Throughout the years, rugby league has seen many young talents rise up and become some of the greatest players the game has ever seen.
However, there have been some that although they looked promising in the beginning failed to live up to the hype.
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After winning the 2008 Dally M Rookie of the Year medal Chris Sandow looked to set the NRL alighting to guide his club the South Sydney Rabbitohs back to the glory days.
However, for the remainder of his time at the Bunnies, the Rabbitohs failed to make the NRL finals every season and it didn’t help that the year after he left the Bunnies finished in the top four.
In 2012, Sandow signed with the Parramatta Eels on a four-year deal as he looked to rejuvenate his career at a club that could do with being rejuvenated themselves. Off the bat, Sandow faced criticism off Parramatta legend Peter Sterling as he accused him of being unfit and overweight in 2012. That criticism would become a foreshadowing as to the scrutiny Sandow and the Eels would succumb to in coming seasons with the Eels finishing last in seasons 2012 and 2013 and failing to make the finals during Sandow’s tenure at the club.
In 2015 the Eels would release Sandow during the final year of his contract where he would go to the English Super League. Sandow signed with the Warrington Wolves where he was an unwelcome addition by Warrington fans with them famously chanting “what a waste of money” at their new half.
In 2016, Sandow would make his first professional grand final in a game where the Wolves were to be defeated by the Wigan Warriors.
In 2017 Sandow signed a one-year contract with Intrust Super Cup side the Norths Devils where he was dropped in May for failing to show up to training.
Although he may not be widely known in the NRL community today, Karl Filiga was once dubbed the next Sonny-Bill Williams.
This was further acknowledged when in 2007 Filiga signed a three year $600,000 deal with the Sharks which at the time was a lucrative deal.
However, in 2008 Filiga only managed to play one game in round 13 against the Penrith Panthers and asked for his release in 2009.
The speculation is that Filiga requested his release due to troubles overcoming chest and foot injuries. He is now currently playing for the Mudgee Dragons.
Between 2008 and 2013 Sam Tomkins made a name for himself whilst playing for English Super League giants the Wigan Warriors. In 2009 Tomkins made his English national team debut where he scored a hat-trick against Wales.
By the end of 2013, Tomkins had played 151 games for Wigan, scoring 144 tries in that time, earning himself comparisons to Billy Slater. On the 24th of September 2013, Tomkins signed a three year deal with the New Zealand Warriors for at the time a world record fee of $800,000.
However, in the two seasons Tomkins did play for the Warriors he failed to live up to expectations as the Warriors continued to not make the finals.
At the end of 2015, Tomkins was released and re-signed with the Wigan Warriors where he missed out on their 2016 grand final win due to injury.
From one Warrior to another, Shaun Johnson was once built up to be the man to finally lead the Warriors to their first premiership in the NRL. Although there is still time, Johnson has underperformed for the past few seasons, with the Warriors failing to make the finals since his debut season in 2011 where they lost in the grand final against the Sea Eagles.
In the game against the Sea Eagles in Round 20, 2015 Shaun Johnson’s career took a turn for the worse, suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
Many argue that since his return at the beginning of 2016, Johnson has not been the player he once was, underperforming in a Warriors side that he was predicted to lead, and although Johnson still has moments of brilliance he has become, like the Warriors team as a whole very inconsistent.
There is still time for Johnson to turn his career around though and we’ve seen players resurrect their careers before.
Tony Willams burst onto the rugby league scene in 2008 debuting for the Parramatta Eels as a winger. He signed with the Manly Sea Eagles the following season and soon proved to be one of rugby leagues hard-hitting big men, earning him the nickname “T-Rex”.
Williams continued to shine especially in the Sea Eagles grand final winning season in 2011 where he earns himself a call-up to the Australian side and in 2012 a call-up to the Blues side.
In 2013 though, Williams left the Sea Eagles for a new home at Belmore and played for the Bulldogs until the end of the 2016 season. During the 2013 NRL season many saw Williams as “lazy” and very inconsistent and unfortunately not much has changed for the second rower since. A one-year deal with the Cronulla Sharks in 2017 ended with only one appearance for the Shire club.
Williams has since signed a new one-year deal with boyhood club Parramatta but as he gets older game time could be limited, maybe a move to the English Super League could do him some good.
After making his debut with the Penrith Panthers in late 2011, Blake Austin proved himself as a capable five-eighth, playing 13 games for the Panthers in 2012 before getting injured.
In 2014 Austin made the move to the West Tigers where although his game time was now limited he still was in most peoples minds a great young and up and coming half that had been mistreated at the Tigers many believe.
In 2015 Austin moved to the Canberra Raiders playing some of his best football in 2015 and the first half of 2016, even being a front-runner to be selected for New South Wales in the 2016 State of Origin game one.
However, since then Austin has fallen off the radar with his weakness in defence being exposed and the Raiders as a whole failing to meet expectations in 2017.
At 26-years-old, Austin is still capable of turning his career around but only time will tell.
Trent Hodkinson went under the radar in the NRL a bit after debuting with the Sea Eagles in 2010. However, after signing with the Bulldogs in 2011, Hodkinson proved himself worthy of possibly becoming one of the best rugby league players of his generation after leading the Bulldogs along with Josh Reynolds to a grand final appearance in 2014, losing to the Rabbitohs.
He also arguably won the Blues their first State of Origin series in nine years scoring the Blues only try and kicking their only goal in their famous Game 2 victory that won them the series.
Hodkinson then went to the Knights in 2016, lost his NSW Blues position and was part of a Knights squad that finished last. In 2017, Hodkinson was dropped by Newcastle to their Intrust Super Cup side during the season and although making a return to the first team later in the year, the Knights once again finished last.
Todd Carney burst onto the scene in 2004 with the Canberra Raiders before being sacked by the club in 2008 for urinating on another man.
In 2010, he signed with the Sydney Roosters and played the best football of his career, helping them to the 2010 Grand Final where they lost to the Dragons and winning the 2010 Dally M medal.
Carney then signed for the Cronulla Sharks in 2012 where his form continued, earning him a spot in the 2012 New South Wales State of Origin squad. Carney was then released from the Sharks in 2014 after an incriminating photo of him was leaked.
From 2015-2016 he played for English Super League side the Catalans Dragons and then moved to the Salford Red Devils in 2017.
After publicly coming out and voicing his want to return to play in Australia he has inked a deal to play for Intrust Super Cup side the Northern Pride in 2018.
Jamie Buhrer burst onto the NRL scene in 2010 making his debut for the Sea Eagles. In just his third NRL season Buhrer was selected to play for the New South Wales Blues State of Origin side in 2012.
However, he only played in Game 1 of the series due to being dropped from the side afterwards.
In 2014, Buhrer tore his ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the season but would go on to re-sign with Manly on a three-year deal in the same month that would see him stay at the Sea Eagles until the end of 2017.
This would not come to fruition though as Buhrer was released by Manly at the end of the 2016 season to take up a two-year deal with the Knights.
This selection may come as a shock to most understandably, with 22 tries in 22 games this season Alex Johnston on paper had a good year but overall how has his career been?
In 2014, Johnston quite literally burst into the Rabbitohs side, cementing his place in the NRL with 21 tries in 18 matches, pair that with a Grand Final win and rumours of becoming Greg Inglis’ replacement you have yourself a kid with high expectations.
However, over the past couple of years, Johnston has gone under the radar, not necessarily due to his individual form but the form of the Rabbitohs.
Due to the Rabbitohs failing to reach the 2016 and 2017 finals series, Johnston’s name has faded recently for rep selections, being overlooked by selectors.
If Johnston is to revive his still young career, a move away from the Rabbitohs may be due.