Demons' Jack Watts ready to take on the elite

[jumbo returns 6,538]

It is the possessive plural (Jack Watts of the Demons), so surely it is quite appropriate.

(Self confessed pedant, especially when it comes to apostrophes)

Me too. Initially, the title was different and the apostrophe was hovering without rhyme or reason.

[Hannibal 5,814]

I'm an unashamed Jack Watts fan.

How can anyone be an "unashamed fan" of Watts.

Lovely guy, but as a footballer he's a dismal failure. We'll all be unabashed fans if he ever realises his talent, but he's a valuable pick 1 masquerading as pick 40.

I agree that he never asked to be pick 1, but if you're an "unashamed fan" you care too little about success, or the Melbourne Football Club.

Edited January 20, 2014 by Hannibal

[monoccular 16,380]

Me too. Initially, the title was different and the apostrophe was hovering without rhyme or reason.

I obviou'sly didn't 'see the original header with the aberrant apo'strophe's !

'Sorry if I 'seemed ju'st a little too pedantic, but mi'splaced apo'strophe's really pi'' me off 'somewhat.

Edited January 20, 2014 by monoccular

[Retrospective 104]

I guess we'll just need patience. Hopefully won't take another 6years to work out where (or if) Jack belongs on the footy ground

For now I am happy that he is still in red and blue and showing some desire to offer up a new version of himself

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

How can anyone be an "unashamed fan" of Watts.

Lovely guy, but as a footballer he's a dismal failure. We'll all be unabashed fans if he ever realises his talent, but he's a valuable pick 1 masquerading as pick 40.

I agree that he never asked to be pick 1, but if you're an "unashamed fan" you care too little about success, or the Melbourne Football Club.

Of the top 10 players selected in the 2008 draft, I'd still take Jack Watts.

Hurley, Rich and Hartlett are very good players, but I reckon Watts still has more upside than each of them. NikNat? I reckon he's a bit overrated.

And pick 40? Well, that's laughable. Only Mark Neeld and you think that.

[Hannibal 5,814]

pick 40? Well, that's laughable.

30 ?

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

Current market value - I reckon a low first round pick in the teens.

I also reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised by Watts' performances this year.

[sydneydee 651]

How can anyone be an "unashamed fan" of Watts.

Lovely guy, but as a footballer he's a dismal failure. We'll all be unabashed fans if he ever realises his talent, but he's a valuable pick 1 masquerading as pick 40.

I agree that he never asked to be pick 1, but if you're an "unashamed fan" you care too little about success, or the Melbourne Football Club.

Watts will have a solid year as he learns his new role. By the end if his contract I believe he could be top 10 in the competition. He has elite skills, pace and decision making for a tall and as he matures he will tough to match up.

[old dee 22,980]

Current market value - I reckon a low first round pick in the teens.

I also reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised by Watts' performances this year.

I live in hope for him and about ten others RB

[beelzebub 22,282]

How can anyone be an "unashamed fan" of Watts.

Lovely guy, but as a footballer he's a dismal failure. We'll all be unabashed fans if he ever realises his talent, but he's a valuable pick 1 masquerading as pick 40.

I agree that he never asked to be pick 1, but if you're an "unashamed fan" you care too little about success, or the Melbourne Football Club.

kind of hard to disagree with this.

I await this season with some expectations.

if he can garner a hunger for the physical contest we may well have an interesting player.

We'll see

[DeeZee 6,821]

Im fan of watts, he is the most skilled player in our side and this year he will mature into a top liner.

Just like other talls have done around the age of 23. Such as Riewoldt, Goddard, Hawkins etc. etc.

His intensity and maturity will only get better year after year.

Also remember his stats , marks , kicks goals etc are still better than those he is constantly compared to , like Hurley and Natanui.

Lets give him another year hey?

He is still very young.

[Hannibal 5,814]

Current market value - I reckon a low first round pick in the teens.

I also reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised by Watts' performances this year.

How bout 20 and an exchange of later picks ?

[Return to Glory 7,787]

We have been down the bottom with Jack Watts and it would be fitting if we could reach the top with him. For mine, it would (if it happens) represent the change that is taking place.

[Fat Tony 4,514]

I like the move of Watts into the midfield. He is well skilled (particularly by foot), athletic enough to run both ways and he reads the play well. Watts should also have an advantage in marking contests over most midfield opponents. While Watts is well composed in traffic, he will be predominately ‘outside’ and won’t be a big contested ball winner in the clearances. But we have others who can do that and he should be positioned outside the centre square to mitigate this weaknesses. I don’t see the best comparison as a Pendlebury, Mundy or Fyfe type, rather I see him being more outside like Gibbs, Goddard and Embley. However, for Watts to make it, he definitely needs to improve his tackling.

Later in his career I see Watts evolving into a forward, but he needs to get stronger first. (Besides, we have plenty of key forwards on our list.)

[Akum 2,660]

There can't have been too many No.1 draft picks whose team for their first five years couldn't finish higher than 12th.

[Young Dee 1,303]

I like the move of Watts into the midfield. He is well skilled (particularly by foot), athletic enough to run both ways and he reads the play well. Watts should also have an advantage in marking contests over most midfield opponents. While Watts is well composed in traffic, he will be predominately ‘outside’ and won’t be a big contested ball winner in the clearances. But we have others who can do that and he should be positioned outside the centre square to mitigate this weaknesses. I don’t see the best comparison as a Pendlebury, Mundy or Fyfe type, rather I see him being more outside like Gibbs, Goddard and Embley. However, for Watts to make it, he definitely needs to improve his tackling.

Later in his career I see Watts evolving into a forward, but he needs to get stronger first. (Besides, we have plenty of key forwards on our list.)

I guess looking forward you could say one of his (possible) key strengths is flexibility. Once he gets his body (and head) right then he should be able to play forward (if we have an injury), wing or back (again if we have an injury). Or we could deliberately move him around the ground just to frustrate the opposition and waste the coaches time.

[beelzebub 22,282]

The ideal of a clean slate has be bandied about. In a fashion I come to Watts with such a notion. i.e He has the potential to be something brilliant , he just hasnt been to date.

There are any number of reasons ( or excuses ) for such but Id like to think that just maybe he might yet still be that player. Again, I'll just watch now.

This will be a very different presented team ( now )

[DeeSpencer 23,417]

Maybe what I'd say to Watts is that you've got 6 weeks almost guaranteed in the side playing majority of time on a wing. In that time we just want to see attack on the ball, tackling and getting to the right spots defensively. Anything else is a bonus. If he can do that then I'd say to him you've got 4 weeks in the team to keep doing that and to make sure you are having some kind of impact on the game in regards to disposals (which he should be able to do anyway). By the time that is up Watts theoretically would've played almost half a season in the same spot and be starting to establish himself. Only after that happens are we likely to see any improvement from a guy who is usually shuffled around.

If he can't master the basics of physicality and defensive work in 6 weeks and in 10 weeks he can't find the footy then I'd drop him back to VFL and get him to work on it all their for a while. But Roos' methods are usually to give guys time at the top level with simple things to achieve and then watch them flourish. I remember Lewis Jetta took about 10 weeks to kick his first goal but Roos stuck by him. Even Josh Kennedy's first month or so as a swan wasn't all too flash as he was a bit of a plodder and not really influencing games but by the end of the year he was nearly a premier mid of the comp.

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

How bout 20 and an exchange of later picks ?

You drive a hard bargain Ben - but no.

Seem to have got you down from the 40s though.

[Slartibartfast 16,007]

Just as a comparison who do you think has had a better career to date.

Number one pick Jack Watts or number two pick Jack Trengove? Ben if Watts is worth pick 20 what is Trengove worth?

I wonder why it is that Watts has been belted from pillar to post and Trengove is liked and respected. I think it mainly comes down to the expectations that the club set when each arrived. Scully took all the focus when Trenners arrived.

Compare the expectations of Watts and Scully with Christan Salem who nobody will be disappointed about if he doesn't play much this year purely on the expectations Roos has already established.

[DeeSpencer 23,417]

Just as a comparison who do you think has had a better career to date.

Number one pick Jack Watts or number two pick Jack Trengove? Ben if Watts is worth pick 20 what is Trengove worth?

I wonder why it is that Watts has been belted from pillar to post and Trengove is liked and respected. I think it mainly comes down to the expectations that the club set when each arrived. Scully took all the focus when Trenners arrived.

Compare the expectations of Watts and Scully with Christan Salem who nobody will be disappointed about if he doesn't play much this year purely on the expectations Roos has already established.

Quite simply Trengove puts his head over the ball, his body on the line and tackles.

Trengove was also pretty good in 2010 and 2011, he's just struggled a lot the last couple of years. Even his second half to 2013 wasn't too bad (same could be said of Watts' end of the year which was more promising).

The expectation of Watts either being or becoming a legitimate gun key forward in the Riewoldt, Franklin or any other mold died down pretty quickly. What we have wanted to see from him is using his skills and speed regardless of what position he's played in and having a red hot crack.

The expectations on Salem are decreased for a couple of reasons. The first being that we traded down the draft to get Salem and Tyson as a package instead of pick 2 and 20 so the heat is off him. The second being Jesse Hogan. The expectations on Hogan's first year of AFL even outweigh those on Watts. Of course a skinny kid completing year 12 and only playing a few VFL games is much different to a big man child who's played a year of VFL and dominated. But we should temper our expectations on Hogan as well.

Edited January 21, 2014 by the master

[DeeZee 6,821]

Watts has had far more impact in games than Trengove.

Head over the ball means nothing if you dont actually get the ball and do something wirh it.

[Young Dee 1,303]

Quite simply Trengove puts his head over the ball, his body on the line and tackles.

Trengove was also pretty good in 2010 and 2011, he's just struggled a lot the last couple of years. Even his second half to 2013 wasn't too bad (same could be said of Watts' end of the year which was more promising).

The expectation of Watts either being or becoming a legitimate gun key forward in the Riewoldt, Franklin or any other mold died down pretty quickly. What we have wanted to see from him is using his skills and speed regardless of what position he's played in and having a red hot crack.

The expectations on Salem are decreased for a couple of reasons. The first being that we traded down the draft to get Salem and Tyson as a package instead of pick 2 and 20 so the heat is off him. The second being Jesse Hogan. The expectations on Hogan's first year of AFL even outweigh those on Watts. Of course a skinny kid completing year 12 and only playing a few VFL games is much different to a big man child who's played a year of VFL and dominated. But we should temper our expectations on Hogan as well.

Agreed - you can't question Trengove's effort/commitment. Not sure if the same can be said for Watts.

[McQueen 17,864]

Everyone knows that player development at Collingwood has been much better compared to ours

, if Collingwood had of drafted Watts you think he would be up there with Pendlebury and the best mids right now, What exactly do you base this comment on? Actually, don't bore me with your coulda shoulda woulda been dribble.

Get it, Collingwood wouldn't of drafted him, they wouldn't have chosen him...he's not their type.

It is that simple, he's had opportunity and been injury free, stop making excuses for him.

You're a funny guy. You bother to quote me three times but at the same time ask me not to bore you with my dribble. And on top of that, you go ahead and paste one of my quotes into your profile signature! A touch ironic?

I'll not challenge your vertical thinking anymore.

Edited January 21, 2014 by McQueen

[Sir Why You Little 34,818]

Both Watts & Trengove have to show some serious form this year. They just have to.

If they don't it is time for trade talks.

I hope they kick azz this year, but i will not call them champions until they become such.

6-5 years on the list respectively.

They simply have to perform. If Roos cannot get them both to influence games late in the last Quarter no one will