Underacheivers in rugby league

[ethan tremblay]

Awesome player ridiculously overlooked for many more Kiwi selections by dip shit selectors. His form in the 2005 tri nations was nothing short of awesome, continuing the damage and carnage he had inflicted on the NRL many years previous.

but in saying that did he under achieve i believe he could of been so much better than he was, but that's just my opinion

ok here is another couple brad meyers and i just thought of this person don't think he's been mentioned and definatly should be in the team .. Brett seymour

 

[eozsmiles]

If anything, I think George Rose has overachieved.

Perhaps he's overachieved for a round bloke who is 130kg and growing.
The fact he never got to 115kg like the rest of the monsters could be an underachievement in itself. Or maybe he just can't be any smaller.

 

[jonno_knights]

Shannon McDonnell.

Greg Waddell is another going down the path of a Karl Filinga type, big contract without being proven but been crueled by injuries at a young age.

Shannon Walker.
Joe Williams.
Beau Henry.

 

[ANTiLAG]

but in saying that did he under achieve i believe he could of been so much better than he was, but that's just my opinion

I don't watch much ESL, but he looked deadly from what I have seen. Not a coaches or selectors pet, but stuff trying to mark him, either in defence or offence.

ok here is another couple brad meyers and i just thought of this person don't think he's been mentioned and definatly should be in the team .. Brett seymour

Definitely. I had completely forgotten his name! I was trying to remember it previously in the thread and just referred to him earlier as 'Big Red'. Him and Jane Carlaw were regular disappointments despite origin and test appearances.

I'm not sure Seymour was ever that good, personally.

 

[ethan tremblay]

seymour burst into grade at 17 with the broncos and was touted as the next halfback after langer

 

[ANTiLAG]

Meh - should have continued with Scott Broken Legs Prince.

I guess ask a Broncos faithful like Big Pete if Seymour underachieved. Personally I think he was always lacking flair. According to wiki his competition at School level was Grant Rovelli - so I guess he may have got big wraps from being in a crap year.

 

[ethan tremblay]

Meh - should have continued with Scott Broken Legs Prince.

I guess ask a Broncos faithful like Big Pete if Seymour underachieved. Personally I think he was always lacking flair.

hopefully he give's us he's insight

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

Brett Seymour is my age, I saw a video the other day of an interview with him when he was 17 and he deadset looked 10 years older than I do now. I think he was just one of those kids who develops really young and gets people excited as a result- "he's so good and he's only 17, imagine what he'll be like when he grows up!". Unfortunately Brett Seymour grew up to be a 25 year old who played like he was 45.

 

[MadPie]

Kevin McGuiness. Or maybe he was just shit.

 

[Big Pete]

Meh - should have continued with Scott Broken Legs Prince.

I guess ask a Broncos faithful like Big Pete if Seymour underachieved. Personally I think he was always lacking flair. According to wiki his competition at School level was Grant Rovelli - so I guess he may have got big wraps from being in a crap year.

He did.

Seymour had one of the best kicking games I've seen from a player & his running game was promising as well. However, like a lot of talented playmakers, he struggled with the defensive work-load, reading the game & involving himself at crucial times. This is common place in first grade and at 21 he had plenty of time to fix it but unfortunately his off-field issues prevented him from doing that at the Broncos.

In 08 he revived his career at Cronulla in an underrated stint at five eigth. The Seymour/Kimmorley combination was right up there as one of the best that season & Seymour relished the five eigth role. He was everything Noddy wasn't, a creative player who actually posed a threat. When he was ruled out in the lead up to the Prelim final vs. Melbourne, the Cronulla season was over.

Just like his career was over when they brought Barrett in & had Seymour play the organising role at Cronulla. He hit the drink and found himself in NZ where the trend continued but hey he put in some nice cross-field kicks while he was over there.

Yeah, Seymour didn't have a whole lot of competition in the halves back in 02. Just some nuffies by the name of Jonathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk & Berrick Barnes.

 

[ANTiLAG]

This is what we keep you around for Pete - I did qualify it as wiki

He did.

Seymour had one of the best kicking games I've seen from a player & his running game was promising as well. However, like a lot of talented playmakers, he struggled with the defensive work-load, reading the game & involving himself at crucial times. This is common place in first grade and at 21 he had plenty of time to fix it but unfortunately his off-field issues prevented him from doing that at the Broncos.

In 08 he revived his career at Cronulla in an underrated stint at five eigth. The Seymour/Kimmorley combination was right up there as one of the best that season & Seymour relished the five eigth role. He was everything Noddy wasn't, a creative player who actually posed a threat. When he was ruled out in the lead up to the Prelim final vs. Melbourne, the Cronulla season was over.

Just like his career was over when they brought Barrett in & had Seymour play the organising role at Cronulla. He hit the drink and found himself in NZ where the trend continued but hey he put in some nice cross-field kicks while he was over there.

Yeah, Seymour didn't have a whole lot of competition in the halves back in 02. Just some nuffies by the name of Jonathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk & Berrick Barnes.

But you have way blown that '08 Nulla attack out of all proportion.

In 2008 they finished 1st equal on points for wins, with the 3rd best defence in the comp with the 15th, yes 15th best points for! One of the best? Really?

I never found him threatening or attacking, I found him predictable, boring, tiring and tedious at Nulla and Warriors - but your view holds more weight for his Bronco days, so he thus did underachieve.

Covell scored 206/451 of Nullas points for that 08 season. Is that a record percentage?

 

[Big Pete]

I never spoke up their attack as such, just their combination.

Kimmorley was the best half at controlling territory in the game. His long distance kicking stats. far out-weigh any others. However, by 08 he didn't pose much of a threat at all. Step up Brett Seymour who combined beautifully with Pomeroy & Covell down the left to score all the points Cronulla needed to defend.

 

[Pedge1971]

Well thank Eric Watson and his stooges for wrecking Ali's NRL career. However, I do not think you can say he underachieved by being kicked out of the Warriors to the ESL and being selected in their dream team sides. A bit of a Pat Richards being lost to the NRL too soon thus udnerachieving, but unlike Pat, it wasn't so much as his call as the dim witted warriors management causing a price war that only Leeds could win.

Geez, there's a name. The year they made their first GF, that guy was the best forward in the world. If I can recall correctly, less than 12 months later he went to SL but his NRL form severely diminished the follow up to his ground breaking season.

What did the Warriors do to him?

 

[ANTiLAG]

Geez, there's a name. The year they made their first GF, that guy was the best forward in the world. If I can recall correctly, less than 12 months later he went to SL but his NRL form severely diminished the follow up to his ground breaking season.

What did the Warriors do to him?

He had a massive injury in 03, but he nevertheless came back hard. When the Warriors stuffed up there was a massive bidding war including many MANY NRL clubs. But noone could compete with the ESL money - especially mid-season. He was offered and turned down $500,000 a season by Wigan in 04, so god knows what he got at Leeds! He was a very sought after and hot prospect.

The problem was this, Eric Watson came in and buys the club, what kind of millionaire player doesn't own a sports franchise, and put Mick Watson in charge. Things under Daniel Anderson get very rosey. 2001 first finals ever, 2002 min prem and GF, 2003 Destroy the Dogs in the finals, beat Canberra and then lose a close game in the prelim to the Panthers who win the GF the next week. So the suits know what they're doing right? Showing every body prior how you do things to get success, yeah?

Ali had had a cyst in 03, but he came back strongly for the finals charge. Not 02 form, but certainly one of the best players in the game still, 04 the Warriors have a horror start. 1 - 4, so the suits come in to see what is going on and sort the problem because they know best... Not understanding polynesian culture, Mick Watson gets mad when Ali says he plays to have fun instead of saying what they wanted to hear, that he plays to win. He sacked him and then humiliated him in the media repeatedly, and through other players like captain Monty B, who was obviously following club orders, on a total cultural misunderstanding. It was shocking and disgusting. Obviously, you play any game you play to win, but he was very religious and from a humble culture where you say "that you play to have fun and not care whether you win or lose". The man clearly played to win, or when he was having fun, he was winning games, sometimes single-handedly.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/sport_story_skin/422047?format=html

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/sport_story_skin/422361?format=html

Warriors continue to lose, bye bye Daniel Anderson.

It was just total mismanagement of humble and religious polynesian culture. The Warriors and other clubs have learned their lessons from this, and it is far less of an issue now. After this incident, and a few others, clubs and coached learned how to manage and communicate with Polynesian players better.

There were also total unrealisitc expectations. The suits thought they could turn the club into something more successful than the Broncos. So after the previous three years they thought move over Brisbane. Even Wayne sometimes missed the finals or got a bad start. Through it, they lost a magnificent forward strike weapon and then they sacked the classy coach. Eventually the suits learned to back off.

To be honest, I could see a repeat of this on the cards in Newcastle in a few years...

The scariest thing, is none of the games that Ali played were complete hidings,

R1 Brisbane 28 v New Zealand 20 at Lang
R2 New Zealand 10 v St George Illawarra 16 at NZ
R3 Ali missed the game against the Panthers
R4 Manly 10 v New Zealand 28 at Brookvale
R5 New Zealand 20 v Newcastle 34
R6 Bulldogs 24 v New Zealand 18

Incredulous...

After Ali left the wheels started to really fall off...

 

[Dogs Of War]

I will just chuck one in that I liked watching run around, and if he didn't play for Souths could have done a lot more, Tricky Trindall. Even when he was past it, and the Dogs picked him up, you could see what a creative player he was. Too bad his good years were wasted at Souths.

 

[Aragorn]

Jason Taylor

 

[Genius Freak]

Terry Campese

 

[Crazy Steve]

Josh Lewis

Played in the Dragons 20's team, and had a step to rival Brad Fittler. Signed by the Roosters and did not do much, then went the Titans where again he did not much (may have also played at the Tigers). Had a real attitude problem.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Jason Taylor

In what universe did JT underachieve?

In his second season, 1991, he takes 1990 cellar dweller (13th) Wests to the finals.

1992, he backs that up to the finals again. That season Norths finish 11th.

1993, switches to Norths and takes them to 6th. Makes Origin team bench twice despite Ricky's stranglehold on the 7 jumper.

1994, He takes Norths to within 1 point of the minor prem, and guides them past Brisbane in the finals, only to lose to eventual premiers Canberra.

1995, takes Norths to the finals

1996, League's top point scorer, Norths 3rd, and beat the Broncos in the finals - and wins the Rothmans medal.

1997, takes Norths to 4th, with a sumblime PD, and guides them past Parra in the semis, and only just succumb to eventual premiers Newcastle. Seasons top point scorer.

1998, takes Norths to the finals

1999, he misses the finals for the time ever as a halfback where Norths had a cruel year with injuries... they started the year strong.

2000, silly Northern Eagles crap - gets a release to Parra for the next year and

2001, guides Parra to a 20-2-4 Minor premiership season with a grand final.

He achieved admirably and quite a lot for a "poor man's" Ricky Stuart. I wonder how he would have done with Daley outside him. He never had Joey's skill, so how did JT underachieve? Norths were a good team, but they didn't have the finals strike power of Canberra, Brisbane, Manly... He got them there a lot!

On top of this he goal kicked at 75.24 scoring 2,107 points. Underachieved? He retired as top EVER point scorer.

Parra should have won in 2001 and it should have been his crowning glory. A first half blitz by Newcastle stopped that dream. But to say he underachieved because of that is mean... He probably should not have retired so young... Dykes and McFadden please...

 

[Tom Shines]

Ben Ikin