Changes for Round 4

[Moonshadow 17,675]

Slight sidetrack, but Roos isn't affraid to put forward his views loud and clear on the sub rule...

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/melbourne-demons-coach-paul-roos-urges-afl-to-immediately-axe-sub-rule-20150420-1mozt3.html

[bing181 9,194]

No Point discussing Watts & Dawes, Roos doesn't have the balls to drop either ...

Just ridiculous.

(actually, worse than ridiculous ...)

[dazzledavey36 54,302]

went to see port-north last night. both sides run 10 or more players through the midfield - once again, it's something that we simply don't have. i guesstimate we run 7 or so through the middle across the course of a game. it's just not enough.

The amount of total Cr4p pedalled about Jack Watts, to succurs some teen crush gone wrong gives me the tom-[censored].

Stats from the three games... Vs Jacks

Watts - 16 marks - 1 contested - 4 inside 50

Brayshaw - 7 marks - 1 contested - 1 inside 50

Vanden Berg - 8 marks - 2 contested - 2 inside 50

So it would be accurate to say "Jack Watts has had more marks and more marks inside 50 than both Brayshaw and VandenBerg COMBINED in the three matches this year."

Buts lets not let reality get in the way of your tedious witch hunt.

FMD You cannot be serious with this comparison paul.. First of all your comparing to two first year players with a total of 6 games between them. If thats the case i notice you left out Jesse Hogan? Why? Is it because you already know he shits all over him in the contested mark category?

A silly comparison full stop. I have come to realization that Roos wont drop Watts which [censored] me.

24 year with nearly 100 games experience and he is still squibing contest. Needs to take a leaf out of Brad Greens book very fast.

Edited April 20, 2015 by dazzledavey36

[bing181 9,194]

More importantly, what are your thoughts about former topline players that think Watts should be demoted for his timid displays ?

Roos and Goodwin are former topline players. Under the circumstances, more than happy to go with what they think.

[Wiseblood 24,637]

Pedersen should be the one to replace Frost - he has more experience as the back up ruckman and he has enough mobility to satisfy Roos and the game plan.

Michie also deserves a run and may possibly come in for someone like Kent. Outside of that I wouldn't make any other changes.

[binman 42,690]

That was his most insipid and infuriating play of the lot. He luckily got the ball and dished off a handball, but his weak effort in that contest summed up his insipid 6+ years.

This perfectly sums up for me the dichotomy of views on jack and the tendency for confirmation bias from his critics. Luckily handed it off? Please. It was a brilliant bit of play that resulted in a GOAL, one of only a handful on the day. Yet some dees fans would have preffered he out muscle his opponent and cleanly snag the greasy wet ball. And if he had failed to do so would have used it as yet another example of his weaknesses. Edited April 20, 2015 by binman

[chookrat 4,247]

This perfectly sums up for me the dichotomy of views on jack and the tendency for confirmation bias from his critics. Luckily handed it off? Please. It was a brilliant bit of play that resulted in a GOAL, one of only a handful on the day. Yet some dees fans would have preffered he out muscle his opponent and cleanly snag the greasy wet ball. And if he had failed to do so would have used it as yet another example of his weaknesses.

Just watched the 1st qtr and I agree it was a nice bit of play. What I've seen of Watts output over the past season makes me confident he will be a good/very good player. I reckon he will iron those sort of mistakes out of his game over this season and next.

[watchtheeyes 1,417]

That was his most insipid and infuriating play of the lot. He luckily got the ball and dished off a handball, but his weak effort in that contest summed up his insipid 6+ years.

Gee that was handy for you and your view of him that he was so 'lucky' in this contest. No matter that he was outnumbered, kept his feet, found the ball, was aware of the player, handed it off, or even found himself in the position to be useful in the first place.

[What 18,810]

In - Pedo Out - Frost

Id love for Viv to come in but I think Roos is going to stick with the group thats payed fairly well for most of the 3 matches, and we have a winnable game on the G so he will want to keep things settled.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

TIME TO STAND UP GAWNY!!!

[Bitter but optimistic 22,220]

You want a ruck - Spencer is the man!

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

You want a ruck - Spencer is the man!

Gawn.

[Bombay Airconditioning 6,359]

In Meg Hutchins from the Dees woman's team. Plays in defence, takes the game on, better disposal than Grimes, will free up Howe to go forward.

[Bang Bang Bang 5,803]

Robbo: Will Watts play this week?

Roos: Absolutely!

Bad luck Watts haters. He'll be there Friday night!

[jumbo returns 6,740]

Gawn.

I see what you did there...

[Bitter but optimistic 22,220]

In Meg Hutchins from the Dees woman's team. Plays in defence, takes the game on, better disposal than Grimes, will free up Howe to go forward.

Yeah, and she can heat up the pies and sausage rolls after the game.

[What 18,810]

Robbo: Will Watts play this week?

Roos: Absolutely!

Bad luck Watts haters. He'll be there Friday night!

Good, he loves playing the TIgers,

[jumbo returns 6,740]

Yeah, and she can heat up the pies and sausage rolls after the game.

This is the post that should be deleted.....

[Deespicable 2,726]

That's a very considered post, but this bit caught my eye. When I'm travelling to the ground I'm excited about Hogan and seeing a young talent like Brayshaw start his career, but Watts never crosses my mind.

I find not an ounce of joy in his play. He was great against the Suns, which I was grateful for, but he doesn't register with me as a player I'm excited to watch.

There's nothing more exciting than watching youth and when Hoges and Angus take on the big boys and succeed we all get more passionate about things.

In Jack's first season we all watched so closely when he took on the Pies, but unfortunately by then our club was a post-Daniher rabble.

There was the great game the year after when he pivoted (around no-one as it turned out) and scored a super long goal - I think it was against Carlton but I may stand corrected.

Then in his third season I think most of us will remember how he destroyed Richmond and kicked either four or five and we all thought he was going to be a superstar.

Since then, and I'm sure I am not alone, the naysayers have been out in force telling us he was too soft to make it. No better than Jarrad Grant at the Dogs.

That's why when he scores a goal, you just feel like shouting out to the opposition: Up your expletive, he's going to be the real deal.

But unfortunately I can no longer see it happening - he's 24 now, he's not a kid anymore.

He's been tried down back, Roosy tried him in the midfield but the game has moved on - there's just so much contested ball and tackling and that's not his go.

I thought the return to the forward line and the extra tuition in pushing off would help this season would help, but he's never going to be a hulk, so he has to tackle and he just doesn't have the inclination.

There's a learned guy who keeps telling us that Brendon Goddard was critcised at St Kilda for a long time.

But by Goddard's seventh season he was an All-Australian and he'd missed most of one season with a knee reco.

Jack is now in his 7th year.

I think we'd all love for him to succeed and prove everyone wrong - there's no greater story than the guy who sticks at it and prevails against the odds - and if ever you hear him talk, he's such a ripping bloke that you just wish he did.

There's no more skilled footballer at Melbourne either and as I said before, his vision is suberb.

But footy's changed - there's so much hardball these days that skill is just a minor, but essential, part of a player's makeup.

I'm not saying Jack needs to go back to the twos and learn something. He gets the game.

I've been to enough training sessions now that I can tell he's not about to stay back after everyone and work on his tackling. He'd much rather nail shots from the boundary and by christ he's good at it.

I'm not saying we should trade him either.

What I am saying is that he chose the wrong sport - basketball with its tight reffing is more his go.

Roosy may well decide not to drop him this week and play him against the Tiges and I can guarantee you I'll be cheering and be so rapt if he kicks five.

But I'm not a delusional parent.

You can't easily change your nature. We saw at the start of last year that even when he went into the middle, he wasn't keen to lay tackles.

He's just not an aggressive kind of guy and that is no crime.

But in footy these days, sensible aggression is mandatory.

When I watched the Adelaide game, I knew it was over for him. My dream, and almost everyone's dream for him to become a great player, came to an end.

Plenty of other Demonlanders knew it long ago and there's still plenty more who still think he'll make it and prove 'em wrong this Friday and the following week.

But I'm tipping the penny dropped for Roosy too and even though Jack's record against the Tiges is good, I reckon there's some things that even Roosy will deem unacceptable.

Thankfully since Prenderghastly left, our recruiting staff have realised the more essential ingredients in a footballer's make-up and we're building the nucleus of a great side now.

And yes you are right, let's get right behind watching Hoges and Angus and dreaming of them becoming stars of the game.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

There's nothing more exciting than watching youth and when Hoges and Angus take on the big boys and succeed we all get more passionate about things.

In Jack's first season we all watched so closely when he took on the Pies, but unfortunately by then our club was a post-Daniher rabble.

There was the great game the year after when he pivoted (around no-one as it turned out) and scored a super long goal - I think it was against Carlton but I may stand corrected.

Then in his third season I think most of us will remember how he destroyed Richmond and kicked either four or five and we all thought he was going to be a superstar.

Since then, and I'm sure I am not alone, the naysayers have been out in force telling us he was too soft to make it. No better than Jarrad Grant at the Dogs.

That's why when he scores a goal, you just feel like shouting out to the opposition: Up your expletive, he's going to be the real deal.

But unfortunately I can no longer see it happening - he's 24 now, he's not a kid anymore.

He's been tried down back, Roosy tried him in the midfield but the game has moved on - there's just so much contested ball and tackling and that's not his go.

I thought the return to the forward line and the extra tuition in pushing off would help this season would help, but he's never going to be a hulk, so he has to tackle and he just doesn't have the inclination.

There's a learned guy who keeps telling us that Brendon Goddard was critcised at St Kilda for a long time.

But by Goddard's seventh season he was an All-Australian and he'd missed most of one season with a knee reco.

Jack is now in his 7th year.

I think we'd all love for him to succeed and prove everyone wrong - there's no greater story than the guy who sticks at it and prevails against the odds - and if ever you hear him talk, he's such a ripping bloke that you just wish he did.

There's no more skilled footballer at Melbourne either and as I said before, his vision is suberb.

But footy's changed - there's so much hardball these days that skill is just a minor, but essential, part of a player's makeup.

I'm not saying Jack needs to go back to the twos and learn something. He gets the game.

I've been to enough training sessions now that I can tell he's not about to stay back after everyone and work on his tackling. He'd much rather nail shots from the boundary and by christ he's good at it.

I'm not saying we should trade him either.

What I am saying is that he chose the wrong sport - basketball with its tight reffing is more his go.

Roosy may well decide not to drop him this week and play him against the Tiges and I can guarantee you I'll be cheering and be so rapt if he kicks five.

But I'm not a delusional parent.

You can't easily change your nature. We saw at the start of last year that even when he went into the middle, he wasn't keen to lay tackles.

He's just not an aggressive kind of guy and that is no crime.

But in footy these days, sensible aggression is mandatory.

When I watched the Adelaide game, I knew it was over for him. My dream, and almost everyone's dream for him to become a great player, came to an end.

Plenty of other Demonlanders knew it long ago and there's still plenty more who still think he'll make it and prove 'em wrong this Friday and the following week.

But I'm tipping the penny dropped for Roosy too and even though Jack's record against the Tiges is good, I reckon there's some things that even Roosy will deem unacceptable.

Thankfully since Prenderghastly left, our recruiting staff have realised the more essential ingredients in a footballer's make-up and we're building the nucleus of a great side now.

And yes you are right, let's get right behind watching Hoges and Angus and dreaming of them becoming stars of the game.

[CBDees 3,167]

This is the post that should be deleted.....

Precisely as BbO forgot to mention the washing up!

[Bitter but optimistic 22,220]

Precisely as BbO forgot to mention the washing up!

That's it !! Good old fashioned footy - then we all have a root and go home!

[Bombay Airconditioning 6,359]

This is the post that should be deleted.....

Cmon Jumbo, there was a cheap laugh in that

[PaulRB 6,352]

You do realise Brayshaw has played 6 quarters and Watts 12 ? Brayshaw is in his first year and Watts his 7th ? And if you extrapolate those numbers Brayshaw would be virtually level pecking ? Do you want tackles brought into the equation.

More importantly, what are your thoughts about former topline players that think Watts should be demoted for his timid displays ?

Do you realise I was responding directly to the post I quoted (and bolded).

[PaulRB 6,352]

FMD You cannot be serious with this comparison paul.. First of all your comparing to two first year players with a total of 6 games between them. If thats the case i notice you left out Jesse Hogan? Why? Is it because you already know he shits all over him in the contested mark category?

A silly comparison full stop. I have come to realization that Roos wont drop Watts which [censored] me.

24 year with nearly 100 games experience and he is still squibing contest. Needs to take a leaf out of Brad Greens book very fast.

Dazzle, If you read my post I quoted and bolded another post which I was directly responding to. I left out Hogan because he wasn't in the post I was responding to.

Hogan is/will be a far better contested mark that Watts.

Watts would be dropped if we had a better squad and a better player could be brought in, but we don't. Kudos for Roos for not cutting off his nose to spite his face, he's a wise coach.

If Jack hadn't dropped those two simple uncontested marks we'd not be having this rant and rave.