Shooting Stars

[Meth]

I was thinking today about the optimism around the joint in 2011, when we had 3 teams in 3 Grand Finals. Particularly, the sure sense of expectation that one day our outstanding and decorated juniors would translate into First Grade success. It got me thinking- who are the players that we were so sure were going to deliver and never really seemed to deliver on their anticipated potential. They may have played First Grade, but ultimately disappointed.

I'll go first-

Ata Hingano
Glenn Fisiiahi
Tui Lolohea

 

[Tongue]

Omar Slaimankhel

 

[Scott]

Konrad Hurrell
Ata Hingano

 

[jaseg]

Ata - the biggest one imo, and down to lack of coaching and just a bad situation I think, should've been a star, probably would've been if he came through the Storm system and developed properly etc
Havili - been decent/good but not here
Vete & Lisone (+Sipley I guess) - supposed to be the great platform for that generation, never eventuated
RFM - never learned how to position himself and make decisions in defense, but wow could he run a line
Laumape - just because he left so early
Tui - never really showed the ability in NRL to play the ball in front of the line, was either an out the back playmaker or just a ball runner.. quickly looked like a fullback in attack and never looked like he could control a game in the halves, despite his form in 20s.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Nafe Seluini - could have been anything
Elijah Niko - meant to be Manu 2.0
Carlos Tuimavave - another could have been

Out of the ones mentioned by others already the one that stands out is Tui Lolohea. Cracked the sads that he was played as an outside back and left for the tigers to play in the halves. Always thought if he stuck it out he would have been a great centre/winger with the ability to cover fullback

 

[jaseg]

Nafe Seluini - could have been anything

Oh yeah, forgot about him. Great call. Ivan didn't seem to rate him, and that f**ked him.. found a road block at the Warriors, left to the Panthers... and after one season (and appearing in most of their NRL games that year) Ivan promptly turned up there, too! Spent a couple of years behind Jake Friend after leaving the Panthers and that was it, never saw another chance. A shame, really.

 

[Meth]

Yeah, a couple of these guys you forget existed. I was really trying to grasp who the gun hooker coming through was. I knew it wasn't Alehana Mara. Was it Havilli? As you identified, Nafe Seluini. Was surprised that he didn't kick on for us. But he didn't kick on for anyone. Has really only got as far as the QLD Cup.

 

[Meth]

Sipley is another one. Has kicked on to have a bit of a first grade career, but we thought he'd be a lot more.

 

[Matua]

Likiliki - superstar at age grade, complete failure at NRL.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Going back a little further Locke, Packer and Faumuina, all poised to be greats, then undone by personal demons and injuries. All probably peaked in their first year or two at the Warriors.

 

[Rich102]

I think a lot of this has to do with coaching.
Ackland was a very good recruiter and coach of junior talent.
Then these players progressed into the senior ranks and the rest is history.

 

[spear tackle]

Average career length in the NRL is 75 games apparently , theres a lot of them that dont make it past a handful of games for various reasons , I'm betting if you look at all the other NRL sides they will all have a significant amount of players that failed to fire in the end as well.

 

[JJ]

Average career length in the NRL is 75 games apparently , theres a lot of them that dont make it past a handful of games for various reasons , I'm betting if you look at all the other NRL sides they will all have a significant amount of players that failed to fire in the end as well.

Yep, but equally you can see what Penrith have achieved with dominant juniors… we had those once…

 

[sup42]

Slim pickings in here, most of the carcass has been stripped by the train spotting vultures. I will go John Palavi. Picked as a future Captain of the Warriors, last contract Tweed heads QLD cup.

Charlie Gub springs to mind, I feel a bit stink saying guys who actually made the NRL. But if it is short careers you can go back to Doc Murray for the prototype talked up for one game never got a decent shot.

Whetu Taewa was another good player that was a Warrior all to briefly from the old school days.

 

[spear tackle]

Yep, but equally you can see what Penrith have achieved with dominant juniors… we had those once…

I can remember a couple of times where we had a young team and given another season together could have produced some fine performances but for reasons unknown to us mere mortals a lot of them got released to make way for players here for a retirement cheque

 

[CheG]

Nate Roache for injury reasons
Tui Lolohea for the Hype and subsequent letdown.

 

[Beavers Headgear]

Lolohea I put down to the coaching a fair bit as well, the stat was something like 14 different starting positions in his first 42 games, that’s a terrible way to start a guys career at the top level and it completely stripped him of any confidence settling in and getting used to first grade

Ligi Sao was another that I thought never showed his best stuff at the top level

 

[RHYTHM AND STEALTH]

Hurrell would have to be number 1

in the 20s in 2011 he had something like 265 line breaks for the year. The next best was 68 or something stupid