Analysis Players who should have been better, but stagnated at poor clubs
- Thread starter TheLoungeLizard
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- Feb 21, 2009
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- Feb 21, 2009
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Really? You can't think of why?
Yeah spare me.
Not even close as a footballer to Ablett Junior. Has nothing to do with the coaching and development at Richmond either.
Bryce Gibbs is one from Carlton. Turned into a very good player. But I always wonder how it impacted him with the club taking until 2013 to start using him as a midfielder.
He was drafted pick 1 as a gun junior midfielder. Spent multiple seasons at Carlton plugging gaps in the backline.
Four years wasted that I think could have been better served with him developing as a young kid in the middle. I think he ended up softer because of it.
He was drafted pick 1 as a gun junior midfielder. Spent multiple seasons at Carlton plugging gaps in the backline.
Four years wasted that I think could have been better served with him developing as a young kid in the middle. I think he ended up softer because of it.
Can I nominate a good player who would have been better?
Nat Fyfe.
Justifiable star, but had to adjust his game to the sh*tfulness of the Harvey and Lyon schools of coaching, and the spuds around him often drag down his performance. Will end his career with the 2013 losing Grand Final as his highlight.
If he played for Hawthorn, Geelong or Collingwood and had the benefit to develop under better structures and coaches he would be stupidly good. He is still a very good player, but I think he has been stagnating at Freo for a while now, whereas a better club would have gotten more out of him.
Nat Fyfe.
Justifiable star, but had to adjust his game to the sh*tfulness of the Harvey and Lyon schools of coaching, and the spuds around him often drag down his performance. Will end his career with the 2013 losing Grand Final as his highlight.
If he played for Hawthorn, Geelong or Collingwood and had the benefit to develop under better structures and coaches he would be stupidly good. He is still a very good player, but I think he has been stagnating at Freo for a while now, whereas a better club would have gotten more out of him.
A different tact to other names - Shaun Atley.
Other people mentioning players at bottom 4 clubs etc. Atley came into a mid table club which went 14-9 in his 2nd year for the season.
I think however if he went to a club that persisted with him for longer at state level or dropped him when his performance was plateauing, he might have gone up the extra levels. Instead he's just maxed out as a decent, solid, 5-6/10 most weeks player. Nothing more. 1 game where he has got Brownlow votes in his career, never stepped into the midfield where his size, speed, agility would be huge. He played 16 games his first year and has played full seasons bar 1 or 2 games ever since.
To put his durability and inability to be dropped into perspective, he turns 27 later this month and yet needs less than 5 full seasons to get 300 games! He could do it months before he turns 32, a feat that a champion like Scott Pendlebury is receiving wide plaudits for this week.
I feel like if he had had more demanded from him early in his career, he could have achieved a whole lot more. Instead I believe he's coasted and sums up the Brad Scott era, alongside guys like Macmillan and McDonald, extremely well.
Not saying we were a poor club, but there was definitely guys who peaked well below their expected in the Scott era and while it's different to bottom 4, it's not a Geelong/Hawthorn era either and so that is why I think a guy like Atley can considered to have stagnated due to his club.
Other people mentioning players at bottom 4 clubs etc. Atley came into a mid table club which went 14-9 in his 2nd year for the season.
I think however if he went to a club that persisted with him for longer at state level or dropped him when his performance was plateauing, he might have gone up the extra levels. Instead he's just maxed out as a decent, solid, 5-6/10 most weeks player. Nothing more. 1 game where he has got Brownlow votes in his career, never stepped into the midfield where his size, speed, agility would be huge. He played 16 games his first year and has played full seasons bar 1 or 2 games ever since.
To put his durability and inability to be dropped into perspective, he turns 27 later this month and yet needs less than 5 full seasons to get 300 games! He could do it months before he turns 32, a feat that a champion like Scott Pendlebury is receiving wide plaudits for this week.
I feel like if he had had more demanded from him early in his career, he could have achieved a whole lot more. Instead I believe he's coasted and sums up the Brad Scott era, alongside guys like Macmillan and McDonald, extremely well.
Not saying we were a poor club, but there was definitely guys who peaked well below their expected in the Scott era and while it's different to bottom 4, it's not a Geelong/Hawthorn era either and so that is why I think a guy like Atley can considered to have stagnated due to his club.
- Feb 5, 2018
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Disagree completely on this one. Ross has possibly killed the development on many young players in his time, but Fyfe wasn't one of them. Nat is the only player in the AFL who occasionally looks like he is playing school footy and is the dominant kid because he hit puberty quicker. It stands out more because Fremantle have been so average for a period of time now. That game against Carlton that they lose this year springs to mind. Same with the game against Collingwood last season where they lost by 90 odd points and he got 3 Brownlow votes. You could argue he wouldn't appear so dominant (or wouldn't have to be) if he played in a current Richmond, West Coast, Collingwood or Geelong side with other star midfielders pulling more weight.
I agree with this so much about Knights. Was a really good player and probably should have ended up with more than his two best and fairests at Richmond.
Only one AA selection, but severely hampered in that regard by playing in a mostly poor Richmond side.
Always seemed to have space and time, even though he wasn’t that quick. I’m certain he would get more recognition if he’d played at a successful club.
It was Pendlebury-esque. Maybe it's a basketball thing.
I wanted to say like Pendles but didn’t want to appear to be putting him in the same category.
Sonny Bonds
Cancelled
Name a few for me.
I agree Melbourne has a problem with development of players, but most of these juniors went on to other clubs for a second chance. I can't help but feel it comes down to bad luck.
Sonny Bonds
Cancelled
How about you tell us?
Was in the top 50 all-time for Brownlow votes when he retired. He was a great player, undersold I think because our games often weren't caught on video in the age of limited TV cameras. The knock on those Bartlett-era mids - Knights, Campbell, Lambert, Nicholls - was that they didn't work both ways, early on at least. It wouldn't be allowed to happen now.
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Calves/achilles.
His hammies have never troubled him.
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[insert GCS list here]
Knox Harrington
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Anyone Carlton has drafted in the past 20 years
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Cotchins Hair Piece
Bouffant Flat Top
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Yeh but they all started at GWS.
FrakturedHalo
The Voice of Reason
This genuinely made me lol'z and spit coffee all over the screen laughing. Your precision insight and analysis puts the rest of these washed up ex player hack self-styled 'experts' on Fox, 7 et al to shame
- Feb 21, 2009
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Not talking about Melbourne, quit your paranoia
100action
Norm Smith Medallist
Cooney and Higgins would have been so much better at hawthorn or geelong.
Both coasted at 70% on large contracts for the better part of a decade. Their lack of application really hurt the 07 to 09 flag tilt.
Both coasted at 70% on large contracts for the better part of a decade. Their lack of application really hurt the 07 to 09 flag tilt.
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