Jack Watts Thread

[Chook 15,012]

Jack Watts = Travis Johnstone

Welcome to 8 more years of frustration.

Johnstone was far more damaging than I've ever seen Watts be.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,162]

It's an amazing thing, it appears that supporters on this site have to find someone to bag, and Watts is the target. I wonder if any were at the game, and if the experts on this page have ever played competitive football. The role they have given Watts is to be a loose man in defence, this is the game plan. What is happening is teams are tagging him, so the role is not working. While I agree that he did not have one of his best games, he did win contested footy and his kicking efficiency is great. He is down on confidence at the moment, but he is not on his own there, many players are down.

They had a win today, and that will help regain confidence and hopefully things can continue to progress. But all this is meaningless, because most people that post here will always look for negatives. One thing for certain, if Watts does go at the end of this year and becomes a success elsewhere, the same people bagging him now, will turn on the recruiters for clearing him. Remember Maloney, Martin and Petterd.

It's not about bagging him its about discussing areas that our team can improve.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,162]

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.

Could play an Andrew Embley type role IF he decides to pull his finger out and show some intensity and urgency. I think it's not a matter of being soft but a matter of trying to overthink the game. He needs to take a leaf out of John Kennedy's book and don't think just do and attack the game on instinct. Just hunt the ball and do the team thing and work for your teammates it's not rocket science.

[Hardnut 327]

Could play an Andrew Embley type role IF he decides to pull his finger out and show some intensity and urgency. I think it's not a matter of being soft but a matter of trying to overthink the game. He needs to take a leaf out of John Kennedy's book and don't think just do and attack the game on instinct. Just hunt the ball and do the team thing and work for your teammates it's not rocket science.

Very well said Dr.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,019]

Having just caught the replay, I think that Watts was better value than he appeared when at the game. He certainly was very loose on his man when they had the ball, but he provided A LOT of value when we had it. Much easier to see his work with the ball on the screen.

[45HG 1,539]

Very well said Dr.

Where I disagree is that, when I think about Andrew Embley, I don't think of someone who shows "intensity and urgency" nor someone who "hunts the ball" and "works for [his] teammates."

[Dr. Gonzo 24,162]

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.

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.

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.

These three posts sum it all up, might as well end the thread now.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,162]

Where I disagree is that, when I think about Andrew Embley, I don't think of someone who shows "intensity and urgency" nor someone who "hunts the ball" and "works for [his] teammates."

Doesn't matter what you think when you hear his name just watch him play. He doesn't have to be like Joel Selwood in his frenetic intensity on the ball - I'm just talking about the basics that is expected of any AFL level footballer when it comes to urgency and intensity, attack on the ball and doing the team thing.

[Hardnut 327]

Whoa! Let's keep it simple fellow posters - don't 'overthink' it!

[The Reverend 1,736]

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!

I'm not bagging Jack Watts. I think he's going to make it at the elite level. He's just not there yet. All I've done is highlight an instance where he made a poor choice. Some parts of his game were quite good and I guess in time he'll become more confident in using his body appropriately. I see him in the mould of Brendan Goddard and believe he will achieve a standard we'll all be proud of. He could do worse than watch how Goddard goes about it.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

He could do worse than watch how Goddard goes about it.

This is what I don't get - you can be absolutely certain that his coaches and others around the club have been in his ear with all sorts of advice and approaches on how he should be improving his deficiencies.. no doubt he has been directed to study certain players, and has had 'special guest' type mentoring from big figures in the game.. why after 5 years are we not seeing any of these things getting rectified? It is one thing if a player has no footy brain, he is too undersized, his skills are just shyzen, these are things that are impossible or at least very difficult to fix.. manning up, chasing and attacking the ball are qualities that can theoretically be fixed in one second, they are basic decisions that are completely in the mind. That is the big worry for me, JW seems to have huge problems getting the message that everyone else can plainly see.

[monoccular 17,413]

I'm not bagging Jack Watts. I think he's going to make it at the elite level. He's just not there yet. All I've done is highlight an instance where he made a poor choice. Some parts of his game were quite good and I guess in time he'll become more confident in using his body appropriately. I see him in the mould of Brendan Goddard and believe he will achieve a standard we'll all be proud of. He could do worse than watch how Goddard goes about it.

I honestly and sincerely wish I could agree with you, but I have seen so little this season to make me think that he REALLY DESPERATELY WANTS TO make the grade.

[Robbie57 2,020]

I honestly and sincerely wish I could agree with you, but I have seen so little this season to make me think that he REALLY DESPERATELY WANTS TO make the grade.

He shaved.

[Grapeviney 9,708]

He could do worse than watch how Goddard goes about it.

The last thing Jack Watts needs to do now is cry on national TV

Can you imagine ...

[Hannibal 5,814]

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

It's very simple - lose JW - we've had too many already - will never imprint a final.

[Hannibal 5,814]

Having just caught the replay, I think that Watts was better value than he appeared when at the game. He certainly was very loose on his man when they had the ball, but he provided A LOT of value when we had it. Much easier to see his work with the ball on the screen.

Perception of reality is manifestly stronger in 3D.

It's astonishing how wrong one's perception can be from just watching TV.

[stuie 7,374]

It's very simple - lose JW - we've had too many already - will never imprint a final.

Perception of reality is manifestly stronger in 3D.

It's astonishing how wrong one's perception can be from just watching TV.

Haha maintaining the rage as per usual BH?

"Never" is a bit of an over the top word to use in regard to a player barely 22, almost as over the top as the word "final" when talking about MFC...

[jackaub 1,402]

I think you'll find that like me, many were at the game. But even if some weren't, like those interstate or in the country they would have watched it.

You don't need to have confidence to make 2nd and 3rd efforts, or tackle well. Even when we had momentum and the ball was in dispute close by, he watched on, upright as if he were Tom Waterhouse observing the game in one of those adds. He rarely looked to block/shepherd for a teammate. It's not bagging, it is critiquing one's game. He can make a choice to do the 1%'s when things are tough or when he is down on confidence. Or he can try to do the team stuff at Casey.

Thats exactly how he looked on Sunday like Tom Waterhouse observing the game at close quarters No where near hard enough or committed enough for mine If he goes and blooms at another club good but he is giving us very little at the moment I was there and frnkly he was embarrasing to watch and all around me as spectators could see the lack of effort and desire Come on JacK you are much better than that

[jnrmac 20,053]

I watched the first and last quarter replay last night and Watts was OK. Have been dirty on him this year and clearly TV doesn't show you want is happening when the ball aint there but just saying he looked OK in the two quarters we did OK.

[Chook 15,012]

I watched the first and last quarter replay last night and Watts was OK. Have been dirty on him this year and clearly TV doesn't show you want is happening when the ball aint there but just saying he looked OK in the two quarters we did OK.

I watched it again too and he was just as poor as I remember.

[Grimseyisgod 378]

Jack and Colin Sylvia have the potential to become freaks and take melbourne to the glory.

Keep the faith

[pitmaster 3,513]

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.

Correct. While he exasperated me later in the game, particularly the middle two quarters, he was good in the first: he won a couple of contests in the last line and cleared well, and the instance Jumbo is referring to happened because of a series of angled bounces of the ball.

Watts was initially on the right line to attack the footy, but, and anyone can confirm this watching the Foxtel replay, the ball takes a series of leftward bounces that carry it towards the corridor and away from Watts' approach. Out of the play so far as winning the footy is concerned, he did the next best thing which was to take out his opponent, and again, because the GWS player is following the ball he is angled away from Watts so the bump is less effective than it might have been, but still did its work.

He also came good in the last term, but I have to agree with others, while the criticism in this incident is undeserved he is so much better than he is showing right now. I say keep him, and play him on the wing. Dawes, Mitch and eventually Hogan will love his delivery.

[monoccular 17,413]

I am sick of "potential"!! I think we all are.

As the great RDB said: "You are not a champion unless you are consistent. You can have champion potential, but a true champion is on the job nine times out of ten."

We have very few of these, and have had none for a long time.

[ThreeOneSix 954]

Play Watts up forward this week.

No Clark or Dawes, it's the perfect time to throw him forward.

[Benson 254]

Play Watts up forward this week.

No Clark or Dawes, it's the perfect time to throw him forward.

Agree 100%

Seeing as though Watts was a emergency for Clark last week, he surely should play up forward this week.

Although.... When Clark & Dawes return, Jack Watts should stay up forward, this would stretch the opposition defenders... When the ball comes in that is!