A pic to make anyone cry.

[Charmamba]

Darren Lockyer might have played for NSW in Origin but Eels blew chance to sign him

Lockyer will break Allan Langer's Origin record with his 35th appearance on Wednesday night at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

But Lockyer could easily have been snapped up by the Eels, and earned Origin eligibility with NSW, after Ella became the first scout to spot him as an unknown teen at a Queensland schoolboys carnival.

A proud Queenslander who idolised Wally Lewis, Lockyer always dreamed of representing the Maroons, making a NSW defection remote, but yesterday he confirmed the surprise approach to him from Parramatta.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 6072009113

 

[Meat77]

I just read this myself - the fact that the Eels decided to keep Keith Blackett and Michael Buettner fills my heart with much laughter!! [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1.

 

[Flutterby]

That pic is defamatory! But good to see the Eels have a long standard commitment to ignoring talent.

 

[pennywisealfie]

LOL suck shit.

 

[mrslong]

I just vomitted in my mouth a little bit.

 

[Fozz]

He would've ended up at Lock or Second row.

 

[Coxy]

He would've ended up at Lock or Second row.

Or hooker.

 

[Bucking Beads]

He would have returned to brissy in the super league days

 

[Nashy]

lol Eels.

 

[Kaz]

He would have played one Origin game & they would have dropped him.

 

[OXY-351]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, isn't it? I bet (or Ryan Tandy would anyway) that for every story like this, there are countless others where someone said "we better recruit so and so as he'll be the next big thing", they didn't recruit them and they turned out to be shit.

 

[Coxy]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, isn't it? I bet (or Ryan Tandy would anyway) that for every story like this, there are countless others where someone said "we better recruit so and so as he'll be the next big thing", they didn't recruit them and they turned out to be shit.

Yep, was having this very conversation with a mate of mine. There's literally hundreds of kids that get identified by excitable scouts as a huge talent...and there's any number of reasons why they don't kick on, but only a select few ever "make it".

 

[Kimlo]

All that I get from this story is LMAO Eels. Always been pros with recruitment.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Same thing has been said about cameron smith and the broncos.

 

[Coxy]

We didn't need Cam Smith. We had Shane Walker, Phil Lee, Richard Swain! [icon_shady

 

[Porthoz]

We didn't need Cam Smith. We had Shane Walker, Phil Lee, Richard Swain! [icon_shady

No laughing matter! We are still without a decent hooker since Luke Priddis.

Are you saying the NSW'kers hooker isn't good enough for the Broncos? eusa_think

 

[Jeba]

Injury.

 

[Black Philip]

Now that he's about to hang the boots up, everyone is kissing his ass. But in years gone by, did anyone else think Lockyer was underrated by the Sydney press?

Had he been pulling on a blue jersey at Origin time, I reckon we would have heard a shitload more about how good he is over the span of his career.