Review Which spud did you think was going to be a star?

[PJ Power]

Not a spud... but time flies

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Tribey trigger warning

I was working overseas at the time the Butch exploded onto the AFL scene. The week after this superb photograph was taken, I was listening via the 'Net to Peter HypnoRohde being interviewed about Butcher. Rohdey suggested that it might be a few years yet before Butcher developed properly into an AFL quality player, and that we shouldn't expect too much from him too soon. I remember thinking to myself as I went about my business of the day: "C'mon Rohdey, what do you know? This kid is the real thing, and there isn't anything that you or anyone else can do that will stop him being a champion".

Rohdey knew his stuff.

 

[raman]

I was a teacher at his school. Matt Priddis was a year above, Mark LeCras a year below, but Pettigrew was the one who everyone thought would be a star. He used to monster the athletics carnivals in everything from hurdles to shot put. To be fair, there were some question marks over his dedication even then. But I still remember a crowd of kids would just watch him dunking basketballs in the gym at lunch. All the talent in the world.

I can tell much the same story about Daniel (who?) Schell, expect I was a student not a teacher. There was not an athletic discipline he didn't dominate in. Until AFL football...

 

[Powerstufff]

... except expect I was a student not a teacher ...

Glad to see you weren't a teacher

 

[Peck]

Ty Vickery.

Ben Jacobs.

John Butcher.

Andrew Moore

 

[WHOME]

Scott Hodges? I'll see myself out.

 

[nadsee]

Lockwood oh man I loved him...was so disappointed when he couldn't play anymore...

Should have been a star.
Hurt his back in a training accident.
From memory?? Also something about lifting weights. But not sure about this.

This you tube vid.

 

[missionpossible]

Scott Freeborn

 

[nadsee]

Scott Hodges? I'll see myself out.

Can I help.

 

[Garibaldi Red]

Didn’t think either of these would be world beaters but worth a mention anyway.

Ryan Williams and Elijah Ware.

Ryno was more into drinking with the Gowans twins and Elijah failed to turn up on time one day, did he actually get there in the end (?), forcing Choco to stop Dewy at 2 pies, just before he was to chomp down on a honey stick.

 

[1954]

Scott Freeborn

Freeborn was a mind boggling selection, he had 6 goals kicked on him by Byron Pickett in a magoo's game at Alberton late in 1996, yet we selected him on our first AFL list and ignored Choppy.

 

[1954]

I was a teacher at his school. Matt Priddis was a year above, Mark LeCras a year below, but Pettigrew was the one who everyone thought would be a star. He used to monster the athletics carnivals in everything from hurdles to shot put. To be fair, there were some question marks over his dedication even then. But I still remember a crowd of kids would just watch him dunking basketballs in the gym at lunch. All the talent in the world.

The Grew definitely had an X factor about him particularly when he played as a wingman / half forward, but from the time Choco decided to turn him into a 3rd tall defender his career went backwards at a rate of knots, culminating in that day at the MCG when Liam Jurrah used him as a step ladder about 5 or 6 times.
In his last few seasons on Port's list he struggled to have any impact even at SANFL level.

 

[TeeKray]

I think we can all pinpoint the exact moment that Pettigrew's career began its rapid descent.

 

[1954]

I think we can all pinpoint the exact moment that Pettigrew's career began its rapid descent.

I was deliberately ignoring that 2007 gf moment.

 

[Marmozet]

Any chance that someone reading this knows where Ben Newton is nowadays?

De-listed by Melbourne last year so I'm wondering if he still plays footy somewhere or has retired.

 

[RossFC]

Any chance that someone reading this knows where Ben Newton is nowadays?

De-listed by Melbourne last year so I'm wondering if he still plays footy somewhere or has retired.

Took the year off due to a knee problem. Hopefully will play somewhere in 2018.

 

[cmpower]

Adam Cockshell and Ryan Willits.

Was always a sucker for a big body.

 

[Teal Plums]

Paul Evans

 

[Fade to Gray]

Don't know if I thought he would be a star, but I do remember Dale Ellis clunking some big marks and kicking a few goals in an internal trial. Had some high hopes for him.

I still believe that if Daniel Flynn had the persistence and dedication to stick with AFL, he could have been a star. He was fun to watch. Good size, great pace - no idea how to play. But there were patches of play where he looked awesome.

 

[Dalfino]

Not a huge fan of these threads because they're built upon a negative premise, but since this one is about a crers player...

When Troy Menzel got traded to Adelaide, I actually thought that was a steal and that he'd set the world alight with them. Thank **** the very opposite happened! Not my finest prediction

 

[tribey]

Adam Thompson was my great misread. He burnt the SANFL up and looked the goods but didn't have the ability to do it in the AFL. To make it even more embarrassing Richmond also thought Adam had something.

He led the league (AFL) in clearances per minute in 2007. Choco just didn't rate him for whatever reason.

Which would've been fair enough if he didn't have a simultaneous hard-on for absolute spuds which ultimately led to him leaving our list in a state that made Chernobyl look like fertile farmland.

 

[*PAF]

Not a spud but when I saw a skinny Farren Ray play in a pre season game in Darwin, just after he was drafted, I thought he was going to be a superstar.

 

[Hellgood]

Took the year off due to a knee problem. Hopefully will play somewhere in 2018.

Newton was no spud IMO. Kind of like Ah Chee in that he was fringe, but paradoxically needed to be "the man" to be successful. Behind the likes of Boak, Wines, Ebert & Moore for the extractor role at Port then Jones, Viney & Tyson at Melbourne and wasn't quite adaptable enough to be a success in another position.

 

[Hellgood]

Not a spud but when I saw a skinny Farren Ray play in a pre season game in Darwin, just after he was drafted, I thought he was going to be a superstar.

Yeah good on him for adapting into the dependable defensive role player he became, but at the start he looked as though he was going to be freakish on his own terms. Glad he carved out a very solid career in the end working around his limitations though as it is quite frequent to see junior prodigies drop their bundle once it becomes apparent that plan A is not going to cut it.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Paul Evans

Paul Evans, Tredders and Tom Carr all made the 1995 All Oz team at the last U/17 Teal Cup national championships and was the first time SA won it in about 15 years. SA beat Victoria Metro in the final and won the game and Evans kicked 9 and effectively won the game himself. I had big expectations after that of him and the other 2 Port boys. Imagine the hype and expectation if someone was to kick 9 in the final at the U/18 championships to win the title for his state.

 

[PatientMental]

Took the year off due to a knee problem. Hopefully will play somewhere in 2018.

Was slow pre draft, continued to have injury after injury.

Went okay at mixed netball alongside Aaron Young at findon indoor though.