Farewell Jack Watts

[ChewyOnMyBoot 152]

2 hours ago, Members' Wing said:

Watts wouldn't be on much money? Huh? When he was coming out of contract last year he was on the restricted free agent's list, meaning he was in the 10 highest-paid players at the club.

So after already being in the top 10 highest paid players at the club after what you and many would deem a disappointing career, he has his breakout year. After a terrific 2016, he signed a deal while he had the highest bargaining power he's had at any point during his time at the club. 

It's therefore safe to confidently assume that he'd currently be among the top 5 or 6 highest paid players in the club.

Your Weideman/Watts theory is completely nonsensical.

And so what would that mean in terms of $?

[Master Deebater 492]

1 hour ago, beelzebub said:

Interesting to see the comments...all of them. I'm heartened to read some have never bagged Jack..I must confess I have. In the earlier days  Jack managed to join an illustrious club club of "which Demon"  i.e  the one who'll come out to play or the lazy shlt. There have been numerous over the last decade ( at minimum ) .

 

Over time Ive come to accept Mr Watts for what he is. A very good player with limitations in some respects and sublime skills in others.  He is not that Square peg some require ..hes the round one.

Jack , to be perfectly honest reminds me a little of my own son. I'll explain. Like many parents without realising it I came to want him to be like me.  I have been fairly sporty over my journey. Not really a sport I couldn't play...not necessarily well but able to participate.  I possess all the requisite skills to perform adequately in mat regards. I was quite good at some.  my son despite wanting to please his Dad inherited all of his mothers prowess.. Totally fn useless at sports..lol.  He tried...and tried.. and even surprised some.  But it wasnt for him.  I had to come to terms with what he was, not harp on what he isnt.

This is the thing. You play to strengths. Hardwick for years tried and tried a formula which didnt work for him , his club , his list.  Youd only get so far before its natural ebb would push back. He learnt to change ( with help arguably ) to learn to figure out how best to use what you DO have available , to mould a team to fit , and a style that works for them . Results are impressive arent they? I wouldnt mind that club.

Make no mistake we ARE the new Richmond..the Ninemons as I cynically call ourselves.

So what is this old bugger on about. ?? It's horses for courses and understanding what you DO have, as opposed to planning for what you dont.  old school Asset Management.

Jack in the last couple of seasons HAS actually stepped up. He just doesnt fit  the image that the incoming powers that be see as ideal. He doesnt measure up to what the leadership see as requisite. He actually has more football skills than all of them combined but not the supposed work ethic.. He's '''you know"  " Private School "   thinks he can cruise through.

Here I must say  his efforts arent probably in some respects Spartan. Hes not that kind of player. Should that alienate him from being productive ?

What always seems to happen is when the Noobs come to town in Management they often want to invoke their idea, their image , of what is good and workable. That's one kind of Noob. Another takes time to assess what he has to work with and plan according with a view to encapsulating as much of the vision as can be done. 

I see Goodwin as somewhere in between. He is perfectly within his rights to do as he sees fit but it may well be sage to bend ( as a tree ) to accommodate what you have, as opposed what you don't.

It is curious that  whilst SG and Co see the glass as half empty , other teams see a glass at least half full.

Watts' talent doesn't come along to often. Not many could pull off the tasks thrown at him as he has done.  Still this is not good enough ?

He is actually a very good role player..He plays any number of roles. Is he gladiatorial ? No...Never will be . A pea heart as suggested by some ?  He's withstood the barrage of not only the tag of most clubs but the animosity from within. He still smiles  and runs and wants to play for the jumper.

If he goes as I suspect then we as a club have a lot to learn. 

If he goes he goes. If he goes for peanuts..We are beyond dumb. If he goes for equals.., then why bother ? If he goes for overs we are genius .

Lets see how clever this club actually is.  For those that think we cant stuff up...Norm says Hello

Very well articulated. Similar thoughts myself. Hopefully we (the FD) doesn't make a monumental error here.

[ChewyOnMyBoot 152]

1 hour ago, Jaded said:

Maybe flying up and down in a day was bad for his rehab? Maybe he went to Byron but also didn't spend enough time rehabbing? 

Garlett and Watts had similar injuries. Why did it take Watts 4 weeks to come back from what we were told is a minor hamstring tightness? 

Actually the problem was a bulging disc injury that he sustained in the first quarter of the Collingwood game. He goes up in a pack and shortly after hobbles off. The hamstring issue became a result of this injury because when he played the following week (and maybe the one after that?). It's thought that the disc issue caused a slight change in his 'gait' and as a result this caused the hamstring injury . So in fact, the hamstring injury was the result of something else and they had to wait for his bulging disc to settle down.

[spirit of norm smith 16,462]

25 minutes ago, At the break of Gawn said:

10th in the b&f after 8 rounds. Probably as expected but not worse as some would think.

And with a poor preseason

[JTR 2,846]

If I saw the screen right on the livestream, is now 6th after 14 rounds...

[ChewyOnMyBoot 152]

2 hours ago, At the break of Gawn said:

Here's my true, but false sounding, knowledge of Jack. I have a friend who has a group of friends that do hang around Jack (they play basketball, talk about NBA etc). He  definitely likes to have a good time  (socially)off the field - so that rumour I know is true, but i think 99% of the people on this forum already know that. 

So by a good time do you mean that he's extroverted and likes to go out and enjoy himself or does it mean that he gets on the pi55 during the season? Any time I have seen and talked with Jack while he's out 'partying' during the season he is drinking water.

[jnrmac 20,090]

6 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

And with a poor preseason

And with a coaches vendetta against him  

[frankie_d 1,471]

watts getting the huge ovation for the 150 games

[JTR 2,846]

I grew up in NZ so dont know if anyone else here is familiar with All Blacks history. but I think this is going to be exactly like when Wayne ''Buck'' Shelford was dropped in 1990 from the side and never re-selected. 

It was highly controversial amongst the public and for years and years afterwards, in any sport that NZ was involved with in both at home and abroad, someone somewhere would be holding up a "Bring Back Buck" sign!  You can still see such signs to this day.

 

 

[Lord Travis 10,730]

38 minutes ago, JTR said:

If I saw the screen right on the livestream, is now 6th after 14 rounds...

Correct. Credit where credit is due. Until he got injured late in the year he was one of our best players.

[ChewyOnMyBoot 152]

8 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Comparisons to Martin are laughable. Seriously. How many chances do players get? We've seen it before, most recently with Colin Sylvia. Some on here are acting like this issue with Watts is a new phenomenon and the club are kicking him to the kerb after one strike. Last pre-season and this trade period are when this issue has arisen publicly but behind closed doors these discussions would've been had long before this. 

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by ChewyOnMyBoot
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[whitito 187]

Everyone is questioning his effort and courage. 

He is never going to be Sloane, Selwood or Viney.

he never shirked a ruck contest when he was one out which is a different type of courage again.

he is more Mark Waugh....when he hits 100, it looks effortless...we he gets stumped dancing down the pitch for 3 hd is lazy. 

I just can't have talent walking out the door.

I certainly want him to stay.

 

 

 

[Beetle 4,660]

30 minutes ago, JTR said:

I grew up in NZ so dont know if anyone else here is familiar with All Blacks history. but I think this is going to be exactly like when Wayne ''Buck'' Shelford was dropped in 1990 from the side and never re-selected. 

It was highly controversial amongst the public and for years and years afterwards, in any sport that NZ was involved with in both at home and abroad, someone somewhere would be holding up a "Bring Back Buck" sign!  You can still see such signs to this day.

 

 

I too can see Melbourne fans wearing Jack's board shorts to games as a form of protest for years to come...

[spirit of norm smith 16,462]

27 minutes ago, whitito said:

Everyone is questioning his effort and courage. 

He is never going to be Sloane, Selwood or Viney.

he never shirked a ruck contest when he was one out which is a different type of courage again.

he is more Mark Waugh....when he hits 100, it looks effortless...we he gets stumped dancing down the pitch for 3 hd is lazy. 

I just can't have talent walking out the door.

I certainly want him to stay.

 

 

 

Agree Tex Walker will never out train Sloane. 

Agree Hawkins never will out train Selwood. 

Watts would never out train Viney  

Wattsy has skill, class, goal kicking, smarts. Not a common commodity on our list.

Has the MFC loyalty we all admire. 

He did not walk out like Scully, Frawley, Rivers or McLean.  Yet he is treated like a catastrophic influence and the reason we missed finals. 

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by spirit of norm smith
Spell

[DeeZee 7,397]

Ok, so Jones wishes Watts all the best in what he does..... means gone for me

[Jaded No More 68,922]

We are very clearly not trying to push Jack out for his lack of talent. 

Listen to every speech made by the coaches tonight, they all talk about setting standards and building a culture. Watts clearly falls outside those boundaries we are trying to set. 

[Dr. Gonzo 24,222]

18 minutes ago, spirit of norm smith said:

Agree Tex Walker will never out train Sloane. 

Agree Hawkins never will out train Selwood. 

Watts would never out train Viney  

Wattsy has skill, class, goal kicking, smarts. Not a common commodity on our list.

Has the MFC loyalty we all admire. 

He did not walk out like Scully, Frawley, Rivers or McLean.  Yet he is treated like a catastrophic influence and the reason we missed finals. 

 

It's got nothing to due with "out-training" it's about exerting maximum effort, discipline and getting 100%, every last drop of potential, out of yourself. 

Some things can't be controlled. Effort, application, discipline can be controlled. What don't people understand about this?

Edited October 9, 2017 by Dr. Gonzo

[spirit of norm smith 16,462]

4 minutes ago, Jaded said:

We are very clearly not trying to push Jack out for his lack of talent. 

Listen to every speech made by the coaches tonight, they all talk about setting standards and building a culture. Watts clearly falls outside those boundaries we are trying to set. 

Yes agree. It’s a constant barrage. 

[spirit of norm smith 16,462]

Just now, Dr. Gonzo said:

It's got nothing to due with "out-training" it's about exerting maximum effort, discipline and getting 100%, every last drop of potential, out of yourself. 

Somethings can't be controlled. Effort, application, discipline can be controlled. What don't people understand about this?

Show me a game in 2017 when Watts showed a lack of effort, application or discipline 

[Dr. Gonzo 24,222]

Just now, spirit of norm smith said:

Show me a game in 2017 when Watts showed a lack of effort, application or discipline 

Holy crap - preseason, training, rehab - you know the things the coach, captain, footy manager have all been commenting on.

[Biffen 12,943]

Lotta love in the room for Jack- lets hope he reciprocates and gives it everything for us in 2018 and beyond.

[What 18,810]

Came 21st in the B and F

 

Gun.  

[Jaded No More 68,922]

3 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

Came 21st in the B and F

 

Gun.  

Behind some guy we picked up from an amateur league ?

[At the break of Gawn 4,460]

1 minute ago, Petraccattack said:

Came 21st in the B and F

 

Gun.  

You do realise he was 6th after round 14 from which was one game after he got injured? Clearly, his first half impressed the coaches.

[thevil1 421]

In a year when a couple of kicks would've made a huge difference, Jack is in this position because he is clearly not a player who will leave no stone unturned, and while I'm torn to see him go, the club is far greater than 1 player, especially a 9 year vet who has been outworked by most everyone else around him..... wish he had've followed Billy around for 3 months too.