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Ardie Savea All Black. Dragons?

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,712
Dragons Union Converts

Successes
Evans-St George
Kearney-Parramatta
O'Connor-ACT
Scott Gourlay-Eastwood
Hawthorne-Randwick
James-St George
Ryan-St. George
Walker-Randwick

Failures
O'Callaghan-Randwick
O'Neill-Randwick
Stumbles-St. George
Sullivan-Gordon

Missed By A Whisker
Mark Ella-Randwick
What an impressive list of forwards
 

TheFlash

Juniors
Messages
149
Dragons Union Converts

Successes
Evans-St George
Kearney-Parramatta
O'Connor-ACT
Scott Gourlay-Eastwood
Hawthorne-Randwick
James-St George
Ryan-St. George
Walker-Randwick

Failures
O'Callaghan-Randwick
O'Neill-Randwick
Stumbles-St. George
Sullivan-Gordon

Missed By A Whisker
Mark Ella-Randwick

You can add Willie O to missed by a whisker, im pretty sure either Mark Ella or Willie O or both actually signed, but then we ripped the contract up after a change of heart...
 

Frank Facer

First Grade
Messages
5,069
Dragons Union Converts

Successes
Evans-St George
Kearney-Parramatta
O'Connor-ACT
Scott Gourlay-Eastwood
Hawthorne-Randwick
James-St George
Ryan-St. George
Walker-Randwick

Failures
O'Callaghan-Randwick
O'Neill-Randwick
Stumbles-St. George
Sullivan-Gordon

Missed By A Whisker
Mark Ella-Randwick
Regarding Mark Ella. I rate him the best union player I have seen (I haven't watched much union since they went pro in 95). We chased him very hard and came close to signing him. I remember reading that one of the reasons Ella knocked us back, was because he had doubts about being a success. I wanted us to sign Ella bad. I think he would have been a success for sure. He could have been one of the best league 5/8 ever.

In the 80's I read Wally Lewis's autobiography called King Wally. Lewis went on the 1977/78 schoolboys rugby union tour of England. Michael O'Conner, Tony Melrose and the three Ella brothers also made the same tour squad. They were unbeaten. Lewis struggled to make the first 15. I remember Wally saying that most of the players played table tennis on tour and that at the Ella brothers hadn't played table tennis before the tour, but by the end of the tour they were the 3 best table tennis players in the squad. He was pointing out how naturally gifted they all were.

In hindsight, I wish we would have signed Wally Lewis in the early 80's. I remember Manly making him a big offer or 2, but Qld RL managed to keep him in Queensland.
 

Frank Facer

First Grade
Messages
5,069
You can add Willie O to missed by a whisker, im pretty sure either Mark Ella or Willie O or both actually signed, but then we ripped the contract up after a change of heart...
I would have liked to see how Willie O went in league. He may have been able to make it. He would have been a very damaging runner.
 

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,712
I remember Wally saying that most of the players played table tennis on tour and that at the Ella brothers hadn't played table tennis before the tour, but by the end of the tour they were the 3 best table tennis players in the squad. He was pointing out how naturally gifted they all were.
Maybe he was actually pointing out that table tennis is just a shit sport that anyone can pick up quite easily.
 

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,712
Don't bother with him Frank
Please don’t derail yet another thread with your petty shit.

Frank & I are having a discussion about the merits of table tennis.

Don’t try and take it off topic.

Again.
 

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,712
You obviously lack comprehension skills. lol
Not at all..

Someone being able to master the game of table tennis does not automatically mean they are naturally gifted sportsmen.

Plenty of non-sporty folk have mastered it quickly.

BTW.. Hopefully you aren’t a poker player. Your “lol” is a bad tell.
 

merahputih

Juniors
Messages
922
Dick Thornett was another forward who transitioned successfully from union to league: a dual international, or a triple international if you count water polo in the Olympics.....but not table tennis.
 
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