Give Watts a Spell

[Roost It 1,434]

In that instance.....gee he reminded me of Hird.

He's better than Hird.

[LeBron James 41]

Looks like Sheahan has been reading H's posts in reference to the comparisons to Reiwoldt.

I believe i was the first person to raise Riewoldts first game in comparison to Watts' with my perspecive thread [/brag]

[e25 5]

I believe i was the first person to raise Riewoldts first game in comparison to Watts' with my perspecive thread [/brag]

Wow. How did you ever make that connection? [/condescending sarcasm]

[Einstein 1]

You got to laugh at the media. One minute it's "Where is Watts? Why isn't he playing? What are Melbourne doing?". Then two games into his career it's "Oh he isn't ready. Stop playing him."

I'm not really fussed if Watts plays this week or not. He's had a taste of it, shown a little, felt the pace of the game. I trust the club to know where he is at more than any media gob. If the club decides to put him back to Casey for a few weeks, so be it. If not, I look forward to watching him go around again on Saturday night.

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

You got to laugh at the media. One minute it's "Where is Watts? Why isn't he playing? What are Melbourne doing?". Then two games into his career it's "Oh he isn't ready. Stop playing him."

I'm not really fussed if Watts plays this week or not. He's had a taste of it, shown a little, felt the pace of the game. I trust the club to know where he is at more than any media gob. If the club decides to put him back to Casey for a few weeks, so be it. If not, I look forward to watching him go around again on Saturday night.

Exactly. The media has no interest in Jack Watts' welfare other than the ratings it brings or the papers it sells. What Sheahan, Caro or the rest of the vultures think has very little bearing on what the MFC is doing.

[H_T 3,049]

I believe i was the first person to raise Riewoldts first game in comparison to Watts' with my perspecive thread [/brag]

Funny that.....I thought it was Hannabal.

[LeBron James 41]

Wow. How did you ever make that connection? [/condescending sarcasm]

Well you see they are both KPF number 1 picks. [/playing dumb 'cos you're a [censored]]

[Sir Why You Little 37,128]

Personally I would be asking Jack what he thinks, Sure he needs to keep up the weight training & his schooling, but he does need to learn the Tempo of Senior AFL Footbal

There is only one way to do that. Play him-even in short bursts off the bench or in a forward pocket.

Give it a rest Media-you are the ones causing the Furore no one else.

[beelzebub 23,383]

For Watt its worth I agree pretty well 100 % with Sheahan in this instance. He makes valid points.. he hasnt had a proper pre season, he doesnt train full time and his focus this year ISNT on playing senior footy..its finishing his VCE. The remainder of this year is in all reality a dead rubber. Best he get all his other stuff sorted out ..get a proper preseason under his belt and bring his training up to scratch and then he's giving himself and everyone a fair go which is as I recall exactly what the club intended to do.

[Real Demon 232]

Is there a double standard going on here with Watts?

He clearly isn't ready, yet has been fast tracked into the team.

From what I've seen, he really hasn't contributed a lot in his first two outtings.

If Lynden Dunn played the previous 2 weeks, we would have seen more output.

Don't get me wrong, I think Watts will be an absolute cracker for us, but I just don't think he is ready yet. He hasn't fought hard and earnt his spot in the team.

So what is the right way to go. It tells me that by playing him, we are not genuinely serious about winning games at the moment, because he is being carried, and we effectively go in half a player less than the opposition each week.

Without a full preseason, and much greater match fitness, he will continue to be carried.

I don't have a problem with the club going down this path, and getting games into him........it's great experience for him..........but let's not get too upset when we continue to lose each week, because the focus clearly isn't on winning, but development.

[demoniac 1,336]

We are in a development phase. It is not about winnng our next game as much as it is about developing the team that will win us MFC PS 13. In Sheedyspeak that translates to getting games into the kids so they can adjust to the tempo of AFL footy and realise that they will have to work hard to make it. As long as the player is physically and mentally ready to play then he should play. Watts is around 196cm and 87kg. Yes he will add more muscle over pre season but he is hardly the whippet than some of the more hysterical members of the media pack describe. He also seems mentally strong enough to deal with the rigours of the game and to have the discipline to combine his modified training, playing games and his VCE.

Mike Sheehan is just another journalist with multiple bosses needing to come up with an ever increasing amount of stories for Print, TV and Radio. Jason Dunstall dealt with him well on the couch on Monday night when Mike queried Melbourne's progress. Reminded him that we are 2 draft periods and 33 games into a full rebuild and that the Hawks and Clarkson went through the same queries a couple of years into their rebuild. In the 24/7 world of the modern media 2 years might seem like 2 million years but it is still only 2 years in the footy world. To that extent journailists have goldfish memories. The common view was that we needed to rebuild and go young and that would take time. So we do that and it takes time. And those same journalists then query the time it is taking only 2 draft periods and 33 games along the way. Goldfish.

Leigh Matthews' is just a grumpy old curmudgeon. Great player. Great coach. But if he didn't get an insight into Watts' possession of the most important gifts of time, good assessment of options and hitting targets - even with the left foot, and kicking those 6 point things called goals then he is more BigFooty than worthy of a special comments role on Friday night footy. Would Vossy prefer Travis Johnstone or Jack Grimes on his list Lethal?

I'll take the judgement of the Melbourne Football Club and Jack Watts' Parents over a journalist desperate for a story worthy of a headline and a curmudgeonly commentator.

[Sir Why You Little 37,128]

We are in a development phase. It is not about winnng our next game as much as it is about developing the team that will win us MFC PS 13. In Sheedyspeak that translates to getting games into the kids so they can adjust to the tempo of AFL footy and realise that they will have to work hard to make it. As long as the player is physically and mentally ready to play then he should play. Watts is around 196cm and 87kg. Yes he will add more muscle over pre season but he is hardly the whippet than some of the more hysterical members of the media pack describe. He also seems mentally strong enough to deal with the rigours of the game and to have the discipline to combine his modified training, playing games and his VCE.

Mike Sheehan is just another journalist with multiple bosses needing to come up with an ever increasing amount of stories for Print, TV and Radio. Jason Dunstall dealt with him well on the couch on Monday night when Mike queried Melbourne's progress. Reminded him that we are 2 draft periods and 33 games into a full rebuild and that the Hawks and Clarkson went through the same queries a couple of years into their rebuild. In the 24/7 world of the modern media 2 years might seem like 2 million years but it is still only 2 years in the footy world. To that extent journailists have goldfish memories. The common view as that we needed to rebuild and go young and that would take time. So we do that and it takes time. And those same journalists then query the time it is taking. Goldfish.

Leigh Matthews' is just a grumpy old curmudgeon. Great player. Great coach. But if he didn't get an insight into Watts' possession of the most important gifts of time, good assessment of options and hitting targets - even with the left foot, and kicking those 6 point things called goals then he is more BigFooty than worthy of a special comments role on Friday night footy.

I'll take the judgement of the Melbourne Football Club and Jack Watts' Parents over a journalist and a curmudgeon.

Send this Post to Mike in the "Sunday Herald Sun" You are dead right, & Mike is a complete Reactionary Journalist-always has & will Be. If Charlie plays a ripper next week Mike will be all over him like a brides Nightie.

Mike you are so boring & Predictable.... Great Post...