Imagine if he left and started playing this football for another club, D'Land would explode..... Haha.

Has come along in leaps and bounds, was so impressed with him in Saturday, he has always been a great bloke thank Christ we can call him a footballer now as well.

Yeah but that tackle against Collingwood ruined him

29 minutes ago, Grimes Times said:

Yeah but that tackle against Collingwood ruined him

No it didn't.........wait, you were being ironic

I reckon he'll have a strong finish to the season and make a sneaky push towards the best and fairest. Gawn or Viney will be hard to topple but Watts won't be too far behind.

Will do a 'Brendan Goddard' and be one of the best players in the comp over the next few years. People will quickly forget that he has maligned for many years.

Have always had a soft spot of Jack, and he's playing great footy this year.

Thanks Paul Roos!

I actually get the feeling the when Roos finishes up and he examines the players that were at Melbourne when he started and are still there he will feel a particular amount of pride with Watts. Even in the early days of Roos and during last year there was evidence to say he won't be anything more than an average player whether it was at Melbourne or another team. But credit to both of them, they have worked extremely hard at building his confidence and a particular role in the team, and now the combination of Watts/Hogan appears to be one that will work great together for (fingers crossed) a very long time.

Edited July 11, 20169 yr by Pates

24 minutes ago, Pates said:

I actually get the feeling the when Roos finishes up and he examines the players that were at Melbourne when he started and are still there he will feel a particular amount of pride with Watts. Even in the early days of Roos and during last year there was evidence to say he won't be anything more than an average player whether it was at Melbourne or another team. But credit to both of them, they have worked extremely hard at building his confidence and a particular role in the team, and now the combination of Watts/Hogan appears to be one that will work great together for (fingers crossed) a very long time.

Agreed. And the beauty of Watts coming on is that it allows Hulett or Weideman to come in next year and play his role in the shadow of two performing forwards. This is what depth is all about. It's exactly what Roos has been trying to build for three years. Exciting times ahead.

I have a family friend who is close to him and his family and he has already re-signed. I gave her a grilling about it but she didn't know about the length or anything. He loves Melbourne and was never going to leave.

Edited July 11, 20169 yr by Rafiki

Dominoes falling.  It's great to see the club getting these guys locked away.  Even better to see so many quality players standing up and saying they want to be at the club. 

7 hours ago, Akum said:

I think it's as simple as he's finally grown into his body. Has a much stronger core now, and much stronger in the contest.

Mentally grown in as opposed to physically, he's been of a good size for at least a couple of seasons.

The journey of our club and Jack Watts are perfectly aligned.

onwards and upwards. just a great story of persistence. well done Jack

Great to see a Dee not put off contract talks.

Great to see a Dee not be in a stalemate over money! 

Jack seems to have accepted the club's view of what he is worth without any fuss.

 

Hope Tom Mc is paying attention!

I was a critic. I gave the kid hell. I couldn't be happier to be proven wrong and watch this great bloke become the footballer he was meant to be.

 

So much good footy in front of him!

This is great news. At the middle point of last year I had him outside our best 25 and not in our plans. I could not be happier to eat a truck load of humble pie.

His influence and impact on games is very high, yet remains understated. Viney and N Jones might get tagged, and Hogan has been triple-teamed, but Watts seems not to be noticed in opposition planning. Not for much longer though. Clubs will soon see his influence and plan to neutralise him. When he has the ball and is able to kick, our players now think " ok, here we go". And he is taking contested marks, which rounds out his game. He has become one of those players who makes you want to watch the game. 

The club did stick by him when he was producing some horrible footy, but at the same time the club totally hindered his development. It was a two way street. If our club had been functional at any level, Jack would have hit this form around 2010-2011. We really did stuff up so many palyers development. To see Watts, Gawn and N Jones come through this period and produce the footy they are playing in 2016 is a miracle. 

Will end up as one of the Melbourne greats. Whilst loyalty is rarer than ever these days, it's far more precious. We're developing a team who love playing for each other, and dare I say it, the jumper too! Well done Jack, Roosy, Simon Goodwin, PJ, Josh Mahoney, Brendan McCartney and the whole team. 

44 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Great to see a Dee not put off contract talks.

Great to see a Dee not be in a stalemate over money! 

Jack seems to have accepted the club's view of what he is worth without any fuss.

 

Hope Tom Mc is paying attention!

I am happy that Jack's signature seems imminent but each contract is completely different  - what if we have offered Jack Watts exactly what his manager thinks he is worth on the open market ? What if TMac is being offered half of what another club is offering him ? You say that Jack has accepted the clubs view of what he is worth without a fuss - how do we know that the club has not accepted Jack's view of what he is worth without a fuss ? 

We just don't have insight to what is being offered and accepted so it is all guesswork. I do like when things get signed with a minimum of fuss - but all clubs will have the same problem that  the expectation of club and certain players will  not be aligned and negotiations become protracted.  

Edited July 11, 20169 yr by nutbean

over the course of his career thus far, he has now played as:

 

- developing / learning forward

- half back

- wing

- occasional centre midfield player

- centre half forward

- ruck

 

has his versatility hindered his career? i tend to think not, mainly because as a club we haven't been good enough, and early in his career jack was unfortunately not confident enough.

 

he's no adam goodes but he's certainly one of the more adaptable players i've seen at the mfc.

Edited July 11, 20169 yr by DemonAndrew

I recall how much the Melbourne Footy Club and Jack Watts copped in the early days when Natanui first started.

I would be so stoked if Watts ended up a premiership player and Natainui won nothing.....

1 hour ago, nutbean said:

I am happy that Jack's signature seems imminent but each contract is completely different  -1) what if we have offered Jack Watts exactly what his manager thinks he is worth on the open market ? 2)What if TMac is being offered half of what another club is offering him ? You say that Jack has accepted the clubs view of what he is worth without a fuss - how do we know that the club has not accepted Jack's view of what he is worth without a fuss ? 

We just don't have insight to what is being offered and accepted so it is all guesswork. I do like when things get signed with a minimum of fuss - but all clubs will have the same problem that  the expectation of club and certain players will  not be aligned and negotiations become protracted.  

I totally get that each contract is different but my comments are not all guesswork.  Roos said recently it takes 20% more to lure a player away from their club.  But the club can't pay 'overs' like that or we would breach the salary cap very quickly.  Those comments and given the club has stated a firm commitment to pay a fair contract based on its view of 'worth' then:

1) it is reasonable to conclude that Jack could get more 'on the open market' and has spurned other (possibly 20% higher) offers.

2) it is hard to imagine the club is offering Tom half another contract. I get the point you are making but a 50% lower contract offer is stretching it.  The 20% differential Roos mentioned would be closer to the mark, hypothetically $500k vs $600k. (I have no idea what Tom may want, I use $500k for ease of arithmetic)

I think the club is pretty good at knowing the worth of a player and would be playing fair.  Its up to the player if they want to chase the extra 20% Roos was talking about. 

Edited July 12, 20169 yr by Lucifer's Hero

1 hour ago, DemonAndrew said:

over the course of his career thus far, he has now played as:

 

- developing / learning forward

- half back

- wing

- occasional centre midfield player

- centre half forward

- ruck

 

has his versatility hindered his career? i tend to think not, mainly because as a club we haven't been good enough, and early in his career jack was unfortunately not confident enough.

 

he's no adam goodes but he's certainly one of the more adaptable players i've seen at the mfc.

Yes and no because it's those learning experiences that have helped shape him. He's now found his home as a fwd and it's here he must stay.

12 hours ago, Spirit of 26 said:

Whoever decided he'd should be swung into the ruck this year is a goddamn genius.

Can honestly say I posted this on here, could be some 5-6 years ago.

I would love to find my post as it certainly didn't get a lot of positive feedback!  Any help in finding it would be appreciated.

11 hours ago, Uncle Fester said:

Wanted him gone for whatever we could get a couple of years ago. Thought he was talented, but a talented bust that we'd probably ruined.

I am so happy to eat humble pie. So very happy. When the ball is in his hands I know that he will find the best option or kick the goal, he goes in when it is his turn, and players look for him when he calls for it. He is going to be the icing on the cake over the next couple of years.

 

(oh and PS... to that drunk Collingwood 'supporter' that kept yelling out that Watts was the worst #1 pick ever until I kept yelling Josh Fraser back at him. Yeah, mate, Josh still owns the crown)

There are worse performed number 1 picks than Josh Fraser. Try Richard Lounder, for example.

9 hours ago, Pates said:

I actually get the feeling the when Roos finishes up and he examines the players that were at Melbourne when he started and are still there he will feel a particular amount of pride with Watts. Even in the early days of Roos and during last year there was evidence to say he won't be anything more than an average player whether it was at Melbourne or another team. But credit to both of them, they have worked extremely hard at building his confidence and a particular role in the team, and now the combination of Watts/Hogan appears to be one that will work great together for (fingers crossed) a very long time.

That's a task that won't take up much time. How many players are left from when he took over? And of that group, how many are actually playing regular senior games? 

Edited July 12, 20169 yr by La Dee-vina Comedia
typos

 

8 minutes ago, billy2803 said:

Can honestly say I posted this on here, could be some 5-6 years ago.

I would love to find my post as it certainly didn't get a lot of positive feedback!  Any help in finding it would be appreciated.

12 hours ago, Spirit of 26 said:

Whoever decided he'd should be swung into the ruck this year is a goddamn genius.

 

Found it - almost 6 years to the day...

On 2 July 2010 at 9:19 AM, billy2803 said:

...

One move I would dearly love to see happen is for Watts to play number 2 ruck for the rest of the year. He has the leap, the motor and the football brain to play this position for a year or two while Gawn is developing. It will get him involved in the game more, and make him play the defensive role more. It will also help him realise he needs to keep his footing!

...

He's been a useful player for a long time and has always been heading in the right direction. He's a confidence player who will have his down patches but he's simply too skilled not to make it. 

28 minutes ago, Is Dom Is Good said:

I recall how much the Melbourne Footy Club and Jack Watts copped in the early days when Natanui first started.

I would be so stoked if Watts ended up a premiership player and Natainui won nothing.....

Pretty sure that Jack would've done better than NicNat's 4 disposal, 0 marks 2015 GF performance.