Boom Recruits that Busted!

[inxs88]

Started my religion with the Pies in 1977 as a little tacker sitting high up on the rails at Victoria Park. Boom recruits since then who ended up a bust is an interesting notion. Try these for size:

* Graeme Teasdale: From Brownlow to knee injury and Reserves at Pies

* Warwick Irwin: A mid season acquisition via a huge transfer fee and a loss of Leigh Carlson and Des Herbert. Irwin went back to Fitzroy within 18 months.

* Garry Shaw: a $330,000 transfer fee to his WA club, kickbacks to Kedron-Grange Qld, Bulldogs and Saints NOT to draft him and a bust of the highest order.

* Glenn McLean: another mid-season 1984 pick up from Melbourne. Almost a revenge acquisition post Peter Moore's prior season defection and Glenn on huge cash and transfer fee played a princely sum of 2 matches for us.

* Grantley Fielke: recent Magarey medalist whom lasted one year with us before returning home to S.A

* Greg Smith: dubbed the bionic man by Lou Richards in 1983 and one the Player of the year on World of Sport. Lasted only 2 years before he suffered the axe from Lethal.

* Graeme Atkins: once linked tom the Pies for a straight swap for Peter Daicos, he eventually landed at the Pies on huge money and a big transfer fee. Sacked after a pre-season game in Bayswater in 1990.

* Tony Elshaug: another 1988 mid-season pick up whom represented our undying desire at the time to land a rover after years of searching. Two years later Tony Francis settled this issue.

* David Robertson: this North Adelaide speedster stayed out of football in 1986 season due to his club refusing to clear him. Had copious amounts of articles written about him. We thought we had secured an Isaac Smith type, such was the hype. We ended up with more of a Tom Bell.

* Jason McCartney: once considered the best footballing prodigy in the country, we thought we had won the lottery post 1990 Grand Final when we traded Terry Keays and some other steak knives for Richmond's prized number 4 draft pick. Unfortunately outside a small patch in 1992 when Jason held down Craig Kelly's CHB position, he plateaued and ended up in Adelaide and the Roos.

* Barry Mitchell: dubbed the $million man at the time, Mitchell turned up to the Pies in 1992 and struggled adapting from the confines of the SCG to the wide expanses of the MCG. We cut our losses at season's end and sent him to the Blues.

* Guy Richards: once dubbed by Mick Malthouse as a 200 game player, Guy suffered from injuries and never building his light frame to a level that could impose.

* Shane Woewodin: another first round draft pick (12) given up for a player that may have been the slowest mid-fielder to don the Pies jersey. Sacked by Mick after just 3 seasons at 29 years of age. He was FILTHY.

* Ben Kennedy: two time All Australian in the under 18's never settled into the AFL system. His kicking was his nadir.

* Daniel Wells: enough said although $1,800,000 for 15 matches equated to $120,000/game. Must admit the 15 were pretty good

* Dayne Beams PART 2: looks a bust


Thoughts or any others you can add?

[masoncox]

add Alan ( butch ) Edwards.
4 years at Pieland for 35 games and numerous busted knees
Transferred from Richmond as a star centre half forward

[inxs88]

[masoncox]

[inxs88]

[Rd10.1998_11.1#36]

Brad Hardie & Ricky Olarenshaw. The Chad Morrison trade was a disaster too

[think positive]

[K]

IIRC, Grant Fielke had some family tragedy.

[Pies2016]

This might be the only thread that still has legs in a couple weeks time.

David Young springs to mind. Was a young gun in the SANFL, came over to South Melbourne and played good footy, before he made his way to Collingwood.
He had plenty of class and pace, just not during his 18 games in his 3 years at Collingwood.

[uncanny]

Around the same time as Teaser they brought in Slammin Sam Kekovich and Laurie Sandilands.
Both well past their uses by date by then.

[5 from the wing on debut]

[ronrat]

[Bruce Gonsalves]

Dale Woodhall was one that had huge raps coming down from Queensland but lasted just the one season.

[stui magpie]

^

He did, not sure if he was no good or if we didn't know how to use him. Very similar player to Dunstall. Hawthorn nursed him in, we threw Dale into the key spot and dumped him after a year.

Mind you, he was no Mick Horsburgh

[Bruce Gonsalves]

..... or Murrie Batt!