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

[TheLoungeLizard]

Who are the players who could have been elite, but instead were always just good enough to cruise along in their career being very good - but never reached their potential.

Two stand out for me:

Brett Deledio, I firmly believe that he could have been the best of all time, or absolutely in the top 3 for this generation.
He had what Gary Jnr has and more.

Beautiful vision, sublime kick on the run, great nous around goal, one of the best contested marks, elite speed and endurance.

Unfortunately, he played in a s**t Richmond where he could roll along at 70%, work on his beach muscles, worry more about his hair and still win our B&F.
He should, and really could have been a Brownlow medallist and high AA selections.

But, he was never pushed, only Jade Rawlings actually dropped him and made him work for it, by the time Hardwick got to him he was a lost cause.

Jack Martin also springs to mind as someone who seemingly came into the AFL with it all, but has never felt the need to become the absolute best.

 

[Chaisa]

Not sure if Port counts as a poor enough club to cruise at, but would Wingard count?

 

[Wojcinski]

Chad Wingard owns this thread, although to be fair he had stagnated the last few years at Port too.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Who are the players who could have been elite, but instead were always just good enough to cruise along in their career being very good - but never reached their potential.
...

Jack Martin was the player I immediately thought of. Does just enough to coast along out of the spotlight on a (presumably) large salary.

The only games Deledio missed were through injury; he never played VFL. Two b&f's and two AA's, all in different years, plus a Rising Star, puts him in the top few percent of achievers. Doesn't belong here.

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

Jack Martin was the player I immediately thought of. Does just enough to coast along out of the spotlight on a (presumably) large salary.

The only games Deledio missed were through injury; he never played VFL. Two b&f's and two AA's, all in different years, plus a Rising Star, puts him in the top few percent of achievers. Doesn't belong here.

Didn't Jade drop him?
I recall he tried to kick him into gear.

I think he does because he achieved all that going at 70%, imagine if he worked to be his best, should have been a Brownlow medallist and a lot more AA's

 

[Ron The Bear]

Didn't Jade drop him?
I recall he tried to kick him into gear.

I think he does because he achieved all that going at 70%, imagine if he worked to be his best, should have been a Brownlow medallist and a lot more AA's

No, he played every game that year and won the B&F. That might've been the year that the players had a mid-season heart-to-heart and challenged Deledio to do better. He responded by leading the comp in contested ball for the second half of the season.

Perhaps at a top club he would've been better. I remember a radio caller a decade ago who said the same things you're saying about the hair etc. and put it down to grumpy old man ramblings. Maybe there's something to it, I don't know. You could make a case to say Knights, Campbell, Richardson could've been better players and they were all club greats, and Deledio sits comfortably with them. Play in a successful era though, and the focus is on your strengths.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Hamish Hartlett
Sam Powell-pepper
Ollie wines
Chad Wingard

 

[PerthBoy86]

So why hasn't Lids excelled at talent-stacked GWS?

 

[Ron The Bear]

Hamish Hartlett. Career at times has been interrupted by injury but never justified the hype from certain sections of the media for mine. A top-10 draft pick and former v-c who appears to have all the physical tools, but with a best finish of 7th in the B&F. Comes to the end of a long-term, high-paying contract next year without fulfilling his potential.

So why hasn't Lids excelled at talent-stacked GWS?

Injuries have cooked him, he's had no continuity. 7th-youngest of 635 players to 195 games (despite playing only one final); has limped to 70th-youngest of 139 players to 275 games since the calf issues hit.

 

[Chaisa]

So why hasn't Lids excelled at talent-stacked GWS?

Cooked. Basically his hammies are beyond repair.

 

[Dav]

Agree with Wines, was expected to be one of the best players in the comp by now but is possibly the most one-dimensional plodder in the league with zero accolades.

 

[Chaisa]

Hamish Hartlett
Sam Powell-pepper
Ollie wines
Chad Wingard

Forgot about Hartlett. Revoke my statement about Port not being a cruising club.

Wines and SPP just seemed like early bloomers to me, especially given how big they were pre-AFL (Wines has had injuries too)

And the king in this regard (though he wasn't originally a Port player) is Jack Watts.

 

[La Dispute]

So why hasn't Lids excelled at talent-stacked GWS?

Injury and his developmental years are now over.

 

[Thistle]

Jack Trengove

 

[carnaroys08]

Lewis Taylor went from Rising Star, to improving his output in his second year, to going backwards at a rate of knots like the rest of the team were in Leppa's last year (the Club was in a poor state), to improving again under Fagan, to being squeezed out of a side that finished 2nd. It never helped Taylor's cause that the Selection Committee stuck with their decision to play Rayner back into form in the One's not the 2's.
Still has plenty of time to shine & is durable. Played 107 of possible 110 games in his first 5 years. Imo would do best with the Hawks, Poppy on the way out & would be a seamless transition into the Hawthorn System having been under Fagan.

 

[Established1870]

Chad Wingard and Hamish "I'm not a midfielder" Hartlett are the only Port players in recent years who fit this thread. SPP is 21 ******* years old and tracking along fine. Ollie Wines has had injuries galore this year. Neither of them belong on this thread at all.

Anyway, Troy Menzel is the king of this thread.

 

[Power Raid]

Not sure if Port counts as a poor enough club to cruise at, but would Wingard count?

Port sadly has been s**t for 15 years and killed so much potential from so many.

Wingard should be a faster version of gray.

Who let Wines get so big, he can’t run both ways?

Who recruits rockcliff, when we have wines, boak, SPP and Atley as inside grunt.....the result is SPP and Atley don’t develop as they should.

Poor recruiting, poor physical development, poor game style and poor skills development.

 

[ferrisb]

Anyway, Troy Menzel is the king of this thread.

Troy Menzel could do things that 95% of AFL footballers couldn't do.

Unfortunately he also refused to do the stuff that 95% of footballers do week in, week out...

 

[Sttew]

Brett Deledio, I firmly believe that he could have been the best of all time, or absolutely in the top 3 for this generation.
He had what Gary Jnr has and more.

Lost me with that statement

 

[RUNVS]

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.

 

[Duskfire]

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.

Well, yes. Same goes with Gold Coast now. There is a reason why teams like Sydney and Hawks and Geelong are able to just snare players from deep in the draft and do well with them. In Melbs case, the system at that club let them down, not so much the players.

 

[TheLoungeLizard]

Lost me with that statement

I've never seen a player be so good at so many aspects, but have little drive.
It's honestly a shame he wasn't at a club like Geelong in his prime, I really believe he could have been anything

 

[PerthBoy86]

Chad Wingard and Hamish "I'm not a midfielder" Hartlett are the only Port players in recent years who fit this thread. SPP is 21 ******* years old and tracking along fine. Ollie Wines has had injuries galore this year. Neither of them belong on this thread at all.

Anyway, Troy Menzel is the king of this thread.

Geelong are a poor club?

 

[Established1870]

Geelong are a poor club?

Wrong Menzel mate.

 

[PerthBoy86]

Wrong Menzel mate.

Haha oh yeah I was thinking Daniel