Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

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leighsaintsince66
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Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709414Post leighsaintsince66 »

I sometimes wonder how the Saints would have performed if certain players had managed to fulfill their potential at the club

You know what I mean... Players who had injuries at pivotal times, had off / on field issues, or simply left the club.

I can name ten ex players to start with, in no particular order:

1. Brian Gleeson - Never played again after his Brownlow Medal - Imagine if he was fit in the early - mid '60's
2. John McIntosh - One of the most skilful of the big players- Horrible knee injury curtailed his career
3. Justin Koschitske - I thought he was as good as Roo for a while there. Played injured too many times, lack of awareness etc.
4. Rod Owen - One of the most skilful, smart fowards. Injuries and off field issues...
5. Bill Stephenson - What a great, immovable full forward we could have had in the mid 60's. Did his knee...
6. Xavier Clark - Sublime skills - Pity about his hamstrings
7. Robert Muir - Supremely gifted - Career ruined by hecklers, as well as his short temper
8. Stephen Rae - Gifted half forward - Issues with coach, went to Richmond
9. Joel Smith - Terrible knee injury just when he was blossoming. Imagine him playing in the 1997 finals? Went to the Hawks
10. Matt Maguire - Very good centre half back, character who was cursed with injuries

I am sure that I have left out many others, eg Russell Greene to Hawks etc.

Thoughts?


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709415Post saintsRrising »

Clark Maguire McIntosh
Jeffries Perovic Black
Smith Greig Muir
Owen Hall Gorozidis
Foschini Stephenson OBrien


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709416Post asiu »

i always thought that luke penny going down hurt us bigtime


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709417Post Drake Huggins »

asiu wrote:i always thought that luke penny going down hurt us bigtime
It certainly did. Penny's knee was so bad, he ended up having chemotherapy on it, a radical attempt to ease the chronic inflammation. His dad rang 3AW at the time and bagged the shyte out of GT for playing him when hurt. A bit like Kosi in 2002. Remember Kosi's dad going off at GT and the club for playing Justin with a bad back. I agree with you, asiu. Kosi was almost as good as roo. That head injury diminished him greatly. Another one was Geoff "the missing" Linke only played a couple of games at centre-half forward, marked everything in sight and then did his knee, never to play seniors with us again.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709418Post Linton Lodger »

Drake Huggins wrote:
asiu wrote:i always thought that luke penny going down hurt us bigtime
It certainly did. Penny's knee was so bad, he ended up having chemotherapy on it, a radical attempt to ease the chronic inflammation. His dad rang 3AW at the time and bagged the shyte out of GT for playing him when hurt. A bit like Kosi in 2002. Remember Kosi's dad going off at GT and the club for playing Justin with a bad back. I agree with you, asiu. Kosi was almost as good as roo. That head injury diminished him greatly. Another one was Geoff "the missing" Linke only played a couple of games at centre-half forward, marked everything in sight and then did his knee, never to play seniors with us again.
Kosi was awesome, simply awesome in 2005 and I thought more important to us than Riewoldt at the time. He was a giant, there is no doubt the head injury took its toll. However, he also was sacrificed playing at full forward under Lyon, he wasn't a key forward at all. He was a ruckman through and through and would have been devastating as a 2nd Ruck (to Gardiner) rotating through the forward line as a third tall taking the third best defender.

Alas we had no one to fill the key forward position, if only Hamill's career had not been curtailed, it may have been all different. Two Premierships different.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709419Post Viking3 »

Graeme Gellie: B&F in '78, pretty much his first season. Hurt his knee badly early '79, I think, and was never the same again.
Geoff Linke: Tall CHF from SA. Came off the bench in his first game (Rd 1 Melb @ MCG). Started at CHF rd2 v Swans at Moorabbin and tore them apart in the first quarter, marked everything that came his way. Looked awesome. Hurt his knee early in the 2nd and never played again.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709420Post saynta »

Paul Dodds
Jimmy Guyatt
Ian Mullar
Ross oakley
Barry Pascoe

just off the top of my head.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709421Post CQ SAINT »

Mark Jackson. Frontal lobotomy might have saved his career.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709422Post parkeysainter »

Tim Allen from early 90's.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709424Post saint64 »

Jason Cripps, Luke Ball


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709425Post on the outer »

Caydn Beetham
Jarryd Allen
Jayden Attard
Fergus Watts
Barry Brooks
Damen Shaw

And while he didn’t play a senior game I’ve always wondered what Stephen Gaertner would have been if he had stuck with it .


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709429Post Vazelos »

One left field that many may not think of was a player in the late 80s called John Peter Budge, this kid had serious talent but had a bad back. He excited me for awhile in 1987 I think it was....
I thought Craig Devonport had some serious X factor talent but just didn't have the fitness and commitment to take his talent the next level.
Russel Jeffries was a talent that we didn't get enough out of.
Rod Owen is a well known great talent that ruined his career... he was ahead of Plugger in 1985-6 such was his talent and expected ceiling.
I agree with Joel Smith he was amazing in 1997 at half forward flank... a prodigious talent and that really hurt us after hitting his knee against the Scum at the MCG....
There are so many others...


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709430Post CQ SAINT »

Somehow I dont think Luke Ball would put himself into this category. He might think he had 22 mates at the Saints who should be though.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709446Post Dave McNamara »

Seems a certain Saintsationalist is way too modest. I can't believe that this bloke hasn't scored a mention yet. :shock:
Was widely considered to be a star in the making, but for some issues with application and dedication.
http://www.saints.com.au/news/2014-03-1 ... ult-heroes

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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709447Post asiu »

Linton Lodger wrote:
Drake Huggins wrote:
asiu wrote:i always thought that luke penny going down hurt us bigtime
It certainly did. Penny's knee was so bad, he ended up having chemotherapy on it, a radical attempt to ease the chronic inflammation. His dad rang 3AW at the time and bagged the shyte out of GT for playing him when hurt. A bit like Kosi in 2002. Remember Kosi's dad going off at GT and the club for playing Justin with a bad back. I agree with you, asiu. Kosi was almost as good as roo. That head injury diminished him greatly. Another one was Geoff "the missing" Linke only played a couple of games at centre-half forward, marked everything in sight and then did his knee, never to play seniors with us again.
Kosi was awesome, simply awesome in 2005 and I thought more important to us than Riewoldt at the time. He was a giant, there is no doubt the head injury took its toll. However, he also was sacrificed playing at full forward under Lyon, he wasn't a key forward at all. He was a ruckman through and through and would have been devastating as a 2nd Ruck (to Gardiner) rotating through the forward line as a third tall taking the third best defender.

Alas we had no one to fill the key forward position, if only Hamill's career had not been curtailed, it may have been all different. Two Premierships different.
i always believed the Kos could of been a great full forward
but Roo was always the focal point where ever he was

Roo out of the forward line and Kos woulda been a star at FF i reckon

'knowing' He wasn't the Man ... hurt his confidence n sense of self


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709449Post Beno88 »

parkeysainter wrote:Tim Allen from early 90's.
+1


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709450Post kosifantutti »

Spencer White


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709453Post Drake Huggins »

John Georgiou. The work experience kid.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709454Post saint64 »

CQ SAINT wrote:Somehow I dont think Luke Ball would put himself into this category. He might think he had 22 mates at the Saints who should be though.
He didn't fulfil his potential while at the Saints (which is the essence of the thread). He was cruelled by OP over his last few seasons with us - as I think one commentator said, he could "barely kick over a jam jar". He could argue that he fulfilled his potential as soon as he left us.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709456Post bigcarl »

Lockett.

Okay, he’s recognised as one of the greatest players ever to pull on a boot ... I think easily the greatest. So it may be stretching it a bit to call him an unfulfilled talent.

What he did with us, IMO, was largely on pure, natural talent. Imagine how good he could have been in better teams with better support staff around him.

It’s frightening.

He was probably capable of 175-200 goals in a season in a really good side the way football was played in those times.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709457Post St Chris »

Kosi got worked out pretty quickly by defenders when he was at FF under Ross.

If he got a free run at the pack he could latch onto anything. All you needed to do was apply a little bit of body on him on his way to the contest (ie. as he went to launch) and he was gone, out of the contest completely. He either lacked the balance to correct, or lacked the upper body strength to stand up to the contact.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709462Post Vazelos »

bigcarl wrote:Lockett.

Okay, he’s recognised as one of the greatest players ever to pull on a boot ... I think easily the greatest. So it may be stretching it a bit to call him an unfulfilled talent.

What he did with us, IMO, was largely on pure, natural talent. Imagine how good he could have been in better teams with better support staff around him.

It’s frightening.

He was probably capable of 175-200 goals in a season in a really good side the way football was played in those times.

Agreed he didnt play a full season at his peak from 1988-1994- missed 40% of football in this time with suspensions and injuries...
Its hard to believe what he would have kicked had he had a full season with finals....

In my opinion, 1989 was his absolute zenith where he was at the peak of his powers when he was 23 years of age....

If you saw what he kicked in 9 odd games before he whacked Mc Kenna & got 4 weeks its mind boggling...

Arguably the greatest player that ever played the game didnt get the best out of himself in his peak years... thats scary....


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709467Post Devilhead »

Vazelos wrote:

Agreed he didnt play a full season at his peak from 1988-1994- missed 40% of football in this time with suspensions and injuries...
Its hard to believe what he would have kicked had he had a full season with finals....

In my opinion, 1989 was his absolute zenith where he was at the peak of his powers when he was 23 years of age....

If you saw what he kicked in 9 odd games before he whacked Mc Kenna & got 4 weeks its mind boggling...

Arguably the greatest player that ever played the game didnt get the best out of himself in his peak years... thats scary....
78 goals in 11 games - 9, 10, 8, 5, 5, 6, 6, 9, 12, 3, 5 - he kicked 24pts as well and we only won 5 of those games

He had 52 goals after the first 8 games in 1990 before another injury curtailed that season

But it was his incredible start in 1991 that will never be topped - 12, 10, 12 and that was in Rounds 7 - 9 - he missed the first 6 rounds that season - 127 goals in only 17 games @ 7.5 goals a game - he had 50 after 6 games - and 78 after 11 games which was the same as his tally in 1989 - his end to 1991 was devastating with hauls of 13,10,11,9 the last of which was in the elimination final v Geelong :evil:

Plugger was a dead set freak the likes of which we may never witness again


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709470Post Drake Huggins »

Robert Muir. An incredibly gifted player, with devastating behavioural deficits, on field.


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Re: Unfulfilled talent over the past 60 years

Post: # 1709475Post Devilhead »

My avatar is Robbie Muir flying high against Carlton in Round 5 1975 at Moorabbin

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