A Team Of Rugby Leagues Biggest Busts

Expectations can be cruel when they are set too high. We have all had players signed by our club that didn’t quite hit the heights we expected them to. Then there are players that are even worse. Players who were disastrous signings. This is their time to shine.

1. Richie Mathers
Mathers was signed by the Gold Coast Titans. He got injured, played a grand total of six NRL games, spent most of his time playing reserve grade, and then went back home blaming the NRL’s structure for limiting his ability to shine.

2. Lote Tuqiri
Coming back from Rugby Union, Tuqiri was signed by the Wests Tigers on big money for a winger. Despite scoring in his first game back, he was a shadow of the player he once was. He was dominated in tackles, defensively became a liability, and by the end of his Tigers career he had fans calling for mercy.

3. Mark Hughes
A former State Of Origin player, when Hughes left for the Catalan Dragons his career was effectively over. He played 23 games for the Dragons but was so bad he left fans shaking their heads.

4. Jamal Idris
After playing for New South Wales and Australia early in his career, Idris was signed up by the Gold Coast Titans on big money. He turned up over weight and never really looked like he intended to apply himself despite his obvious potential and the big investment the Titans made in him.

5. Gareth Thomas
The Crusaders big Rugby Union signing was knocked silly with his first two runs in Super League, and he didn’t get much better from there. A waste of time and money.

6. Scott Hill
After having a good career in Australia Hill’s career looked to be winding down when he joined Super League club London Harlequins. When he turned up it was very apparent that he was finished.

7. Matt Orford
When Orford joined the Bradford Bulls he was finished. He played terribly. The Canberra Raiders signed him from the Bulls and he was so bad that he basically derailed their entire season. It was to the point where he mutually agreed with the club to terminate his contract.

8. Justin Poore
After a couple of big seasons with the St George/Illawarra Dragons Poore signed for the Parramatta Eels on big money. He proceeded to do absolutaly nothing for them over the entire course of his contract.

9. Danny Buderus
After returning from Super League Buderus was so off the pace at NRL level that he was a liability to the Newcastle Knights.

10. Roy Asotasi
After emerging as one of the games top forwards, Asotasi was a much sort after player as he came off contract from his Bulldogs contract. He signed for big money with South Sydney heading into the prome of his career, and did nothing. While he did get a few injuries, it was more than that. He turned into a reserve grade player over night.

11. Garrick Morgan
Once voted the best Rugby Union player in the world, Morgan was signed by the South Queensland Crushers and was so bad that he is still used as a punchline for inept play despite the fact his Rugby League career was only two seasons long.

12. WIllie Mason
Once one of the best forwards in the game, Mason left the wooden spoon winning Bulldogs after an unhappy season to play for the Sydney Roosters. After the Sydney Roosters won the wooden spoon they asked him not to return to the team and paid him to train in a park all on his own. He was signed by the North Queensland Cowboys, who went on to win the wooden spoon before heading over to play for Hull KR in Super League. He was only there for half a dozen games before going to play Rugby Union in France where he played just one game before signing for the Newcastle Knights.

13. Bradley Clyde
It is hard to put into words how finished Clydes careers was by the time he signed on to play for the Leeds Rhinos. When he turned up at Leeds, fans expected to seen an Australia great at work. What they got was a player who had played a few seasons too many.