1 hour ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

Its all over folks.  No more angst and hand wringing required.

Jack will farewell the team at the B&F.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/jack-watts-to-farewell-melbourne-as-clubs-line-up-to-acquire-the-former-no1-pick/news-story/57a7ef5a6c8ebaf9a5a023e377652ad1

Only one quote to take from the article:  "Melbourne spearhead Jesse Hogan would prefer to keep Watts and is believed to have told his teammate as much when they spoke briefly last week".

Teams in the running:  Port, Geelong, Sydney and apparently StKilda have contacted him.

 

 

Good Luck young man.  Go and prove all the doubters wrong.  I will cheer you (not your team) whatever colours you wear. 

Thanks for the memories, loyalty to my beloved Demons and sticking with us when we were a basket case.  During that time you were a rare bright spark on rainy winter days at the G.  So, so sad to see you go.

Probably telling the wrong people isn't he?

I love this dramatic bs printed by the papers - if a player leaves they're not dead, then can still talk to them and see them outside of football.

And if he does decide to go back to WA how is he going to see Watts then?

Stupid article is stupid...

PS: I have no anger towards Watt's, and I will be sad to see another good bloke leave the club. But we have to be about winning flags as much as being a good place to work

If he is gone, Good luck Wattsy, you will always be a much loved MFC loved player

6 minutes ago, CityDee said:

Huge mistake .livid . 

Livid too.

Mistake will be proven next year.

Originally sure it would be Sydney, but he'd be a perfect fit for Geel. Don't see him at Port or Saints.

While I have supported this move, I felt a massive stab in the guts at reading that article. 

I hope we are doing the right thing. 

Massive mistake by the club.

Not happy one bit!

6 minutes ago, Unleash Hell said:

Probably telling the wrong people isn't he?

I love this dramatic bs printed by the papers - if a player leaves they're not dead, then can still talk to them and see them outside of football.

And if he does decide to go back to WA how is he going to see Watts then?

Stupid article is stupid...

PS: I have no anger towards Watt's, and I will be sad to see another good bloke leave the club. But we have to be about winning flags as much as being a good place to work

If he is gone, Good luck Wattsy, you will always be a much loved MFC loved player

Agreed, rubbish article.

Concur with every point.

14 minutes ago, rpfc said:

There are so many stories of Dees fans talking to him in passing and being so impressed, and he always had time for fans, or to plug the Dees, and he obviously stuck through a lot of nonsense at the club and put up with a great deal of heat, both earned and unearned.

Footy clubs are really built around personalities like Jack.

I've said this once before, but my eldest Brother was on a plane a few years ago and the Melbourne players got on.  Jack walked down the aisle smiling and saying hello to everyone.

In that regard, he's one in a million.

That's the way the cookie crumbles. Coach has lost faith in him and so has a third of demonland. We understand footy is a business now and we need to remove those that underperform.

Yet each time we lose a favourite son, I always feel a little more disconnected with the club and the game. There are definitely players you love and go to the footy to watch, and Watts is one of them.

True that team success is the ultimate goal, but the real truth is that you haven't invested emotionally in half the squad as you have had with Watts. We have learnt to both love him and at other times hate him for his flaws.

I really hope the club doesn't lose its soul completely. Guys like Frawley and Howe wanted out. Watts stayed when he could have left years ago for more money. He loves the club.

I'm nervous about 2018.

Going into next year, reminds me of going into the 2011 year. We had shown strong improvement up until that stage under Bailey and then had a horror year. 

This trade decision isn't helping my nerves about 2018.

We all know we got incredibly close to getting into finals in 2017, and I just hope we don't go backwards next year.

Rumours that trading Jack given his popularity within the group could possibly lead to some players getting offside. Bringing in a 21 year old on 750k which is above the salary of servants on the list, could lead to some players demanding more when it comes to negotiating their new contract. It's all getting me nervous. My trust in the club, particularly Taylor and Jackson, has never been stronger despite our performances in the last decade. I just hope we can perform on a consistent manner once again, with no quarter-long lapses, and I can rid myself of the continual pessimism I have whenever I sit down to watch our matches next year. 

It is sad, and no doubt the club he arrived at was a shambles but if going into his 9th season he is not preparing like an elite athlete then what choice does the club have?  What kind of example does it set to our young players if we tolerate Jack's sub elite preparation because he is a warm and friendly presence around the club and a skillful player?

Still sad. I hope he gets a warm welcome whenever he plays the Dees and he fulfills his potential and gets to play finals. 

Hawkins for Watts. Straight swap. Now that would be enough for me to walk away. 

What a shambles.  Disgusted how this has played out. 

2 hours ago, Dr.D said:

pedersen is 5 times the presence than watts up forward and i look forward to a fwd line of men up there now with jack out of the way.

pedersen is going to smash it.

Tell you what - next time you attend a club function, seek out Jesse Hogan and ask him who he'd prefer in the forward line.

His answer will be blindingly obvious to a lot of us here, but you may be surprised by it.

6 minutes ago, Akum said:

Tell you what - next time you attend a club function, seek out Jesse Hogan and ask him who he'd prefer in the forward line.

His answer will be blindingly obvious to a lot of us here, but you may be surprised by it.

I could be the only one, but along the tracks I believe that Hogan will likely go home and Pedersen won't be there long term.

I am worried that it's a really short term decision by the coach who knows he is judged by his next two years.

With Watts' departure, it places even more importance on Weideman becoming the player the FD and all of us hoped he could be when we drafted him.

This could spectacularly fail on 2 fronts if Weid becomes a bust (lose skill and height in the forward half).

2 hours ago, ProDee said:

I've always found Mahoney to be very measured in his dealings with the media.

He knows everything he publicly says will get back to the player in question.

I find it very hard to believe he'd make such utterances without it being a genuine concern of the football department.

I believe him.

Trouble is, there are at least 4 or 5 clubs that don't share your blind faith and just aren't buying it. They'd be only too glad to take Watts off our hands. 

1 minute ago, Akum said:

Trouble is, there are at least 4 or 5 clubs that don't share your blind faith and just aren't buying it. 

 

You don't know that. They could well be into Jack knowing full well his shortcomings and agreeing with Mahoney - but for whatever reason it's either a) not an issue for them (strong culture already in place?) or b) they think that in a new environment they can turn it around.

Would not be surprised at all to see Watts gracefully retire. Maybe unfinished business to some but well deserved to me.......

2 hours ago, bing181 said:

I would have thought so as well. Another indictment for me is that I don't know that he's ever expressed a wish to be in the leadership group, or disappointment at not being included. For a "people person" like Jack it's odd to the say the least.

Cos yeah, everybody who's been in our leadership group has been an inspired choice. Mitch Clark, Shannon Byrnes, Chris Dawes ... We seem to like picking our leaders from players who come to us from other clubs.

What I can't understand is: he's leaving, he's gone. You've got your wish. I have no idea why you feel you have to keep fighting the battle. It's over and you won. We'll get Goody's third rounder and have to pay half his salary for two years and he won't be our player any more.

Like I've mentioned, it's the Watts expectations that has led to his downfall. If we picked him up now from another team for pick 30, we wouldn't be worried whether he gets dropped or not. Look at Pedersen. The sad fact is we expect him to be our best handful of players but he has not met that standard.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't expect him to be a match winner every game he plays but I do believe he is in our best 22.

1 hour ago, sue said:

But from your confessed ignorance of the matter

"I don't know" = "to the best of my knowledge, but I haven't read every single interview that Jack has given." (yes, could have expressed it clearer ... perhaps too much time on Twitter.)

On the other hand, you're presuming to know my opinion of Watts?

8 minutes ago, Akum said:

Trouble is, there are at least 4 or 5 clubs that don't share your blind faith and just aren't buying it. They'd be only too glad to take Watts off our hands. 

That's true, and you know what, they'll probably get the best out of him....but I just don't think we ever will given the history and more particularly, how comfortable he is at the club.  2016 he was very good but he had to go to another level this year and he only did it in patches - even before his injury.  Footy is littered with players who needed a kick up the bum and to go to a second club to fulfil their potential, and it wouldn't surprise me if Jack is one of those.  I'm going to miss him but when Goodwin, Jones and Mahoney say the sorts of things that they are, it's clear that they have good reason for letting him go.  

Simon Goodwin and the coaching staff, if you read this just know that a lot of us think you are making the right decision on Watts. Not everyone is slitting their wrists over an extremely average player leaving.

Keep up the great work!

2 minutes ago, Glenn Molloy said:

That's true, and you know what, they'll probably get the best out of him....but I just don't think we ever will given the history and more particularly, how comfortable he is at the club.  2016 he was very good but he had to go to another level this year and he only did it in patches - even before his injury.  Footy is littered with players who needed a kick up the bum and to go to a second club to fulfil their potential, and it wouldn't surprise me if Jack is one of those.  I'm going to miss him but when Goodwin, Jones and Mahoney say the sorts of things that they are, it's clear that they have good reason for letting him go.  

I'm hoping there is a hidden agenda in play. Like when we tried to ship Trengove to Richmond. I don't see much worth in getting rid of him for a lowly pick.

2 minutes ago, Akum said:

What I can't understand is: he's leaving, he's gone. You've got your wish.

My only wish is for a team made up of players who are going to give 100% on and off the field at all times - and for a club and coaches who do everything they can to make that happen and take the necessary steps when it doesn't.

32 minutes ago, worldwideweb_demon said:

Like I've mentioned, it's the Watts expectations that has led to his downfall. If we picked him up now from another team for pick 30, we wouldn't be worried whether he gets dropped or not. Look at Pedersen. The sad fact is we expect him to be our best handful of players but he has not met that standard.

Unlike a lot of people, I don't expect him to be a match winner every game he plays but I do believe he is in our best 22.

Do the comments from the coach, captain and general manager - football operations give you pause for thought? They have hardly gilded the lilly re Jack needing to be more professional in his preparation.

2 hours ago, martin said:

Some say he is revered and popular amongst team mates. I have my doubts.

Well, whether he is or not, I'd be absolutely gobsmacked if you thought he was, even for a fleeting moment.