My team of overrated players is a group that either hasn’t fully utilised their talent or are overhyped by the media. Some have received accolades, but don’t live up to their potential.
I have narrowed it down to 22, based on the 2017 season.
B: Shannon Hurn (Eagles), Scott Thompson (Kangaroos), Ben Stratton (Hawks)
HB: Shaun Atley (Kangaroos), Harry Taylor (Cats), Heath Shaw (Giants)
C: Mark Blicavs (Cats), Ed Curnow (Blues), Lewis Jetta (Eagles)
HF: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (Bombers), Jack Darling (Eagles), Dale Thomas (Blues)
F: Jamie Elliott (Magpies), Tom Hawkins (Cats), Hayden Ballantyne (Dockers)
Foll: Matthew Kreuzer (Blues), Ollie Wines (Power), Chag Wingard (Power)
Int: Sam Reid (Swans), Charlie Dixon (Power), Jake Stringer (Bulldogs), Jack Watts (Demons)
The six backs consist of a club captain in Hurn, and a two-time All Australian in Taylor. Thompson shouldn’t be in the Kangaroos’ best 22 and Shaw hasn’t lived up to the media hype surrounding him.
The midfielders include a premiership player in Jetta, who may be able to run like the wind and be highly regarded due to his pace, but has never lived up to the hype.
The six forwards listed are not good enough to play at AFL level. McDonald-Tipungwuti may be a cult figure and a fan favourite, but he averages less than a goal per game.
Of the followers, Wines and Wingard go missing in big moments, while Kreuzer is too slow to be playing AFL level.
All four interchange players haven’t fulfilled their potential. Reid averages just over one goal per game, which is poor from a centre-half forward, while Dixon lost his team the game against the Eagles last season after missing important goals.
Leonard
Guest
"Hard to win a Norm Smith in a losing team" - yes, agree with that. But IMHO, it should be impossible". Smith was a winners sort of guy, just look at his record. His eponymous medal should not go to losers. (Did the Smith family get any say in the criteria?) Especially the 2005 one, where the Swans ended a 72 year premiership drought - but where did its Norm go? To one of the losers, and one who was about to do a rat + sinking ship act when the arse gravy at West Coast was about to hit the fan.
Don Freo
Guest
Hurn is a better disposing version of Enright. Should have been AA every year for the past 5 years. To list him simply means you don't know his game.
Matto
Guest
Who is Aaron Hall?
Anthony Hislop
Guest
Harry Taylor Wow, how dare you, should have been the Norm Smith Medallist , instead they gifted Stevie J
Macca
Guest
Yeah it is little more than a random 22 of players he doesn't like very much. There is no justification for a lot of players provided and the ones he does don't even get a full sentence.
Macca
Guest
I don't blame the player, but when you are constantly told that whatever someone does, not matter how mundane, is fantastic it wears thin.
bilo
Guest
So you dislike players because a commentator waxes lyrical a bit too much, you blame the player for that?
Stewie
Guest
When you're writing what looks like less than 100 words to justify this, it doesn't result in a good article. Sorry, but this is poor.
User
Roar Rookie
What isn't fair enough is the line none of the fwds named are gd enough for afl. Ppl isolate a couple of poor performance by Darling without taking any notice of what his true role is at wce, if he went on open market clubs would be pursuing heavily as they did with stringer and watts and to be blunt Darling offers a lot more than those two do.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Scotty Thompson would be surprised he's rated at all. If he was after a rating it would be "under".
Macca
Guest
Gee Matthew that sound s a lot like you "policing"what people can say about this article? Good thing you are so much better than us and can let us know how disappointing we are being!
Macca
Guest
Doran Smith does have an opinion but considering Doran has Stringer still at the Bulldogs and has never played AFL, played with Kreuzer or won a Brownlow medal I think I might rate Judd's opinion over his - as I keep reminding you not all opinions are equal. As for my actual point given Kreuzer is currently one of the best ruckman in the league can you point to an opinion, any opinion, that has him being better than one of the best ruckmen in the league to demonstrate he is currently over rated? Remember him not achieving what some thought he might when he was drafted a decade ago (even though he is really just entering his prime as a ruckman) doesn't mean he is currently over rated - they are two completely different things.
mattyb
Guest
Hurn I'd possibly question for this side. Darlings fair enough though,could probably be more suited to a misconception side but he's certainly let himself down in big games which leaves him front and centre for sides like this. It is actually a really cool article. Funny how people mainly only question players from their side which is disappointing. From my club I'm going to nominate Suckling for sure,hurts me to say it but maybe Wallis also.
mattyb
Guest
Hamling said today that he thinks Bennell will win a Brownlow. MSM and the word of biased inside comments isn't as cool as you constantly make out. Doran Smith also has an opinion,do you really need to use that to have the last word?
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Harry Taylor is a dual All-Australian ... hard to call him over-rated.
Slane
Guest
Hard to win a Norm Smith in a losing team. Tigers are going back2back.
Lroy
Guest
Oh man, that's actually a pretty decent side, Id be happy if that was my club lineup every week!!! Hard to know if a guy is living up to his potential or not. Eagles have 3 players on that list. .. Shannon Hurn who we all consider a legend, Jack Darling who has kicked over 40 goals a year every year he's played (along with a couple of 60+ years) and Jetta, admittedly, a man who drifts in and out of games but who can deliver moments of sheer genius as we saw in the GF a few years ago, (and in that game against Port last week, how good was THAT goal??). Not sure about rest as I don't follow them all that much, but if that's our most overrated 3, then the Eagles are in pretty good shape!!! I like the article actually, sure to stimulate plenty of heated debate ;-)
Paul D
Roar Guru
Aaron Hall should get a guernsey ahead of Curnow for starters
Macca
Guest
That's where this article confuses me - Joe Daniher is a better player than Ed Curnow no doubt but it is bloody hard to argue that Ed Curnow is over rated simply because no one wraps him upwhile Daniher gets so much lavish praise that it isn't hard to say at least some of it is unwarranted.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Be at least 50 "blokes" who'd have to retire in 2018 to make that happen