Farewell Jack Watts

[Ron Burgundy 8,584]

Roos realised what type of peg he had in Watts. And he didn't try to force it in the wrong hole.

Interesting that many here label Watts as soft, but it seems the clubs most interested in him (Port, Sydney and Geelong) are probably the three hardest teams in the comp.

Good AFL lists have diverse skill sets. You can't win a war with just tanks.

 

[CBDees 3,167]

13 minutes ago, Akum said:

I've often had the feeling ever since then that, though we picked Watts, we really wanted Hurley. And we've been trying to turn Watts into Hurley ever since.

Where Jack goes now, he'll fit into the team (or not) according to where they think his skills will be most valuable to them. That would be much better for him than having to play like somebody else.

Seems to me that to some degree, we've been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. And then try to hammer that peg when it won't fit.

From my recollection it was never about Hurley, it was Nic Natanui!

[Deemented Are Go! 3,684]

20 minutes ago, Slim said:

Fellow demonlanders

I for the life of me cannot understand why Goodwin wants jack gone

Excellent 2016

I thought his 2017 was very very good till he got injured

Had the guts flogged out of him rucking with gawn out

Looked to me like he did a power of work during those games

Gets injured and takes time to find form, 

Loves the club and stayed when could of jumped ship

Im not sold on Goodwin and this isnt exactly helping

Like everyone else on here suffered through some really dark days

And just when we see a flicker of light they pull this rubbish

Im so sick of holding in my breath and holding tight

This must not happen ,the fact that 5/6 clubs are chasing him shows he has value,they cant all be wrong

I cant believe im saying this but i will not be a member again if this happens

See ya Slim.

Go and follow lawn bowls, badminton or synchronised swimming then. Fickle supporters who declare throwing away their membership over a bloody trade can GGF in my view. After the torrid world of septic pain we've endured in recent times, if you can't stick fat now when things are on the up, you've got the constitution of a used tea bag. 

IMO, the MFC is coming out of puberty and finally growing a set of balls by making tough list decisions and cutting Watts adrift. I think its time the supporter base grew up a bit, too. 

[Slim 23]

Fair point demented

However my point is we have a bloke on 450k who by all reports is popular and wants to stay ( loves the club as do we) and can play a bit

We are trading in a bloke largely un proven on 750k who was last seen dumping crows gear in a bin Big risk

And to also smash a guy in public is very amateur behavior 

 

 

[Deemented Are Go! 3,684]

4 minutes ago, Slim said:

Fair point demented

However my point is we have a bloke on 450k who by all reports is popular and wants to stay ( loves the club as do we) and can play a bit

We are trading in a bloke largely un proven on 750k who was last seen dumping crows gear in a bin Big risk

And to also smash a guy in public is very amateur behavior 

 

 

- Sure, may be popular and may want to stay, but after 9 years still isn't giving 100% consistently. 

- That was crappy fake Channel 7 news 

- Agree the handling of this could have been more polished, but if the club were to say nothing and go ahead with it, there'd be equal uproar. (I think that's what you are referring to?)

[frankie_d 1,471]

3 hours ago, SFebey said:

Have seen this QB goal mentioned so many times like he won the flag for us! One sole memory for the whole year everyone keeps turning back to as the saving grace to not trade him! People do realise we were in front when Jack kicked that goal don't they? What would've happened if in a real GF Jack had to get that ball in a high pressure contented area? Well the answer is he wouldn't even be in that position in the first place, he'd get himself as far away as possible. Jack won't ever stand up in a final and that's where we are heading. Thank Omac for that goal just as much as Watts, as it was he didn't have any pressure chasing him and kicked it from 15m out anyway.

No too much to disagree with, but he worked his ass off to get that clear space. 

[chook fowler 19,459]

25 minutes ago, Ron Burgundy said:

Roos realised what type of peg he had in Watts. And he didn't try to force it in the wrong hole.

Interesting that many here label Watts as soft, but it seems the clubs most interested in him (Port, Sydney and Geelong) are probably the three hardest teams in the comp.

Good AFL lists have diverse skill sets. You can't win a war with just tanks.

 

Never a good idea to go for the wrong hole IMO.

[Wiseblood 24,637]

I understand the angst on here about the decision to trade him, but I'm mystified as to why people can't understand that it's happening.

Forget the on field stuff - in his 9th year at the club, he was unprofessional in his preparation during pre-season and then didn't do the right things when he got injured either.  Clearly, the club has had enough and feels as though they have come as far as they possibly can with him.  

Yep, he is a nice bloke who brings some good skills to the table.  But our list is largely made up of youth and we need to be setting the right example for them.  Watts clearly can't do that, even though he's been in the system for 9 years, and it's apparent that the club don't  want that around the club anymore.  

And while some aren't happy how it's played out, Watts' own manager praised the club for how honest and transparent they have been since it's all unfolded.

[Tough Kent 2,137]

1 minute ago, Wiseblood said:

I understand the angst on here about the decision to trade him, but I'm mystified as to why people can't understand that it's happening.

Forget the on field stuff - in his 9th year at the club, he was unprofessional in his preparation during pre-season and then didn't do the right things when he got injured either.  Clearly, the club has had enough and feels as though they have come as far as they possibly can with him.  

Yep, he is a nice bloke who brings some good skills to the table.  But our list is largely made up of youth and we need to be setting the right example for them.  Watts clearly can't do that, even though he's been in the system for 9 years, and it's apparent that the club don't  want that around the club anymore.  

And while some aren't happy how it's played out, Watts' own manager praised the club for how honest and transparent they have been since it's all unfolded.

Couldn't have said it any better. People who are nastily pointing their finger at Goody and the club should perhaps be pointing it at Jack, himself. 

[demoniac 1,333]

54 minutes ago, Slim said:

Fellow demonlanders

I for the life of me cannot understand why Goodwin wants jack gone

Excellent 2016

I thought his 2017 was very very good till he got injured

Had the guts flogged out of him rucking with gawn out

Looked to me like he did a power of work during those games

Gets injured and takes time to find form, 

Loves the club and stayed when could of jumped ship

Im not sold on Goodwin and this isnt exactly helping

Like everyone else on here suffered through some really dark days

And just when we see a flicker of light they pull this rubbish

Im so sick of holding in my breath and holding tight

This must not happen ,the fact that 5/6 clubs are chasing him shows he has value,they cant all be wrong

I cant believe im saying this but i will not be a member again if this happens

Coach, Captain and Footy Dept Chief are all saying his preparation is not at the level it needs to be an elite athlete, and from their blunt tone, it seems this has been a consistent issue. 

Do you think they have concocted a fiction to give them grounds to trade Jack? 

or,

If you accept what they are saying is your view that,

1 - we give Jack another chance to improve his professionalism, 

2 - because of his natural talent its ok to accept that his professionalism is not at an elite level?

[Wiseblood 24,637]

Just now, Tough Kent said:

Couldn't have said it any better. People who are nastily pointing their finger at Goody and the club should perhaps be pointing it at Jack, himself. 

Exactly.

I can forgive him for anything in the Bailey and Neeld years - he had zero support, our coaching and development structure was a joke and there was no positive atmosphere or discipline to help him get better.

But when he reached out to Roos and wanted to get better, he did... for a time.  Roos still had to give him some tough love and dropped him.  That's fact.  He then had a terrific 2016 and then backed that up by being totally unprofessional in his commitment to the pre-season program.  That, I'm sorry to say, was his choice, and his choice alone.  Clubs these days are very clear about expectations and he failed to meet his.  That is totally down to him.

I know he is a great bloke and some are worried about losing a terrific user of the footy, but at the same time, we need to see the bigger picture.  For so long our younger kids have lacked the right leaders who set the standards for the footy club.  We are beginning to add more of these to the club and Roos has helped us in a big way in this regard.  Watts, as a senior player, clearly doesn't hold these standards as seriously as the club expects, and they don't want that to influence others around the club.  To me that is more important.

I really like Jack and have always wanted him to succeed.  But this is a line in the sand moment for the club - we are letting go one player who hasn't been professional enough while bringing in a bloke who is touted as super professional and already a leader at 21 years of age.  Time will tell of course, but to me it's a positive and important step forward for the club.

[The Swimming Dee 1,904]

5 minutes ago, Wiseblood said:

I understand the angst on here about the decision to trade him, but I'm mystified as to why people can't understand that it's happening.

Forget the on field stuff - in his 9th year at the club, he was unprofessional in his preparation during pre-season and then didn't do the right things when he got injured either.  Clearly, the club has had enough and feels as though they have come as far as they possibly can with him.  

Yep, he is a nice bloke who brings some good skills to the table.  But our list is largely made up of youth and we need to be setting the right example for them.  Watts clearly can't do that, even though he's been in the system for 9 years, and it's apparent that the club don't  want that around the club anymore.  

And while some aren't happy how it's played out, Watts' own manager praised the club for how honest and transparent they have been since it's all unfolded.

This is a great post Wiseblood.

he is a liked guy around the club but it is not a popularity contest it is a workplace. If you keep going with the same formula you get what you always got. 

I wish Jack all the best but after his form late in the year he showed he does not have the commitment required at MFC.

Glad it looks as though we will get a good trade for him.

[Slim 23]

I feel the club is making a  mistake

After 9years i felt he was just coming good,he has never appeared underprepared to me he always seem to run hard and cover ground

Not every player on our list will be intense like viney,but to move on a loyal player when on the cusp of something special is disheartening 

Maybe im going to  far saying i wont be a member again maybe thats just pure emotion (and a couple of beers)

But i just dont get it ,there are many more players we could trade before watts

Why pay dangerfield money to a guy who didnt even finish top 10 in crows b&f

 

[martin 727]

43 minutes ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

See ya Slim.

Go and follow lawn bowls, badminton or synchronised swimming then. Fickle supporters who declare throwing away their membership over a bloody trade can GGF in my view. After the torrid world of septic pain we've endured in recent times, if you can't stick fat now when things are on the up, you've got the constitution of a used tea bag. 

IMO, the MFC is coming out of puberty and finally growing a set of balls by making tough list decisions and cutting Watts adrift. I think its time the supporter base grew up a bit, too. 

Brilliant post! Says it all.

[demoniac 1,333]

8 minutes ago, Slim said:

I feel the club is making a  mistake

After 9years i felt he was just coming good,he has never appeared underprepared to me he always seem to run hard and cover ground

Not every player on our list will be intense like viney,but to move on a loyal player when on the cusp of something special is disheartening 

Maybe im going to  far saying i wont be a member again maybe thats just pure emotion (and a couple of beers)

But i just dont get it ,there are many more players we could trade before watts

Why pay dangerfield money to a guy who didnt even finish top 10 in crows b&f

 

So in your view footy department is concocting a fiction to given them a reason to trade Jack out of the club?

[Tough Kent 2,137]

8 minutes ago, Slim said:

I feel the club is making a  mistake

After 9years i felt he was just coming good,he has never appeared underprepared to me he always seem to run hard and cover ground

Not every player on our list will be intense like viney,but to move on a loyal player when on the cusp of something special is disheartening 

Maybe im going to  far saying i wont be a member again maybe thats just pure emotion (and a couple of beers)

But i just dont get it ,there are many more players we could trade before watts

Why pay dangerfield money to a guy who didnt even finish top 10 in crows b&f

 

I'm glad you're not a Bulldog fan. If we'd paid Tom Boyd $7 MIL over 7 years two years ago, when he'd done sweet FA in football and a million dollars took up a lot more of the cap, you might've headed straight for the Westgate.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,235]

Wherever Jack ends up next year no doubt there will be some games where we say "we stuffed up" and some games where we say "that's why we moved him on".

It is sad, a player with his natural ability is not easy to give up. It's a shame it got to this point. I don't think Jack is solely to blame, the club definitely stuffed his development, his debut was a joke.  It there has to be an element of personal responsibility and responsibility to his teammates, coaches and supporters.

[rpfc 28,543]

47 minutes ago, Deemented Are Go! said:

See ya Slim.

Go and follow lawn bowls, badminton or synchronised swimming then. Fickle supporters who declare throwing away their membership over a bloody trade can GGF in my view. After the torrid world of septic pain we've endured in recent times, if you can't stick fat now when things are on the up, you've got the constitution of a used tea bag. 

IMO, the MFC is coming out of puberty and finally growing a set of balls by making tough list decisions and cutting Watts adrift. I think its time the supporter base grew up a bit, too. 

 

3 minutes ago, martin said:

Brilliant post! Says it all.

I hope most don't agree.

We always eat each other alive when ever there is something that divides the club.

If you want the club to be mature then shouldn't we mirror that? It isn't mature to react by 'microwaving your membership' or threaten to leave the club, but equally it isn't mature to tell those that feel aggrieved to 'eff off' and that their club doesn't want them.

We are too small a club to be so petty. There is a line in the sand for you.

[Slim 23]

Fair point kent

However the collingwood forward we paid very good money to didnt exactly work

[Slim 23]

I dont think it is a fiction demoniac

However is it a personality clash or purely football?

[Wiseblood 24,637]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Wherever Jack ends up next year no doubt there will be some games where we say "we stuffed up" and some games where we say "that's why we moved him on".

It is sad, a player with his natural ability is not easy to give up. It's a shame it got to this point. I don't think Jack is solely to blame, the club definitely stuffed his development, his debut was a joke.  It there has to be an element of personal responsibility and responsibility to his teammates, coaches and supporters.

I hear you on this, Doc.  Jack is not solely to blame at all.  Before Roos much of our club was a joke and gave the kids no chance of developing elite habits as they should.

However, it disappoints me that people are not also holding Jack to account for not keeping to standards that should be non-negotiables within a club.  They are told clearly what those standards are and he is, supposedly, a professional athlete - he should have no problems as this stage of his career in upholding those, yet there were still problems and he couldn't contribute to setting the right examples for the younger players.  The club would have been supremely annoyed and, for that, the responsibility is on him.

[demoniac 1,333]

3 minutes ago, Slim said:

I dont think it is a fiction demoniac

However is it a personality clash or purely football?

If it is not a fiction then for mine the club has run out of patience and is worried about the example set to younger players if we  kept giving Jack more chances to meet expected preparation standards.

[Akum 2,660]

39 minutes ago, frankie_d said:

No too much to disagree with, but he worked his ass off to get that clear space. 

At the end of a game in which he'd already run himself into the ground.

He was also the only one alive to the possibility. If he hadn't of run, Harmes would have had to either retain the ball, or kick it aimlessly forward.

The whole point about this one incident is that it stands in direct opposition to the "he's never given 100%" claim.

[worldwideweb_demon 90]

So it seems Lever for Watts and pick 10?

I guess that's the main reason we are letting him go. Sounds like a fair trade?

[KysaiahMessiah 725]

29 minutes ago, The Swimming Dee said:

This is a great post Wiseblood.

he is a liked guy around the club but it is not a popularity contest it is a workplace. If you keep going with the same formula you get what you always got. 

I wish Jack all the best but after his form late in the year he showed he does not have the commitment required at MFC.

Glad it looks as though we will get a good trade for him.

Its not your normal workplace, and there are massive human elements to a football club.  They are made up of human beings, not robots.  Every one different and every one with their own strengths and weaknesses.  The football club I want to be a part of, and proud of, treats its people with respect.  Its true, I dont want JW to go, but my main issue is the way this has been played out, and the character assassination you'd expect from the media and other clubs, not from within our own