Club History Players that you thought would make it but didn't.

Remove this Banner Ad

Lore said:
What even is talent anyway? Nurture or nature? Does it just mean they were more developed, had more practice and better coaches before they were drafted?
Click to expand...

I'd say it's not always clear how much of each contributes, there's clearly players that are physically gifted in a way that others aren't, which is something more 'obvious'. Then you've got guys who have 'it' where there's not really a tangible way to measure 'it' but we all know it when we see it.

Dangerfield wouldn't be the player he is if he wasn't close to the most broadly athletic midfielder the game has seen. He's ~ 6'2", strongly built, has the tank to run through the middle whilst still being one of the most explosive players on the field, he's also been blessed with all of that and a durable body. He'd have outstanding metrics.

Tippungwuti has the 'it' factor though. You can't measure it on a scale or with a timer. You can just see it with your eyes. None of his testing numbers would wow you I wouldn't expect, beyond perhaps agility.

Sometimes you get a kid who's been in a great environment and comes in to the AFL with outstanding junior numbers, but doesn't have that ceiling. Rhys Palmer I'm looking at you.
 
BrunoV said:
Slow, fat and a below average kick doesn't scream talent.

There are plenty of ball magnets who play in second tier comps.

He wasn't talentless, not by any stretch, but it took him 3 years before anyone could see a player and even then it was a basically last chance saloon.

Compare that to Cupido and Laycock turning in performances that should have landed them ANZAC medals in their first handful of games.

As Owen said, the fall back for Jobe was his size and clean hands. Without that rig I doubt he plays more than 20 afl games.
Click to expand...
The fall back was name as well

The fact he didn’t impact early wasn’t a talent issue, it was conditioning, maturity and professionalism

You can be talented and naturally unfit

Once he got fit his talent shone
 

Log in to remove this ad.

owen87 said:
Why do people assume 'didn't have the raw talent of those guys' means 'had no talent whatsoever'.

Of course he had talent. Every AFL player does.

Some more than others.

Jobe wasn't as talented as many other players that have come through EFC's doors, but he had the work-rate and desire to get everything out of himself, whereas more talented guys haven't been nearly as successful.

Joe Daniher would be close to the most naturally talented player EFC drafted in the last 2 decades, has every single physical gift you could ask for as a player, yet hasn't become anything close to what people thought he would because he doesn't have that work-rate to get everything out of himself.
Click to expand...
Why do people put words in other people's mouths when they don't hear what they want?

I didn't assume you said no talent whatsoever, and nowhere did I say anything to indicate such.

I read what you wrote and disagree with it wholeheartedly.

Jobe read the play better than anyone, he was as one touch as they come, his ability to set up the play by hand was elite, and despite being the slowest bloke on the field, flat out could not be tackled.

Now if you said he was the least athletically gifted, sure. But he had more talent than most AFL players could dream of.
 
BrunoV said:
Slow, fat and a below average kick doesn't scream talent.
Click to expand...
Well sure, if you list his 3 biggest deficiencies in isolation, it wouldn't scream much. I think you could comfortably do that for any player to play the game, bar Gary Ablett jnr and a few others.

How does a bloke with one of the worst athletic profiles to play the game win a brownlow without a shit tonne of talent? And don't tell me through work rate.
 
Last edited:
In the injured early category there would be D Daniher, Pears and Gumby. There were rumours something happened to Dyson as well.

In the “I got it wrong” category my stand outs would be Reimers, Cupido, Laycock, Haynes, Mynott, Bradley, Dyson, and J Merrett would be my main ones.

I think Melksham, Lovett, and Carlisle underperformed. Myersand Winders due to injury.

BrunoV said:
In the alternate universe in which we hadn't already fallen a decade behind the competition in terms of strength and conditioning and player development 2002 which delivered Laycock, Winderlich, Watson and Cupido is being discussed as one of the greatest bits of recruiting of all time.
Click to expand...
We got McPhee as well.
 
J Daniher. I say that mostly tongue in cheek but not entirely. Probably got 1.5 really good seasons out of him (plus a half in that game in Adel against Hawks that probably got us the upper round 1 pick for him) for all the fuss.

Gumbleton was probably the main one. Number 2 pick to fill the Lloyd/Lucas void. Obviously injuries the main factor for him. Jackson Merrett was another. Had a 40 possession and kicked some goals I think against Carlton in 1 game. But never went on with it. Probably led us to getting Zack so still a good result.
 
Ati Tude said:
J Daniher. I say that mostly tongue in cheek but not entirely. Probably got 1.5 really good seasons out of him (plus a half in that game in Adel against Hawks that probably got us the upper round 1 pick for him) for all the fuss.

Gumbleton was probably the main one. Number 2 pick to fill the Lloyd/Lucas void. Obviously injuries the main factor for him. Jackson Merrett was another. Had a 40 possession and kicked some goals I think against Carlton in 1 game. But never went on with it. Probably led us to getting Zack so still a good result.
Click to expand...

I do wonder how a guy like J.Merrett would have gone at a club that was better able to make use of role players than we were capable of at the time.
 
Merrett was an awkward tweener. He was more of a wing than a half forward but didn't find enough ball to play there.
 
Jake Long, Josh Begley and Kobe Mutch I thought could have all become varying levels of role player to quite good.

This is a long way of saying, if you are one of the few who haven't figured this out yet, do not listen to me.
 
Foxx said:
I don't know how we saw Gumbleton so high. He couldn't kick.
Click to expand...
6'6" CHF with a great tank and strong hands. Bloke was getting Riewoldt comparisons in his draft year
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Foxx said:
Couldn't kick.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was listing why so many were bullish before his injuries struck. Matthew Richardson had some of the worst kicking skills going around and he turned out pretty well.
 
eth-dog said:
Yeah, I was listing why so many were bullish before his injuries struck. Matthew Richardson had some of the worst kicking skills going around and he turned out pretty well.
Click to expand...
I can't imagine why they were bullish considering he had a ball drop from the roof, and kicked floaters.
As far as I remember Richardson was always a fundamentally good kick. He'd just miss the target too much.
 
Foxx said:
I can't imagine why they were bullish considering he had a ball drop from the roof, and kicked floaters.
As far as I remember Richardson was always a fundamentally good kick. He'd just miss the target too much.
Click to expand...
Because he was a 6'6" CHF with a huge tank and great hands.

Richo was a terrible kick of the ball. Kicked plenty of floaters.
 
Foxx said:
Couldn't kick.
Click to expand...

Was not considered an issue as a junior.
So you are putting yourself above everyone else that rated that draft at the time ?
The fact he could play at both CHF and CHB was the big factor at the time. His goal kicking was never that bad. 45.23 career.
And by the way my preference which was on record before the draft was Hanson so I am not a Gumby band wagon member.
I never rated Jetta or Hislop out of that draft either. Hislop could not kick.
 
With the benefit of hindsight I do wonder about the extent to which Gumby was one of those talls the industry wasn't getting right.

When I say that, I have no doubt that injury free he would have ended up a very solid 150-200 game player. At the end of the day he kicked 45 goals from 35 games with what must have been a significantly reduce physical capacity. He was also still clearly above VFL standard. He could clearly play.

The question for me is whether he was a number 2 in the sense that he could have been Riewoldt good. It's hard to say with a guy who's trick was work rate because we never saw it. Was his endurance and running power good enough to blow up seasoned AFL defenders? Did he have the ability to jump at the ball to get separation?

Also his kicking was fine. He looked a bit awkward because he bent his arm at the pont of the ball drop but it wasn't an issue.

I recall there were a few horrible shanks early on but that was not the norm.
 
Last edited:
BrunoV said:
With the benefit of hindsight I do wonder about the extent to which Gumby was one of those talls the industry wasn't getting right.

When I say that, I have no doubt that injury free he would have ended up a very solid 150-200 game player. At the end of the day he kicked 45 goals from 35 games with what must have been a significantly reduce physical capacity. He was also still clearly above VFL standard. He could clearly play.

The question for me is whether he was a number 2 in the sense that he could have been Riewoldt good. It's hard to say with a guy who's trick was work rate because we never saw it. Was his endurance and running power good enough to blow up seasoned AFL defenders? Did he have the ability to jump at the ball to get separation?

Also his kicking was fine. He looked a bit awkward because he bent his arm at the pont of the ball drop but it wasn't an issue.

I recall there were a few horrible shanks early on but that was not the norm.
Click to expand...
I just had a look at video. You are right, his kicking was ok. Perhaps it was the few bad drops and shanks that stick in my memory. Or maybe it was towards the end when his back was buggered, which could have impeded his ball drop and kick.
 
Mark Williams (at Essendon). Played a few games in early 2010 including a four goal performance in a win over Carlton. Got injured not long after and was not seen in the seniors again, retired with a year to go on his contract in 2011.
 
Was bullish on Prismall. Coming from a system training in a midfield brigade with Bartel, Ablett, Corey, Selwood and Ling, and being highly touted by their own fans, I thought Prismall was going to add some real class. Perhaps he could have if he'd stayed fit.

Also had really high hopes for Atkinson. He had real pace and agility, but I think his kicking was 50/50 at times. Really clever tapping the ball to a player or to advantage at ground level. He was exciting.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Club History Players that you thought would make it but didn't.

Similar threads

jannissary
Opinion 2025 Thoughts, expectations and predictions
2
Replies
45
Views
2K
ant555
ant555
boncer34
  • Sticky
Player Sponsorship Player Sponsor 2025
Replies
24
Views
1K
Test Tickle
Test Tickle
RedmanWasHere
AFLW Player #?? Sophie Strong - Welcome to Essendon
Replies
2
Views
221
CrowdedHouse
CrowdedHouse
RedmanWasHere
AFLW Player #?? Taya Chambers - Welcome to Essendon
Replies
2
Views
222
CrowdedHouse
CrowdedHouse
RedmanWasHere
AFLW Player #?? Holly Ridewood - Welcome to Essendon
Replies
5
Views
410
ant555
ant555
RedmanWasHere
AFLW Player #?? Grace Belloni - Welcome to Essendon
Replies
3
Views
248
CrowdedHouse
CrowdedHouse
silk
Review Round 14: Essendon Bombers vs The Bye - Thoughts on the season so far
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
ghostdog
ghostdog

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top