Which players didn't become superstars straight away?

[Red Bear]

I'm pretty sure Paul McGregor was a very late bloomer, didn't make his first grade debut until he was 24 and played represanative football about 2 years later. I think.

Didnt want to play firsts, wanted to play for Dapto

 

[sasquatch]

What about Karmichael Hunt

 

[choc_soldier]

Ryan Girdler
Tony Puletua

 

[Master Vippo]

Brett White

Are you serious?? Since when is/was he ever a superstar? A solid performer at best.
Thats a funny post

 

[lil ripsta]

Anthony Minichiello. Definatly.(sp)

 

[Munky]

Tony Puletua

Big T looked like a world beater back in 2000.

Hell he was only 23 in 2003.

 

[Master Vippo]

I would agree with Preston Campbell and Anthony Minichiello. And Steve Bell.
Adam Mogg debuted pretty old too didnt he? Not that he is a superstar.Justin Smith pretty poor at Souths, but he has been gun for NQLD.

 

[yobbo84]

Justin Smith pretty poor at Souths, but he has been gun for NQLD.

Do you actually watch games? Smith poor at Souths? You're kidding right?

He was good at Saints, good at Souths, and good at the Cows.

 

[choc_soldier]

Big T looked like a world beater back in 2000.

Hell he was only 23 in 2003.

My reasoning was that he showed potential from his debut year in 1997 - yes, in 2000 he had all the makings of a future superstar - but he was too inconsistent. But I always thought that it was just a matter of time.

2003 was definitely his watershed year, and his stocks have boomed since then.

 

[Surely]

Mick Devere

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Scott Prince, didnt he debut in 1998 or 1999 for the Cowboys, not a lot of people heard of him. Then in 2000 after Goldthorpe got dropped, Prince stepped up and was rated the next best thing, which is one of the reasons Broncos signed him.

I think Puletua played FG while still at school was rated pretty well, I remember Andrew Voss had huge wraps on him when he played in the schoolboy comp.

Preston Campbell is the best example, back then you wouldve said who's this guy. And I thought Minichello was a terrible winger when he first started, but now he's a brilliant fullback.

 

[anjado]

Adam MacDougall played at the roosters did'nt hear from him for a couple of years
Same with Blacklock
Paul Whatuira made his debut in 2000/2001 and didnt do much till 2003
Matt Geyer didnt play First grade reguarly till he was 23
Bryan Fletcher is another one
Brad Drew made his Fg debut in 1993 and didnt really play again till 1998

 

[Mean Dene]

Dene Halatau.

 

[Nugby]

A) Dene Halatau is sitting at a keyboard rating himself on this website while recovering from surgery.
B) Dene Halatau is a superstar.

I think A is more likely.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Anthony Watmough - He was dropped from the SG Ball side once i think, and came into the top grade a few years ago and has improved ever since.

Very true. He was the last player selected for the promotion for Flegg that year..

 

[aqua_duck]

He also debuted Origin that year, so you could say he was a late bloomer. My nomination is for Matt Gafa. He actually debuted in 1997 then went away for years. Now he has re-emerged an absolute superstar.

Matt Gafa superstar, lol, he's a fringe 1st grader at best. What's next? Luke Covell superstar?

Might sound abit bias but Clint newton springs to mind for me, he was a bench player for his local club side as a teenager, they said he didn't have the size to make it, he was playing in an under 15's side that boasted Josh Perry, Daniel Abraham, Luke Burt and Brett Finch and apparently he hardly raised a mention. When he started in 1st grade he was a complete nuffy, couldn't hold on to the ball to save his life and was much maligned and not to mention often injured.
However toward the end of last season and particularly this season he's really emerged, I wouldn't call him a superstar but he's definately developed from fringe 1st grade nuffy to one of the better 2nd rowers in the comp, as his selection in the Pm's XIII suggests.

 

[CC_Eagle]

Matt King..NFI how old he is..Just that the constant reminding about his rags to riches story..

Steve Bell didn't debut untill he was 26ish I think?

 

[nqboy]

Ra's an excellent nomination, though I always thought he showed plenty at the Warriors and Bulldogs and could never work out why he wasn't rated higher. I was delighted when we signed him.

 

[UndertakerMike]

Brett White

Matt King fits the bill nicely

 

[Tigertread]

Ra's an excellent nomination, though I always thought he showed plenty at the Warriors and Bulldogs and could never work out why he wasn't rated higher. I was delighted when we signed him.

When did you see him playing at the Warriors?