Alternate sports futures for our NRL Stars
In light of the biggest shock defection of a rugby league player in history, we thought it was time to let our “fantasy” heads wander and look at some other players who could star at alternate sports should they decide to ditch the NRL.
Braith Anasta – Golf
Incidentally if NRLCEO were played like golf and the lowest score won, then Braith would have been bloody brilliant over the years! Alas his fantasy performances have been very ordinary.
Yes, we’ve laughed at this guy a lot over the years at NRLCEO, but there’s one thing you can’t deny, Braith Xiannikis Anastasakis has been bloody successful at whatever he’s thrown his mind to. Premierships, women and golf? Over the years Anasta has mixed cut out balls and clubs and nailed them both.
As a budding rugby league star, Anasta once took a year off footy to put his focus on golf. Playing in junior tournaments alongside Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley the Rabbitohs junior had plenty of talent.
Skip forward over 250 First Grade games and plenty of representative footy success, he then made his professional golfing debut in 2011. After shooting 20 over par in his first two rounds as a Pro it might not be the money winner he would like in rugby league retirement, but never say never.
Todd Carney – V8’s
There are a dozen or more guys in rugby league who have had driving incidents and this one might be pushing it a bit much, but if there is one man who defines a cashed up bogan then its the wizzler from West Goulburn!
In V8’s there would be no judgment on fanging it around in a car and doing burnouts. There would probably be no judgment on urinating on yourself either (having had the experience of attending a few V8 events and seeing what has happened on the hill.
So what say it Todd? If things in France don’t work out; and you can bet they probably won’t!
Ben Creagh – Basketball
Another polarizing NRLCEO player who could have been so much better than he has been.
In the olden days you would never associate a prop with being a basketballer. It would be like fatty and skinny on the same court, but the modern breed of props are much more slim line.
As a junior Creagh played for the Illawarra Hawks representative side and was playing in Albury, Canberra, Sydney or Gosford every second weekend.
After seeing how lazy he has been at some times on the pitch it’s hard to imagine him playing a basketball game at full intensity, but put it this way – we won’t be challenging him to a game of HORSE any time soon.
Matt Duffie – High Jump
Remember this guy?
Poor old Matt Duffie has had a horrendous run of injuries. As we mentioned in our blog about the NRL’s Most Injury Prone Players, Duffie has played just 53 NRL games out of a possible 113 games at a ratio of 46%.
But before he was racking up debts in the Melbourne Storm injury ward, the Kiwi winger was a national athletics champion. He competed at the New Zealand Nationals in the 200m and 400m and did equally well in the high jump. It’s easy to see how with some of the spectacular efforts he has grounded so far in his shot NRL career.
We look forward to seeing him back on the paddock in 2015!
Paul Gallen – Boxing
He may have a reputation that is currently tarnished, but he will forever be an NRLCEO Legend.
We don’t drug test. We just want to see players consistently hitting 40+ involvements to achieve a workhorse and when fit, Paul Gallen does that without fail.
He has already won two amateur fights against New Zealand rugby union players Hikawera Elliot and Liam Messam and made his pro boxing debut on the eve of this season, recovering from an early knock-down to TKO Herman Ene-Purcell in an entertaining fight.
Ironically he’s currently banned from the very sport we are suggesting that he defect to, but there is no doubt that Gallen will eventually jump back in the ring and take more professional fights.
Let’s just hope he’s taking on a Queenslander when he does!
Konrad Hurrell – Weight Lifting
There are no jokes about videos in the front seat of a car here.
This is a genuine potential career path for Konnie.
Hurrell is a former New Zealand secondary schools weightlifting champion.
He was convinced to take part by the Auckland Grammar first XV coach and managed to lift 94kg in the snatch and 110kg in the clean and jerk.
“I had no technique at all,” he said. “I just lifted the thing and won.”
Jamal Idris – Track & Field
A highly talented rugby league player on his day, Jamal Idris has more than a hundred trophies, pennants and medals from junior, school, state and national athletics carnivals clutter the small lounge room.
A champion at shot put, discus and javelin.
“If he had stuck with it he could’ve been an Olympian by London (2012),” said Denis Knowles, the coach of world discus champion Dani Samuels.
This was all before he even started to hit the weights for rugby league.
He even has his own profile page on the International Association of Athletics Federations displaying his record for Shot Put, Discus and Javelin.
So go on Jamal, stop mucking about in Penrith. We’d love to see you representing Australia at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Alex Johnston – Cricket
20 tries from 17 games in your debut season is a great strike rate by anyone’s standard!
But for Alex Johnston, it’s a strike rate much lower than what he has previously had in the past. You see instead of wearing the green and myrtle of the Bunnies, by all accounts Alex Johnston could have worn the baggy green of the Australian cricket team.
He once hit a total of 229 not out of a total of 361. The next highest score was from sundries.
Obviously he had to commit to one sport, but maybe in 2025 when at 29 and after breaking all of the NRL’s try scoring records he decides he wants a new challenge, we’d love to see him stick it to the Poms!
Edrick Lee – Basketball
It’s not just the flat top.
It’s far from just the flat top and wardrobe full of basketball jerseys. It’s not even the fact his cousin is NBA Superstar Patty Mills.
Edrick Lee was a quality basketball player before committing to the Canberra Raiders. He played with the now defunct Brisbane Bullets and growing up always dreamed of playing in the NBA, not scoring tries in the nation’s capital.
At 6 foot 5 inches, he has already shown his aerial ability with some spectacular tries in his short 24 game career. If the Raiders continue their woeful form and the Canberra Cannons make a comeback into the National Basketball League then it’s only a 1km drive from Raiders HQ to the Australian Institute of Sport…
Willie Mason – WWE
There aren’t many characters left in our great game of rugby league.
Unfortunately the media have scared them all off by dragging them over the coals whenever they put a foot out of place.
But Willie Mason is one of the last great characters of the game. A larrikin, niggler and a comedian all rolled into one. There aren’t too many places custom made for a bloke like Willie. Except for the WWE.
Once Big Willie hangs up the boots, the wrestling circus is custom made him. Plenty of opportunities to talk it up and give it to his opponents, freedom to punch and the opportunity for him to throw his big frame around.
The Yanks would love him!
Josh Reynolds – Diving
There are many sports that we could put forward for everybody’s favourite rugby league villain, but unfortunately being a grub and kicking chairs are both not professional sports.
So we’ve plucked him for something that he does on a regular basis on the rugby league paddock – diving.
So at the Rio Olympics, keep the chairs away from the side of the pool in case he does a flop.
George Rose – Darts
You can make all the big guy jokes you want. Fact is George Rose had a pretty incredible career for a big guy in rugby league. And he doesn’t care what others think of him anyway!
So George, believe us when we say we’re just trying to help you out with a sport where you can relax and forget the burpees and beep tests.
What other sport can you train in the pub with a beer in your hand and a bowl of wedges and sour cream in between rounds?
Billy Slater – Jockey
It’s no secret that Billy Slater is a genius at many sports.
If anyone ever watched Rexona Australia’s greatest athlete hosted by Ricky Ponting then you would have seen his many strengths and talents.
Born and bred in North Queensland, Slater was a man of the land like many of those around him.
He is a former track work rider for Gai Waterhouse.
As a youngster he was a jockey in Ipswich and knowing his many talents, passion and drive then he could have easily made the transition from the Melbourne Storm to the Melbourne Cup.
Sam Thaiday – Cricket
There is no history of cricket in Sam Thaiday’s junior career.
But what other sport can you be guaranteed to be “Third Man In” every week?
Bat him at three and he will get to fulfil his role to the extreme every week!
So who did we miss? Let us know in the comments below…
JB
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