Essendons Great Wasted Talent

[JockStraps]

We have had some stars and some duds over the years, but we have also had a fair share of players come and go that have simply failed to live up to their potential. Some due to injury, some due to attitude some just couldn't go the next step

In no particular order, here are my top 10 Coodabeen Champions

1) Damien Cupido - the human mind is a strange thing. Damien's is stranger. What a talent
2) Andrew Lovett - probably did fulfill his potential but for only a passing moment.
3) Rick Olarenshaw - anyone who watched the 1st Qtr of he 93 Grad Final knows exactly what I mean
4) Adam Ramanauskas - a champion person whose career was tragically curtailed by illness - who knows how good he may have become
5) Neale Daniher - another struck down by injury in his prime - the best of the four brothers to play but definitely not the luckiest
6) Mark Bolton - showed enough in 2-3 games a year to show he could have been a gun. Tall, mobile, athletic. Just couldn't go to the next level
7) Gus Monfries - just looked the part when on song, but failed to do the hard work to become a consistent elite player
8 ) Jayson Laycock - injuries can be blamed but even when fit, never really pushed himself. An exquisitely skilled big man who never grew up
9) Che Cockatoo Colins - see Monfries
10) Paul Hills - a cavalier wingman who for a moment looked like the next big thing. Unfortunately, it was just for a moment

[Ossie]

Can't argue with too many of those.
Too early to add number 11 - Scott Gumbleton?

[azza78]

Sorry Ossie, Kyle Reimers gets the #11 spot.

[JockStraps]

Can't argue with too many of those.
Too early to add number 11 - Scott Gumbleton?

Have selected players whose careers at EFC are over - but yeah, Gumby could hit the list in years to come (maybe months?)

[robbie67]

1. Neale Daniher
2. Damien Cupido
3. Che Cockatoo-Collins
4. Andrew Bomford
5. Adam Ramanaskus
6. Matthew Lloyd
7. James Hird
8. Michael Long (6,7,8 all lost best years of their careers due to injury)
9. Dean Rioli
10. Andrew Lovett

[JockStraps]

1. Neale Daniher
2. Damien Cupido
3. Che Cockatoo-Collins
4. Andrew Bomford
5. Adam Ramanaskus
6. Matthew Lloyd
7. James Hird
8. Michael Long (6,7,8 all lost best years of their careers due to injury)
9. Dean Rioli
10. Andrew Lovett

Dean Rioli a definite but Lloydy? I know he missed a season with his hammy and probably retired a year early but I would have thought he delivered enough to put him well up the list of over achievers?

[BenDoolan]

Some other names thrown into the mix;

Phil Carman
Adam McFlee
Leroy Jetta
Jay Neagle
John Coleman

[robrulz5]

Dean Rioli should be a premiership player and would have been a gun if it wasn't for his weight/injuries.

[DC2]

mark bolton??!! LOL,,,surely youre trolling.

the only reason he got a game was because he was hard working(early draft pick and one of sheedys pets). But to say he was wasted talent, no. the problem with bolton was he didnt really have that much talent to begin with.

Same goes for monfries, he worked hard but just isnt good enough.

The key is you need to have talent to waste. Bolton and Monfries never had much to waste to begin with. From all reports both were very hard working and solid trainers. These guys could NEVER have been champions. In fact you could say Bolton got as much out of himself as he could have.

As for guys like cupido, RIOLI(could have been a gun), Lovett(attitude) and even someone like Jay Neagle to a lesser extent(great hands and a beautiful kick). This is clear talent gone to waste. Because they had it in spades.

[Ossie]

Some other names thrown into the mix;

Phil Carman
Adam McFlee
Leroy Jetta
Jay Neagle
John Coleman

Jay Neagle was never talented.

[Ossie]

6. Matthew Lloyd
7. James Hird
8. Michael Long

They obviously had some injury worries, but I doubt you could say they were wasted talent. 713 games, 1412 goals, five premierships between the three of them. I think they did all right for themselves.

[JockStraps]

mark bolton??!! LOL,,,surely youre trolling.

the only reason he got a game was because he was hard working(early draft pick and one of sheedys pets). But to say he was wasted talent, no. the problem with bolton was he didnt really have that much talent to begin with.

Same goes for monfries, he worked hard but just isnt good enough.

The key is you need to have talent to waste. Bolton and Monfries never had much to waste to begin with. From all reports both were very hard working and solid trainers. These guys could NEVER have been champions. In fact you could say Bolton got as much out of himself as he could have.

As for guys like cupido, RIOLI(could have been a gun), Lovett(attitude) and even someone like Jay Neagle to a lesser extent(great hands and a beautiful kick). This is clear talent gone to waste. Because they had it in spades.

I was tending to agree with you....then you mentioned Jay Neagle

[BenDoolan]

Some other names thrown into the mix;

Phil Carman
Adam McFlee
Leroy Jetta
Jay Neagle
John Coleman

Jay Neagle was never talented.

But he wasn't as bad as he he actually was. He was one lazy mother******.

[bomberdonnie]

Mark f****** Bolton?

f****** putrid footballer

Great athlete terrible footballer

[robbie67]

6. Matthew Lloyd
7. James Hird
8. Michael Long

They obviously had some injury worries, but I doubt you could say they were wasted talent. 713 games, 1412 goals, five premierships between the three of them. I think they did all right for themselves.

Yes, good point, but I did say that all three lost a lot of their "prime" due to injury. It cost Hird at least one brownlow, probably two, and the 99 flag. Long won premierships and was top 3 in a Brownlow either side of his major injuries. He was the spiritual leader of the club coming off the 93 flag. He lost about 70 games in that period, and could have been the differance in 96. Lloyd was never the same after the big hammy, he went from being in the prime of his career, to an old man within the space of just one injury. Now while all three are Hall of Famers, a lot was left in the injury room.

Oh.............and Bolton. My sides are hurting.

[JockStraps]

Oh.............and Bolton. My sides are hurting.

Yep, I know the feeling, I just read that Hird, Lloyd and Long were wasted talents. In terms of incredulity, there is only one winner here.

[robbie67]

Oh.............and Bolton. My sides are hurting.

Yep, I know the feeling, I just read that Hird, Lloyd and Long were wasted talents. In terms of incredulity, there is only one winner here.

At least I put it in context. Bolton gets you the annual Bluey award for being clueless.

[Choppy]

Robbie, you are kidding yourself mate...cost Hird at least one, maybe 2, brownlows..? Are you serious? which years? He missed some football, yes, but his best football was well after his injuries anyway (I'd say 2000 onwards)...to say he was cost 2 Brownlows is fair dinkum as one-eyed as it gets.

As for costing them the comp in 1999...I don't think you can link one player to winning or losing that year..who knows how it would have played out.

I think he got the best out of himself in every way...

[JockStraps]

Oh.............and Bolton. My sides are hurting.

Yep, I know the feeling, I just read that Hird, Lloyd and Long were wasted talents. In terms of incredulity, there is only one winner here.

At least I put it in context. Bolton gets you the annual Bluey award for being clueless.

I believe there is an opening over on The Moron of the Year post Robbie - surely calling three hall of famers wasted talent tops the nominees

[robbie67]

Watch it f*** head. Dont get your ambitions mixed up with reality.