Originally Posted by
Noel Cleal
Fair enough, the individuals I come up will be my opinion, and others may disagree. However if you think about a player at the club and ask the question "what was his best game". If your answer is "one of his first" then I would include him in the bracket of a player the club has let down.
OK start with an easy one, Paul Clough, an academy international Paul was a classic ball running back rower. A running and passing threat on the fringes. A simpler if not more skillful version of a slightly younger player around at the time, Liam Farrell. A 19 years of ages Paul became one of the first players to score a try at the New Wembley.
Now Paul Clough is an undersized bulked up prop playing in the second tier with Bradford. Out sized to match it as a prop in Super League and too bulked and slow to play out wide Paul is a washed up old has-been.
Shawn Maggenis, bulked up, knees couldn't take it. End of story.
Scott Moore dismantled the Aussie school boys on his own. With players like Blake Green and Greg Ingles on the other side, Scott was too much for the Aussies in a victorious tour. An exciting ball playing scrum half that reminded some of us of a Gregory or a Schofield with his dummy and run. Destiny had plans for Scotty however Saints had a different idea for him, after three years on the protein shakes Scott was a fat hooker. Maybe the biggest waste of talent in the clubs history.
Adam Swift (a work in progress, Saints haven't finished f**king up this kid yet): In his first few game Adam had the whole League soiling themselves. Lightning fast and great feet. You gave Adam in inch and he took a mile. Two of Adams first 15 games resulted in Hat Tricks with the second coming in a playoff game against Hull KR. In this time Adam had become Saints most dangerous winger.
Now, Adam this year is bulked up and has lost a lot of his pace. He is not as nimble, resulting in Adam getting tackled by his own shadow against Salford earlier this year.
Other players have simply been mismanaged. John Wilkin a ball playing forward has been used as a working back rower while a player with a similar skill set in Kevin Sinfield has somehow become one of the most celebrated players of all time.
Jamie Foster, a superb goal kicker was allowed to grow lazy and was played out of position given that he was a great centre at academy level.
Dixon, Ashhurst, along with Maggenis were exciting players that were simply just not developed by the club. Ball players used a battering rams.