Junior players 'that got away'

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chinggis77

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Forgotten in all the hoopla of Karmichael's 'defection' is the fact he was a standout junior AFL player who talent scouts talk of as 'the one that got away'. The main reason he went into League and not AFL was because there were no pathways to AFL at the time for KH whereas there were clear pathways to League.

Does anyone know of any other very talented junior AFL players that 'got away' and were lost to other sports? Maybe this is a new recruiting angle that may lead to one or two further recruits?

I would imagine basketball may have taken a few. With the NBL in shambles - why not launch a raid on the NBL? Players who grew up plaing basketball/AFL have excelled in our game because of the strong similarities in tactics, awareness etc...
 
I dunno if this would be the right thread, but you could say it was one that got away.
My dad's cousin was training with Footscray at 15 years of age sometime back in the 80's at some stage.
Was spotted by some scouts playing in the local seniors and apparently was a gun, killing it against grown men.
Stopped playing footy simply because he lost the interest and passion for the game.
 

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Darren Lockyer, Laurie Daley, Peter Sterling, Steve Mortimer, Gary Belcher, I am pretty sure all of these blokes played some Australian football when they were young, all had glittering League careers.
 
When you consider only about 80 to 100 kids get drafted each year and tens of thousands of guys play Aussie Rules I imagine there are a lot who have slipped through the net through the years.

Probably a handfull of Garry Ablett seniors lining up for bush clubs around Australia every week and we will never know them...
 
Clinton Peake was a very good footballer, same vintage as Tony Brown (St Kilda), Wade Chapman (Sydney) all from Geelong.

Chose cricket, captained the Australian U/19 team, made a triple hundred in a 'test' against India. Never kicked on. Handful of games for the Vics.
 
colbung said:
Patrick Mills was an AFL All Australian state schoolboy under15 in 2004 and was voted player of the carnival. He attracted interest from the Swans.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24653661-23769,00.html
Click to expand...

Mills only got drafted second round so no guaranteed contract. On top of that he's recently been injured so probably won't make it this year. Keep an eye on him!

Speaking of NBA players. Nathan Jawai (Toronto) has been struggling over there. Get him back in the AFL!! He played as a kid also!! 208cm tall and 125kg. Baby shaq? I think Baby Sandilands more like it (Sandi is 211 and 125). See article halfway down:

http://dinonationblog.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/searching-for-nathan-jawai/
 
chinggis77 said:
Forgotten in all the hoopla of Karmichael's 'defection' is the fact he was a standout junior AFL player who talent scouts talk of as 'the one that got away'. The main reason he went into League and not AFL was because there were no pathways to AFL at the time for KH whereas there were clear pathways to League.
Click to expand...
No, the main reason was because he loved Rugby League and walked into a first grade side when he was 17 and played Origin, internationals and won a Premiership before he was 20.
 
Karmichael Hunt has played less then Ten games of Aussie Rules in his life in one school series (in his last year of school) for fun. Got away? Never had him, till he has a million per year thrown his way.
 
chinggis77 said:
Mills only got drafted second round so no guaranteed contract. On top of that he's recently been injured so probably won't make it this year. Keep an eye on him!

Speaking of NBA players. Nathan Jawai (Toronto) has been struggling over there. Get him back in the AFL!! He played as a kid also!! 208cm tall and 125kg. Baby shaq? I think Baby Sandilands more like it (Sandi is 211 and 125). See article halfway down:

http://dinonationblog.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/searching-for-nathan-jawai/
Click to expand...

Jawai has a heart condition and may never be able to play again.
 

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colbung said:
Patrick Mills was an AFL All Australian state schoolboy under15 in 2004 and was voted player of the carnival. He attracted interest from the Swans.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24653661-23769,00.html
Click to expand...


the best junior i have seen in the ACT since hird. actually he was better that hird as a junior. definatly would have been a davey type. super quick

a couple of guys at the local footy club says he is the best player they have played with.
 
Surely the standout would be Greg Brentnall who went on to be a League test fullback?

Greg Brentnall (born in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales) is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80. A fullback, he played for the Australian national side as well as representing New South Wales and playing for Canterbury-Bankstown in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership.

Brentnall played Australian rules football in Riverina in the 1960s before turning down an offer to play in the VFL/AFL and switching to rugby league, taking up a contract with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 1972. In 1973 he also played for Turvey Park in the Group 9 Country Rugby League competition. His ability to catch the highball made him a valuable fullback for many rugby league representative teams, and he represented Australia.....
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Brentnall
 
If Warne had the talent he would have chosen footy over cricket. Now that would have been one that got away! Footy's his first love, but one look at him 'running' is enough to know he never would have made it. Played one reserves game for St Kilda, at FF on Mil Hanna, and almost had a coronary as Mil ran off him as he pleased!

Ponting was a gun apparently.
 
No way Warne could of made it in the AFL, unless he had the ability of Plugga which I know he didn't.

Thank God he didn't much rather him in the Aussie cricket team than at St Kilda.
 

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Junior players 'that got away'

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