Jack Watts Thread

[Little Richard 6,265]

I hated watching him yesterday. He did create some good clearances from defence and several times used the ball well, but gee, he loafed outside the packs so often as well.

And when he had the chance to really line up one of the oppo he half stuffed that as well.

But he was good late last year and he was good at times yesterday. He is not so much timid as tentative right now. Needs confidence desperately.

The Carey-mentor idea I like but even if that does not happen Neeld must persist with him because he has enormous potential.

How about the wing? With Hogan, Dawes, Mitch and Pedo as a stand in from next year, he is not needed as a key forward as planned, but his ability to use the ball and direct it to strong marking targets could be his go.

I really like this idea. Great skills and evasiveness are his strength and would be better utilised on the wing. He just has to back himself more and kick when he gets the ball instead of always looking to pass it off by hands, which I saw countless times yesterday.

Also some of that pace that he supposedly has would be a nice spectacle.

[Young Dee 1,303]

Jack Watts threads are now becoming a joke - nothing has changed in the last 4 years.

Some say he has great talent and will harness it eventually others say he is to soft and will never harness it ...etc....etc

It's like a broken record!

Soon we will have to start a thread called "The No JW No BS Thread"!

[Little Richard 6,265]

Jack Watts threads are now becoming a joke - nothing has changed in the last 4 years.

Some say he has great talent and will harness it eventually others say he is to soft and will never harness it ...etc....etc

It's like a broken record!

Soon we will have to start a thread called "The No JW No BS Thread"!

The same could be said for the whole forum!

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Whoa he is way way better than that.

yesterday he had 9 kicks and 10 handballs

Bennell never had had that many in any game he played.

Don't you mean any season?

[old dee 24,028]

Don't you mean any season?

Good point Robbie

[stuie 7,374]

We need Jack Watts to build character and you want him to involved with a person who has demonstrated significant character deficiencies.

Wasn't Ricky Nixon available?

You want him to be a tough footballer but you don't want a tough footballer teaching him? Cale Morton not available?

[Dee Fan 3,247]

We must have been sitting in the same area. I don't think he shirked the contest but he made a poor choice. He took his eyes off the ball and went at the opponent to bump him. He should have attacked the ball and taken the hit with the ball in his possession. This would have provided a better outcome for the team. More chance of getting the free and less chance of the ball being taken away from the contest. JW's not going to hurt anybody with a bump, at least not with the lack of ferocity he showed in this instance, but could have hurt the opposition with a clean disposal or a resultant free kick.

Agree with that 100%, I remarked at the time he should have gone for the ball but he took the soft option of forgetting the ball and trying to bump an opponent; not sure what the point of that was really. But one thing for sure, it would have been difficult for Jack to finish up with the ball.

I doubt that there would be one top line player in the comp that would have done what Jack did.

[Lordweaver 235]

Wattsanism - a curious malady, where sufferers continue to verbally recycle what others have said, focussing their diatribe of inane thoughts and waffle on a particular individual.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,460]

I guess the frustration is that if he was more urgent he could be BOG every week

I'm from the Barassi school of thought where you go harder on the players with talent because its no great feat to be born with talent it's how hard you work to use it which is what matters. Watts has all the ability in the world but needs to realise talent without urgency and intensity for the full 120 minutes is pointless.

[Dynamic Demon 17]

Does it really help the Club and the team to keep bagging Jack Watts. I have watched the game a few times now and I don't think he was nearly as bad as some are saying on here. One thing you can say about him is that he is supremely skillful: rarely fluffs a kick (unlike 90% of his team-mates), he was good one on one, and showed good carry out of the back half.

In the long term personally I think he would make a gun mid-fielder. Whether he yet has the stamina for that I doubt somehow, but I think he would be an extraordinary match up in mid field - preferably the Centre. I think he would be more accountable there, than as a floating back. I think he also would add to our power at centre bounces. People forget he is 6'4", and very quick. With in and under types Jack Viney and Nathan Jones, he combined with big Max would be quite a combination. Neither Max nor the Russian struggle to obtain an accurate hit outs. Where we do struggle is to clear it from there. Jack Watts I think could help us a lot there, and it will give him a chance to show us all his mongrel. That might shut a few of his doubters up as well!

[Dynamic Demon 17]

I agree 100%, it's so easy to sit back and bag. He is playing to instructions in a position that does not suit him. He needs to be used on a wing or forward. If we dropped the players that are gagged on this site, we would be in real trouble.

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Agree with that 100%, I remarked at the time he should have gone for the ball but he took the soft option of forgetting the ball and trying to bump an opponent; not sure what the point of that was really. But one thing for sure, it would have been difficult for Jack to finish up with the ball.

I doubt that there would be one top line player in the comp that would have done what Jack did.

With all due respect, I think you've missed the point.

The thing is, he went.....he's never done that before. Maybe he's taking feedback onboard.

[mauriesy 7,429]

Does it really help the Club and the team to keep bagging Jack Watts. I have watched the game a few times now and I don't think he was nearly as bad as some are saying on here. One thing you can say about him is that he is supremely skillful: rarely fluffs a kick (unlike 90% of his team-mates), he was good one on one, and showed good carry out of the back half.

I'm not 'bagging' Watts. I'm realistically pointing out his deficiencies, and they're significant. For instance, the reason he gets 'good carry out of the back half' is because he never wins the ball himself. He's a receiver, which every player can be at some time, but not all the time. He never goes in hard himself, and you just can't get away with the other players always taking the hits and earn respect.

Watch him next time there's a 50-50 contest possiblity. He'll always take the soft option, which is to wait for the opponent to take possession then attempt a tackle, rather than win possession himself. You may call that 'clever', which it is in the right circumstances, but when someone does it all the time it's letting down your team. And his tackles are often weak. He had two on Sunday. That's poor for someone playing predominantly back.

With that approach, he'll never be a midfielder. You have to go in hard. He's just a pack skirter.

The one person who can fix all this is not Neeld, or the mid-field coach, or the backline coach. It's Jack Watts. And only Jack Watts. The biggest thing that would help the team is Jack Watts playing like every other footballer that's any good.

[Jerry Lundergard 420]

I have said this in other threads before that when I watch Watts in a 1 on 1 contest, he looks like he hopes just to halve the contest, and maybe create a stoppage or hope for some help to arrive.

Compare this to a Joel Selwood, who looks like he would rather have a stake driven through his heart than lose a contest, and if you or he gets injured in the process, then that's just collateral damage.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

I'm not 'bagging' Watts. I'm realistically pointing out his deficiencies, and they're significant. For instance, the reason he gets 'good carry out of the back half' is because he never wins the ball himself. He's a receiver, which every player can be at some time, but not all the time. He never goes in hard himself, and you just can't get away with the other players always taking the hits and earn respect.

Watch him next time there's a 50-50 contest possiblity. He'll always take the soft option, which is to wait for the opponent to take possession then attempt a tackle, rather than win possession himself. You may call that 'clever', which it is in the right circumstances, but when someone does it all the time it's letting down your team. And his tackles are often weak. He had two on Sunday. That's poor for someone playing predominantly back.

With that approach, he'll never be a midfielder. You have to go in hard. He's just a pack skirter.

The one person who can fix all this is not Neeld, or the mid-field coach, or the backline coach. It's Jack Watts. And only Jack Watts. The biggest thing that would help the team is Jack Watts playing like every other footballer that's any good.

That's why I'd prefer to see him up forward, he'd have to do the hard work there and a few whacks to the back of the head by some mongrel defender would determine if he wanted to continue with an AFL career.

It's easy to stand at the back of the pack waiting for the ball to spill, or putting a fist to it, but in the forward line you have to be in front of the pack or you just don't survive.

[Jaded No More 68,976]

Jack Watts = Travis Johnstone

Welcome to 8 more years of frustration.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Well, not really, I did say make him accountable...

Yeah but not in the seniors, we are trying to change the culture, or we're not...

Let watts to play loose & soft & the others will fall off as well. allow one player to duck the head or put in short strides, so as to not reach the next contest, & all of a sudden we have another bennell or morton.. this is exactly what bennell was doing. great out in space with the ball, but useless in close company...

in finals there is Nowhere to hide, & the opposition will take to the weakest link straight off. just like the Pies did to watts in the QB clash, his first game, because they already new. from their recruiters.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

Yeah but not in the seniors, we are trying to change the culture, or we're not...

allow one player to duck the head or put in short strides so as to not reach the next contest, 7 all of a sudden w=e have another bennell or morton.. this is exactly what bennell was doing.

great out in space with the ball, but useless in close company... in finals there is Nowhere to hide, & the opposition will take to the weakest link straight off. just like the Pies dd to watts in the QB clash his first game, because they already New. from their recruiters.

No, because they knew by the look of him he was a super skinny, 18ish year old private school boy who was not ready for AFL football and needed a good year (or more?) at Casey to find his feet and develop away from the harsh realities and eyes of the AFL world.

But we threw him into the Lions Den anyways, because sadly thats some of the careless decisions our football club likes to make.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

just like the Pies did to watts in the QB clash, his first game, because they already new. from their recruiters.

that is such BS you just made up on the spot

[jumbo returns 6,741]

Yeah but not in the seniors, we are trying to change the culture, or we're not...

Let watts to play loose & soft & the others will fall off as well. allow one player to duck the head or put in short strides, so as to not reach the next contest, & all of a sudden we have another bennell or morton.. this is exactly what bennell was doing. great out in space with the ball, but useless in close company...

in finals there is Nowhere to hide, & the opposition will take to the weakest link straight off. just like the Pies did to watts in the QB clash, his first game, because they already new. from their recruiters.

Now, I'm no JW fan, but this is a truly ridiculous call - they went after him because he had the ball.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Now, I'm no JW fan, but this is a truly ridiculous call - they went after him because he had the ball.

yeah but saying it like that doesn't have the same impact

[Hardnut 327]

It's very simple - keep JW - we've lost too many already - end of story.

[jnrmac 20,307]

Even I have never called you "gormless" Stuie. It is a beautiful adjective. I await your response with interest.

God (who I don't believe in) I love Dland at times

I don;t know if I have a gorm or not??

[jnrmac 20,307]

Jack Watts = Travis Johnstone

Welcome to 8 more years of frustration.

TJ won a B&F and came 3rd. The other 8 years he didn't finish in the top 10. At least we got two good years out of him.

[DeeZee 7,463]

Just saw the last quarter again, and Watts did some really important things.

Very cool under pressure.

Keep the faith.