2009 Player Review - # 4 Jack Watts

[Demonland 71,300]

Jack Watts – It was a difficult year for Jack because he was completing year 12, which takes priority. He'll be able to dedicate a lot more time at the club next year, once his schooling finishes, but we know he is going to be a really good player. His speed, agility and finishing in front of goal are his strong attributes. Jack has added three or four kilos since last year so the next step for him is to add another few kilos. The key is we'll have him for the whole pre-season and that'll help him play consistent footy next year. We know the tall, key-position players take longer to develop, so we've got to make sure we develop him at the right speed. And the more football he can play against men, the greater he is going to improve. It was a shame a thumb injury kept him out later in the year - Sean Wellman on melbournefc.com.au

[rpfc 28,249]

Because of expectations, it was an underwhelming 2009.

Will be 'gifted' games in 2010.

And so he should be, he is our future, he is a massive investment and we need to pump games into him early to develop him as quickly as possible.

Really want him to play 16-22 games next season.

[deeflog 679]

Because of expectations, it was an underwhelming 2009.

Will be 'gifted' games in 2010.

And so he should be, he is our future, he is a massive investment and we need to pump games into him early to develop him as quickly as possible.

Really want him to play 16-22 games next season.

and put 16 - 22 kg's on in the gym

[beelzebub 23,313]

2009 was always effectively going to be a forfeited year for Jack..

watch this space in 2010 however

[e25 5]

It'll be 2011 before we see any decent performances from Jack, but that won't stop him playing a lot of games

[beelzebub 23,313]

He may surprise some.. He will be totally focussed on Footy soon. He will apply himself and grow into the role next year. Ought to put on a pearler around the QBH im guessing !! :D

Edited September 18, 2009 by belzebub59

[Akum 2,660]

He may surprise some.. He will be totally focussed on Footy soon. He will apply himself and grow into the role next year. Ought to put on a pearler around the QBH im guessing !! :D

Agree. I'd say he's found this year very frustrating, particularly with the thumb injury towards the end of the year, and then being given the last couple of games off. He'll be rarin' to go from Day 1 of preseason training.

I expect he'll begin to exert an influence on games in 2010, especially if the mids start looking for him in space - he'll show us the value of his athleticism (especially initial speed off the mark) & footy smarts & great disposal. He'll still perhaps get outmuscled in one-on-ones for a while, but he'll do plenty good things in other ways, and I predict that by this time next year we'll be in no doubt that he's well worth his #1 pick.

Edited September 18, 2009 by Akum

[Rogue 585]

A bit of a non-event, really.

I'm glad he played a few games this year but I don't think he's shown much one way or the other.

My feelings are the same as pre-draft - excited about what he can do in future, not in the present.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

It'll be 2011 before we see any decent performances from Jack, but that won't stop him playing a lot of games

Right on the money E25.

I hope people ease up as MUCH as possible about giving Jack expectation. The trends (they are your friends) suggest that big KP forwards do next to nothing in their first couple of years, and given Jack's got a lot of school still left, I fear we'll only see cameos from him, and players like Hurley, Nicnat, Rich, Hill etc etc will get a fair head start on him..

I'll draw peoples' attention to one Lance Franklin. He was one of the all-time big whipping boys on bigfooty. People had Brock McLean comfortably ahead of him in the Saints/Demons rivalry on there, which used to be quite narky a few years ago. Eventually, even the Hawks fans kind of started to suggest they were fed up with Franklin not coming on in his development...

Fast forward a few years, and look where he is now. One of the best going round, and so far ahead of all but a few of his peers it's ridiculous.

I hope people apply this logic to Jack. He has such a long way to go, and is being given time by the club. Look to 2011 for answers to our questions. I'll be stunned if Jack has anything more than a handful of cameos next season.

[Toot182 7]

I'll be stunned if Jack has anything more than a handful of cameos next season.

Oh Dappa, please don't say that! I really want him to play a lot more next season...!

I've already been flogged by my housemates (2 x Cats and 1 x Hawks supporters) suggesting he is a dud. I've firmly stood behind him all season, but will battle for another 12 months I think...

I really hope he steps up and plays the majority of games next season.

"Light at the end of the tunnel, Light at the end of the tunnel."

[Guest Rojik of the Arctic]

Oh Dappa, please don't say that! I really want him to play a lot more next season...!

I've already been flogged by my housemates (2 x Cats and 1 x Hawks supporters) suggesting he is a dud. I've firmly stood behind him all season, but will battle for another 12 months I think...

I really hope he steps up and plays the majority of games next season.

"Light at the end of the tunnel, Light at the end of the tunnel."

Meh. If he is 22 or 23 and struggling to impact on games I will agree we blew the pick but that is a long way away, and remembering that he was a baby playing against men this year I still saw enough of the talent he had not to be too worried about that.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

Hey, I could be wrong, and let's face it it wouldn't be the worst thing if I was. I just think a limited preseason will limit both his effective football, AND the panel's willingness to play him and to play him for 120 minutes in a game... which in turn will mean less opportunities, both week to week and within the ebb and flow of a match.

But don't fear. There's no doubt he'll play, and if anything, Jurrah's entry into the AFL should give us some hope. He is tallish, skinny, under-developed, had no preseason and while he didn't kick 50 goals, he couldn't have gotten the fans any more excited than he has. He's a fair bit older than Jack, granted, but has the same amount of years in the system.

If he came in, say halfway through the season after being in and out of the side, and for injury or matchup reasons was given a quarter, or a half to just play one-out in the forward fifty, say against the Crows or someone who's fifty we'd need to flood, then given his gifts as a mover and thinker, he could put in a 4 goal game. No doubt. Would that be enough to satisfy you Toot? I hope so. That way the fans will be happy... and if he has a Jurrah-like breakout year, then we're all going to be THRILLED!

Oh Dappa, please don't say that! I really want him to play a lot more next season...!

I've already been flogged by my housemates (2 x Cats and 1 x Hawks supporters) suggesting he is a dud. I've firmly stood behind him all season, but will battle for another 12 months I think...

I really hope he steps up and plays the majority of games next season.

"Light at the end of the tunnel, Light at the end of the tunnel."

Oh, and by the way, remind your Cats friend about Mooney and Tomahawk... Mooney took YEARS and Tomahawk has done nothing of note. And your Hawks friend about Franklin and Roughie who did nothing for the first few years of their careers too...

And Hodge was rated a distant third (by all but Hawks fans, who unanimously agreed he was an amazing player and the next captain at the time) out of the big three from his draft year for AGES before he started stringing good games together. He's not even a tall.

I'm sure this is VERY old turf... but it's still a good reminder. They're just jealous! :D

Edited September 18, 2009 by Rogue

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

I'll be stunned if Jack has anything more than a handful of cameos next season.

If Watts has done a full pre season and is not injured then I would be asking why he is not playing at least the majority of matches next year.

Dont tell me Newton hits a purple patch and keeps Watts at Casey while No29 heads the Coleman medal race.

[monoccular 17,413]

Nobody should have realisticly expected him to do much this year - never on.

But I would hope him to play at least half the games in 2010, but to those who expect him to do this at CHF or FF, think again. IMO he will play on a wing, maybe a bit of HFF or maybe even HBF to learn the game.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

If Watts has done a full pre season and is not injured then I would be asking why he is not playing at least the majority of matches next year.

Dont tell me Newton hits a purple patch and keeps Watts at Casey while No29 heads the Coleman medal race.

That's the "if" that's all important.

Doesn't his schooling dictate that he has to finish his last exam during our pre-season? As for the Newton thing, that would make for interesting reading on 'land.

[Demondeb 8]

If Watts has done a full pre season and is not injured then I would be asking why he is not playing at least the majority of matches next year.

Dont tell me Newton hits a purple patch and keeps Watts at Casey while No29 heads the Coleman medal race.

If Newton gets games ahead of Jack I will be furious!! The guy got a contract extension last year which is stupid and he shouldnt be seen in red and blue unless we have horrific injuries ( god forbid!)

Jack will put in a big pre-season - I tip he will be flying by round 1 and although he might not set the world on fire in 2010 he will have it smouldering and by 2011 the world had better watch out!!

With our midfield strengthened by the inclusion of Scully and most likely Trengove and a good pre-season behind Brock and Col and Blease etc our midfield will improve and be getting their hands on the ball first. Getting first touches and out of the centre will put Jack at an advantage with his athleticism and he will start to show us why we picked him.

It wont happen every week but he will begin to find his feet and the crumbers like Jetta, Maric, Wonna etc will be there if it gets punched away from him. Dont forget he will have Liam around as well so he will not be the sole focus and for the start of the year Liam will be the one they focus on... Good grief we could have a Riewoldt and Kosi situation if we are lucky.

I know comparisons are not ideal but I am not compariing them to the players themselves as Liam will never be built like Kosi but Jack could well build up like Roo and who would be complaining about that??

Jack will be star for the MFC - we all feel it and it will happen. Tell your housemates, friends and work colleagues that they have their fun now because in 2 years they will all be crying as Jack single handedly destroys their teams chances.

[rpfc 28,249]

That's the "if" that's all important.

Doesn't his schooling dictate that he has to finish his last exam during our pre-season? As for the Newton thing, that would make for interesting reading on 'land.

By 'cameos' do you mean games played or good games played?

I expect the FD to pump 16+ games into him next year and Jack to play well in about 5.

So you're right about a handful of 'cameo' performances, but we need to develop our future CHF by playing him at the highest level as much as we can in 2010.

At the risk of losing on the day.

[H_T 3,043]

Glad he got a few games all things considered. A pre-season to come and looking forward to more games for a devloping Jack in an improved forward line and team.

[Ryan Dee 140]

and put 16 - 22 kg's on in the gym

LOL????

I'm not exactly sure what his weight is atm but I can't see him putting on anymore then 10-12kg of MUSCLE in the next 4 years.

[Jerry Lundergard 420]

I think Tom Hawkins game tonight proved that patience is always needed for the bigger kids.

Tom had a very mature body coming into the AFL, but has still taken quite some time to make his mark.

We will need to just back Watts like Bomber has Tom, and hope he turns out to be the gun forward we need.

[Dappa Dan 2,188]

By 'cameos' do you mean games played or good games played?

I expect the FD to pump 16+ games into him next year and Jack to play well in about 5.

So you're right about a handful of 'cameo' performances, but we need to develop our future CHF by playing him at the highest level as much as we can in 2010.

At the risk of losing on the day.

Good question. I was thinking more like 12-14 games perhaps, most of which he plays 60-70% game time and racks up 15-18 touches. And then maybe if he works hard enough and shows no sign of tiring, DB plays him forward for larger portions of the game late in the year as we experiment, where his brilliant evasive skills and great hands (not to mention solid straight kick) lead to a 3 goal quarter... or a 4 goal game... or two.

I'm resigned to the fact he will go in and out of the side, probably 3 times. Say he debuts in week one, gets dropped for a couple of weeks after doing nothing on the wing. Then when he comes back in round 8 he gets dropped again after needing to make way for another returning tall... then at the end of the year a few softer games allow him some room to move.

I think of cameos more as games in which they don't play a full 4 quarters, but pop up and have a say by kicking 3 or 4 goals. It's still considered a good game, but more relying on brilliance than hard work.

[Hannabal 4]

That's the "if" that's all important.

Doesn't his schooling dictate that he has to finish his last exam during our pre-season?

"The key is we'll have him for the whole pre-season and that'll help him play consistent footy next year". Sean Wellman on melbournefc.com.au

[e25 5]

"The key is we'll have him for the whole pre-season and that'll help him play consistent footy next year". Sean Wellman on melbournefc.com.au

But Dappa is correct.

I guess it just means that he'll be participating in pre-season as much as he can in the lead-up to his exams, rather than being precluded due to rules governing when new draftees can begin training with the playing group.

[Hannabal 4]

But Dappa is correct.

I guess it just means that he'll be participating in pre-season as much as he can in the lead-up to his exams, rather than being precluded due to rules governing when new draftees can begin training with the playing group.

Clearly they believe that they'll be able to get enough work into him that he'll be able to make significant inroads next year.

In other words, I too believe that he'll be physically capable of playing most games next year due to the work he'll get through the preseason. Dappa is a very 'half empty' type of guy, so I understand 'cautious' approach.

[beelzebub 23,313]

"The key is we'll have him for the whole pre-season and that'll help him play consistent footy next year". Sean Wellman on melbournefc.com.au

He'll be a different lad next year He'll come along quite well and string better games together in '10.. 2011... look out