A player you thought was a diamond but ended up a rock

[Jimmy-o]

Maranta will go the other way. We haven't seen his best yet.

 

[Brutus]

Brett Rolls.

 

[Sydney Knight]

I remember the hype when Cam Cherry signed with the roosters in 87. Never kicked on

 

[macavity]

BJ Leilua
Beau Henry
Daniel Abraham (on track for origin until he broke his leg in CvC, never the same player again)

 

[THE CHAMP]

Was pretty confident when we signed barba.
Bad call.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Cameron King

My god the wraps on this kid were huge when he was coming through. Scored a try in the WCC against Wigan, then his body packed it in and has only sparodically seen 1st Grade since.

 

[beave]

Cam king played a couple of really good games for us.

Then did his knee again in a really innocuous play.

Shame.

 

[Ron's_Mate]

Ben Murdoch-Masila

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

Daine Laurie.

 

[beave]

I forgot about this gem of a bloke

Shit player, shit human being.

 

[TheFrog]

St John Ellis

 

[Timbo]

Jermaine Ale and Justin Carney fit the bill pretty well.

 

[lafai]

Aaron Groom

 

[DOGS AND EELS!!!]

Jamal Idris
Jacob Loko
Tariq Sims
Tautau Moga
Willis Meehan

 

[Last Week]

William Zillman.

I've never seen a more talented junior.

:lol:

 

[Last Week]

Daniel Mortimer. Obviously Hayne was carrying the Eels that year with the help of others like Fui, but Mortimer came up with some great plays riding that wave of confidence. Definitely got sucked in to his hype.

Tim Smith has been mentioned but after his 2005 season it was pretty reasonable to expect him to kick on

Timmy was ok in 07 too. But that's where it stopped.

I never rated Mortimer I thought, and still think, Kris Keating was better. And Morts only got the shot because Kris was injured for a majority of the time.

I really did think Kris and Matt Keating would kick on and be Eels for life.

Krisnan Inu and Feleti Mateo. Honestly looked like freaks on the field in 07. I really wish I know what happened.

 

[Nuke]

I think his name was Garrick Morgan?
Apparently some big-time union player (played regularly for Australia I think ... I was only 14 at the time and showed as much interest in that game as I do now ... zilch) who came across to League to play for the new South Queensland Crushers in 1995 or 1996.

Barely lasted a season in the top grade in a team that finished at the arse-end of the table. Went back to union the following year, never to be heard of again.

Alternatively, there was another code-crosser in 1999 that lasted something like 2 games. Maybe 3.
The long-time joke in Newcastle-town. Greg bloody Smith.
NFL player (supposedly). Trialled, somehow got into a First-Grade side of the Knights who were filled with premiership players, test and Origin reps, ect. A real masterstroke by then-coach Warren Ryan. Had a terrible game against Canterbury and was subsequently dropped. Again, never to be heard of since. Last I heard, shortly later, he was cut as he'd lied about his past sporting career, and got deported for visa issues.

 

[Nuke]

More in line with the original theme for this thread, however, I'd say Owen Craigie.
He had massive raps on him as a junior coming through, and his first couple of years in the top grade had moments of magic.
Then his laziness / attitude took over and it was all over for him.

I saw him at a shopping centre one of the last times I was in Newcastle a few years ago, and he's piled on the kilos since retiring ... which was starting to happen even before he retired.

 

[skeepe]

Cameron Phelps was absolutely killing it in reserves around 2004 or so (I think?). Bulldogs fans went on and on about how he was the next great 5/8th.

 

[catweasel]

Leon bott

Yep I was about to post Leon. What ever happened to him?