7 hours ago, beelzebub said:

What do we actually know.

Jack didn't play sat last.

Everything else , speculation.

Roll on real footy 

Go Dees

For the length of this thread and the fact that it is still going, I blame Jack Watts

We're really just dealing with a whole bunch of hearsay, a truckload of 'inspired' reading of tea leaves interspersed with agendad biases.

Just another day on Demonland really.

I have no real problem with L36 and his goss. I make of it what i will.

Frankly i can't believe the hysteria over one bloke missing one fn game. I mean ..really !!

There could be a dozen reasons Jack didn't play, and i care more or less about any of them. Who gives a f. It's a preseason practice game.

Coaches always use them as ploys to fox the opposition and try things. That it might also provide opportunities to further the team's cause...boorah !!

Players on all teams will miss. 

 

Watts has been sent a message that will resonate with the rest of the list.

Its not a media beat-up, the interviews with Gawn and Tmac are clear evidence that Watts has reverted to his soft ways.

Anyone who can't see this should take their rose coloured glasses off.

2 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Watts has been sent a message that will resonate with the rest of the list.

Its not a media beat-up, the interviews with Gawn and Tmac are clear evidence that Watts has reverted to his soft ways.

Anyone who can't see this should take their rose coloured glasses off.

Watt's clearly has done something to cause him not being selected last week. You've got no idea what. "Soft ways"!  Give me a break. 

5 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Watts has been sent a message that will resonate with the rest of the list.

Its not a media beat-up, the interviews with Gawn and Tmac are clear evidence that Watts has reverted to his soft ways.

Anyone who can't see this should take their rose coloured glasses off.

In which case Jetta must have done something terribly wrong as well...after all, he would be one of the first picked in any team we field.

31 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Watts has been sent a message that will resonate with the rest of the list.

Its not a media beat-up, the interviews with Gawn and Tmac are clear evidence that Watts has reverted to his soft ways.

Anyone who can't see this should take their rose coloured glasses off.

There's no clear evidence anywhere here. Not even ProDee is claiming there's clear evidence. There's implications. That's all. Clarry came back chubby now look at him. Watts had a well earned break in the off season after finally arriving as a player. If I'm him, I'd have done a lot worse, media or not.

Man. Demonland has gotten worse again in my absence.

1 hour ago, Dappa Dan said:

There's no clear evidence anywhere here. Not even ProDee is claiming there's clear evidence. There's implications. That's all. Clarry came back chubby now look at him. Watts had a well earned break in the off season after finally arriving as a player. If I'm him, I'd have done a lot worse, media or not.

Man. Demonland has gotten worse again in my absence.

Exactly.  There's enough evidence now that something happened - I was willing not to believe a Demonland rumour and media report that sounded identical to the Demonland rumour, but two senior players were given an explicit chance to pour water on it, and they didn't.  

I don't see how anyone could possibly draw any conclusions about what the indiscretions were though.  I don't think speculating over it helps at all, all we can do now is hope it all blows over, Watts accepts the kick up the proverbial as prescribed, and can return to last year's form on the ground come round 1.

Hey Nasher. Long time.

Yeah. I forget who it was but someone on here took it as a positive, and was the first. A lot of people are seeing it that way. I reckon even Watts might.

49 minutes ago, Vogon Poetry said:

Watt's clearly has done something to cause him not being selected last week. You've got no idea what. "Soft ways"!  Give me a break. 

I'm mortified you don't agree with my conclusions.

Yes, it's a storm in a teacup etc, but having watched Tom McDonald's interview on the MFC website, it's pretty clear that Jack has got the coaching staff offside over something. Whether that's work rate, attack on the ball etc. 

I think we have enough info now to say that his omission was deliberate and a message sent by the FD. I like it.

I remember reading on Demonland last year or the year before that Goodwin or Roos had said Jack had to be handled with baby gloves as his confidence was so fragile after years of being psychologically beaten up by some MFC supporters and the media. I find it interesting that Goodwin hasn't hesitated and drawn a line in the sand. That tells us all he's serious. There's no room for the mentally scarred anymore. Jack knows what it takes to make it now. It's a case of sink or swim.

That McDonald interview was cringeworthy and painful to watch though. Those journalists are like sharks to blood. I feel for Jack copping it in the media, because if it'd been anyone else, there'd be no story. Let's be very clear about that. But at the same time, I'd be pretty [censored] off if I was his team mate or one of the coaches, if indeed he'd slackened off after last year.

As much as PD's sniping at Watts is tiresome and unnecessarily gleeful in its delivery, I do agree with the sentiment that he's only offered one really good season for a player of his ability. That sort of fair weathered return and over confidence is what needs to be continually stamped out of the old Melbourne, in order to form the new Melbourne.

1 minute ago, McQueen said:

I'm mortified you don't agree with my conclusions.

So you pick and choose when you make hysterical reactions to non-news?

3 minutes ago, A F said:

As much as PD's sniping at Watts is tiresome and unnecessarily gleeful in its delivery, 

lol 

So non-news aside, does anyone else look at Jack when he plays, and see a big number floating above his head? I know I do. It corresponds to the round of the draft pick we'd get in a trade. This news, coupled with anything but perfect form early in the season, will make his price drift.

That won't be a popular post, as I'm outing myself as a non-fan of Jacks. In my defence though, I think of every player on the list this way.

2 hours ago, Skuit said:

Failing to meet training standards can mean a vastly different thing to having a poor attitude.

I think that's the extrapolation that the WA [censored] made.

6 minutes ago, Dappa Dan said:

So non-news aside, does anyone else look at Jack when he plays, and see a big number floating above his head? I know I do. It corresponds to the round of the draft pick we'd get in a trade. This news, coupled with anything but perfect form early in the season, will make his price drift.

That won't be a popular post, as I'm outing myself as a non-fan of Jacks. In my defence though, I think of every player on the list this way.

Right. Well done. And you've got Jay Kennedy-Harris in your favourite players.

If Jack meets his 2016 form, he'll be in a Melbourne jumper next year. If he doesn't hit it early in the season WGAF whether his trade price drifts. 

2 minutes ago, A F said:

Right. Well done. And you've got Jay Kennedy-Harris in your favourite players.

If Jack meets his 2016 form, he'll be in a Melbourne jumper next year. If he doesn't hit it early in the season WGAF whether his trade price drifts. 

I do? Haven't looked at that in a long time. I do rate the kid though. His first season was enough to make me think he'll take over from Jeffie one day. Good kid. Prefer him to Kent, though I realise not many will agree.

5 minutes ago, Dappa Dan said:

I do? Haven't looked at that in a long time. I do rate the kid though. His first season was enough to make me think he'll take over from Jeffie one day. Good kid. Prefer him to Kent, though I realise not many will agree.

Not quick enough and doesn't have the goal sense of Jeffy. He's got decent agility, but he won't make it because he doesn't have any weapons. Bit like ANB unfortunately. 

Whereas... if Jack is playing well, he's a valuable part of our forward make up. Some of his efforts (physicality wise) give me the shits, but for the most part, he's tidied this part of his game up.

15 minutes ago, Dappa Dan said:

So you pick and choose when you make hysterical reactions to non-news?

Don't we all?

2 minutes ago, A F said:

Not quick enough and doesn't have the goal sense of Jeffy. He's got decent agility, but he won't make it because he doesn't have any weapons. Bit like ANB unfortunately. 

Whereas... if Jack is playing well, he's a valuable part of our forward make up. Some of his efforts (physicality wise) give me the shits, but for the most part, he's tidied this part of his game up.

Interesting. In his first preseason, his pace was pretty amazing. I dunno what happened between then and now, but I remember seeing him as a pretty zippy little unit. Do people really hate JKH now? That's a shame. I'll stick with him for now.

ANB, there's another guy I like. On him though, I'm with you. Love the cut of his jib, but I wonder where he'd fit. And if he did fit, what he'd do. 

I'm not saying Jack didn't improve to be important. I'm just not sure if it's as a leader and future forward gun. Or if it's as tradebait. Time will tell.

3 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Don't we all?

touche

8 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

That is a selective quote, out of context.  McDonald's quoted comments, in full were: 

"It's about realigning what's important for the team," McDonald said. 

"I can't really tell you guys (the media) what we're working on, but it's about understanding there's roles that have to be played. 

"For our team it's not about kicking goals and getting touches, it's about doing what is required for the team." 

So when I read the the first two lines (you omitted) I saw what followed in the context of Max's comments ie trying 2 ruckman and giving Vand and Weideman a go so no room for another tall.  And, the realignment perhaps is Max's comment about playing 2 ruckman: Gawn/Spencer; Gawn/Watts.

Interesting how comments look when in context.

Just wondering if a full transcript of TMac's interview would now be sufficient context for you to work through the scenario of what's played out here?  A F sums it up very succinctly and in essence corroborates the interpretation that PD and I and several others reached a good few hours ago.   The complete overreaction by the media is a separate thread to the core story which is about Simon Goodwin ruthlessly establishing and enforcing standards.   A storm in a tea cup as I said but a story nonetheless, a welcome one in fact as it underscores the extremely professional approach, without exceptions, that's now being taken with this football club.  

There's one thing that annoys me more than Jack Watts threads. And that's people referring to Avocado which has been scooped out of its shell and slightly mashed or chopped as "smashed avo." That ad with the kids eating yoghurt is pretty annoying as well actually. 

19 minutes ago, Dappa Dan said:

Interesting. In his first preseason, his pace was pretty amazing. I dunno what happened between then and now, but I remember seeing him as a pretty zippy little unit. Do people really hate JKH now? That's a shame. I'll stick with him for now.

ANB, there's another guy I like. On him though, I'm with you. Love the cut of his jib, but I wonder where he'd fit. And if he did fit, what he'd do. 

I'm not saying Jack didn't improve to be important. I'm just not sure if it's as a leader and future forward gun. Or if it's as tradebait. Time will tell.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on JKH's pace. He was never quick from what I saw. And I'm not sure what everyone else thinks. That's just what I think.

Well, I'm not saying Jack should be a leader either. He just needs to be a consistent contributor. I think we need to get this idea out of our heads that he's the forward gun. He's not. He's a third tall, albeit a very important cog in our forwardline when up and running to full capacity.

15 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

There's one thing that annoys me more than Jack Watts threads. 

Mine:

 

 

Pistachio nuts that haven't fully opened.

 

 

Absolute storm in a tea cup.

Even if Wattsy got on the [censored] before the intraclub or hasn't been training hard enough, does it really matter? A player not being selected for a preseason match is not even remotely news worthy.

AFL media is a joke. Hundreds of people employed and between the preseason cup and the AFLW they still cant find anything decent to write about.

It's almost like they needs a Bombers drug style scandal or another tanking saga so they can write the click bait headlines and vastly bias opinion pieces.

Bring on round 1, when Watts kicks 3 and gets 20 touches on a half forward flank they'll roll out the redemption card. Give me a break!