From Dave Taylor to James O’Connor, five Gold Coast athletes who failed to live up to hype

THE glorious climate, scenery and lifestyle of the Gold Coast has attracted many an athlete over the years but not all have managed to live up to their undoubted potential.

Dave Taylor in Central Queensland Capras colours this year. Picture: Chris Ison.

THE glorious climate, scenery and lifestyle of the Gold Coast has attracted many an athlete over the years but not all have managed to live up to their undoubted potential.

The Bulletin here looks at five wasted talents who have left local sports fans thinking “if only” …

DAVE TAYLOR

When Taylor burst onto the scene at the Broncos, it didn’t take long for fans to get excited. Here was a hulking forward with silky skills who looked capable of having the rugby league world at his knees.

While he has racked up 181 NRL games plus Queensland and Australia appearances before his 30th birthday, he has rarely reached the level many were sure he would and is now running around well above his ideal playing weight in the Intrust Super Cup for lowly Central Queensland.

What’s more is he arrived at the Gold Coast Titans in 2013 with a heap of hype having played Test and Origin football the previous year – but it was just about all downhill from there.

Harley Bennell’s troubles have followed him to Fremantle. Picture: Getty Images

HARLEY BENNELL

A supremely talented footballer, Bennell is still only 25 but has yet to hit the heights he often threatened to.

Bennell’s five-year tenure at the Suns was plagued by disciplinary issues right from the club’s very first season when the midfielder was dropped on several occasions for reasons external to footy.

In his final year at the Carrara club in 2015, he broke a drinking ban, then became embroiled in a drug scandal, then found himself in an alcohol-fuelled altercation and was duly traded to Fremantle.

He has barely made it onto the field for the Dockers in two-and-a-half years.

Bernard Tomic at the 2018 French Open. Picture: AP Photo

BERNARD TOMIC

Tomic is another prodigious talent whose career sadly has become better known for his actions off the court than on it.

Even as a young gun, the Gold Coaster – and often his controversial father John – found himself in the headlines, including a 2009 incident where Tomic’s agent supposedly rejected a hitting session with Lleyton Hewitt because “Lleyton’s not good enough”.

Tomic made it all the way to the Wimbledon quarter-finals as an 18-year-old but has never again made it that far in a grand slam tournament and is now floundering at No.181 in the world rankings.

James O’Connor (right) in action for Toulon last year. Picture: AFP Photo

JAMES O’CONNOR

Born on the Gold Coast, O’Connor was once upon a time Australian rugby’s golden child.

The utility back became the youngest ever Super Rugby debutant and soon after was the second youngest to represent the Wallabies.

But when nothing seemed it could wrong, the wheels gradually fell off O’Connor’s career with a number of off-field indiscretions along the way not helping his cause.

Less than a month out from his 28th birthday, he is now playing for English club Sale and has not pulled on a Wallabies jumper in years.

Jarryd Hayne had a difficult stint at the Titans. Picture: AAP Image

JARRYD HAYNE

Without question, Hayne has reached many spectacular heights during his sporting career including twice being named NRL player of the year – not to mention stints playing American football and rugby sevens.

However, Hayne’s much-hyped to return to rugby league via the Gold Coast Titans in late 2016 proved to be an almighty flop.

Fans flocked to the Titans to see Hayne line up and expectations grew of a force to be reckoned with but, in a similar theme to the above athletes, off-field dramas soon became the focus.

Hayne departed the club after little more than a year – but not before playing a key role in the axing of coach Neil Henry.