
Melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
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Australian Cricket Team
I don't think this has been posted, but here is an interesting story from Cricinfo on South African fast bowler Mfuneko Ngam:
 
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Ishikawa

Club Legend
Jul 18, 2018
1,248
1,291
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Has an autobiography titled “keeping Quiet”

Came across it somewhere and read it. One of those local heroes for his county that ultimately had a small international career towards the end (in a very similar vein, read Ronnie Irani's too!). Believe he's now head coach of Leicestershire.
 

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,400
15,659
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Does anyone remember Brett Williams? Easily the standout player at the 1988 Under-19 World Cup. That tournament was packed with future Test talent - Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Andy Caddick, Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, Chris Cairns, Izamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed to name just a few. The Australian team had future first-class legends like Stuart Law, Darren Berry and Wayne Holdsworth.

Williams was the leading runscorer for the tournament with a century in the final, and it looked like he definitely had a future of some description. Unfortunately he accrued a mere 7 Shield and ODD matches for South Australia over the next two seasons before abruptly disappearing for good.

Did he get injured, or just completely fail to make the jump? If the latter, does anyone know why? Understandably not all junior WC stars go on to become international caps - but even so, 4 first class matches seems like a very short run for a player who'd shown that sort of potential.
 
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Wines to cripps

Senior List
Oct 15, 2019
154
104
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
My favorite is Scott muller worst player I've seen at the top level. Brad Williams getting a game becasue he was fast.

Brendan Nash playing for West Indies and did alright.
 

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Jun 6, 2011
5,507
10,209
Goonellebah
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My favorite is Scott muller worst player I've seen at the top level. Brad Williams getting a game becasue he was fast.

Brendan Nash playing for West Indies and did alright.
Williams was very good but tailed off enormously toward the end of his career and it was mostly attitude related. 50 wickets in 9 matches in his debut Shield Season. The guy had serious talent.
 
May 8, 2007
10,579
14,813
vic
AFL Club
Richmond
It's always worth giving the really fast guys lots of encouragement and chances - because if they get it right, they have that thing you can't teach - real pace.

That's why we persisted with Tait far longer than warranted, likewise why were forgiving of all Cummins' injuries.

Sure - there will be plenty of failures - Williams is one. I remember a guy from Victoria way back in the 80s called Dennis Hickey - he had the classic fast bowler 'le-e-e-e-e-ean ba-a-a-ack and whang!' action - but * me, he was fast. I think injuries got him (only played a few one-dayers).
 

big_e

Existential crisis management consultant
Apr 28, 2008
12,564
38,506
Back Pocket
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North Melbourne
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Wycombe Wanderers
My favorite is Scott muller worst player I've seen at the top level. Brad Williams getting a game becasue he was fast.

Brendan Nash playing for West Indies and did alright.
I feel for Scott Muller.

He wasn't THAT bad, despite being pretty lucky to be picked. And if it wasn't for Warnie's big mouth then he would have faded back into obscurity instead of being a punchline for the past 20 years.
 

Caesar

Ex-Huckleberry
Mar 3, 2005
29,400
15,659
Tombstone, AZ
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
I feel for Scott Muller.

He wasn't THAT bad, despite being pretty lucky to be picked. And if it wasn't for Warnie's big mouth then he would have faded back into obscurity instead of being a punchline for the past 20 years.
Yep, this. Muller was a perfectly fine selection. He was an established Shield player and had a very good domestic season the previous year, taking a bunch of wickets at about 18 with a very acceptable economy.

Unfortunately didn't make the step up - took a few decent wickets, but overall wasn't threatening enough and went for too many runs - but that happens. Ultimately not really any different to someone like Jo Angel, Chadd Sayers or Trent Copeland - none of whom cop nearly as much crap.
 

Ishikawa

Club Legend
Jul 18, 2018
1,248
1,291
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
Yeah I think the people bringing up Muller never actually watched him bowl or had any inkling of his shield record, just regurgitate the story because its a story.

Pretty disappointing that achieving his dream turned out to be such a circus. Anyway, a baggy green, a handful of test wickets and a couple of test victories isn't the worst thing to look back on if the saga can be discounted.
 

Johnny_Dogg4

Premiership Player
Apr 5, 2017
4,995
3,790
Melbourne
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
iain-o-brien_1860810.jpg

iain obrien
 

DaRick

Norm Smith Medallist
Jan 12, 2008
7,994
8,115
Brisbane
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Brisbane Lions
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(See avatar)
Yep, this. Muller was a perfectly fine selection. He was an established Shield player and had a very good domestic season the previous year, taking a bunch of wickets at about 18 with a very acceptable economy.

Unfortunately didn't make the step up - took a few decent wickets, but overall wasn't threatening enough and went for too many runs - but that happens. Ultimately not really any different to someone like Jo Angel, Chadd Sayers or Trent Copeland - none of whom cop nearly as much crap.

Difference between Muller and Copeland at the highest level is that the former was a spray-gun, whereas the latter provided control but was simply too slow to do much other than hold up an end unless the pitch was friendly.

Jo Angel was before my time but my impression of him was that he was simply a WACA specialist.
 

Blue Arrow

Club Legend
Feb 22, 2019
1,415
1,474
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
The Renegades, Vics
Anybody remember else remember Craig Howard, the Victorian leg spinner from the early 90s?
I was going through some old SS score sheets and followed some links to this interesting piece about him and the search for a spinner after Warne retired.

 

Registered User

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 12, 2005
9,755
23,696
Bentleigh, Melbourne
AFL Club
Richmond
75395.1.jpg


Brit, David Steele, who debuted for England against Australia in 1975 when he was 33. He only played 8 tests, finishing with a batting average of 42.06

Making his debut against Australia at Lord's in 1975, he got lost in the pavilion as he went out to bat. Steele went down one too many flights of stairs and found himself in the basement toilets. Once he did arrive at the crease, fast bowler Jeff Thomson gave him a typically Australian welcome. Eyeing Steele's prematurely greying hair at 33, Thomson asked: "Bloody hell, who've we got here, Groucho Marx?"

That summer, however, Steele scored 50, 45, 73, 92, 39 and 66 against the Australians in his trademark staunch, courageous and steady manner. When presenting Steele his cap in the dressing room before his debut, captain Tony Greig felt tears fall on his hand and considered that "Here was a man who would fight for me to the death".[5] His ability to stand up to hostile fast bowling with which other batsmen had struggled to cope, and to attack it with the hook shot, raised morale among teammates and spectators alike.

The following year, he commenced against the even more fearsome fast bowling attack of the West Indies, by scoring a century at Trent Bridge. Oddly, he was overlooked for that winter's tour to India, on the theory that he could not play spin bowling. He duly returned to county cricket, and finished his career back at Northampton in 1984, having scored over 22,000 runs, just 673 of which came at the top level of the sport.
[1]

 
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