Farewell Jack Watts

[praha 11,232]

Before his injury he was having a career best season. I think the latter half of the season was a combination of bad player management regarding injuried, and an inability of the playing group to manage and deal with expectations. IMO he falls victim to both scenarios. He is a very tradeable asset so if the right deal comes he's definitely not "untradeable" like a Hogan or Oliver. I wouldnt seek out a trade for him but if a team inquires, I'd listen. 

Edited September 6, 2017 by praha

[poita 3,889]

Jack Watts is the best kick and the best reader of the play in the team. He finished top 5 in the B&F last season, and was probably tracking for top 10 before injury this year. Yes, he frustrates at times, but it is ridiculous to blame forwards for problems that start in the midfield.

More to the point, our recent record of trading "underperforming" (not my view) talent has been abysmal in recent years. Howe & Martin are the two prime examples of this. We'd be lucky to get a fourth round pick for him based on the record of our master negotiators.

[Wiseblood 24,637]

7 minutes ago, poita said:

Jack Watts is the best kick and the best reader of the play in the team. He finished top 5 in the B&F last season, and was probably tracking for top 10 before injury this year. Yes, he frustrates at times, but it is ridiculous to blame forwards for problems that start in the midfield.

More to the point, our recent record of trading "underperforming" (not my view) talent has been abysmal in recent years. Howe & Martin are the two prime examples of this. We'd be lucky to get a fourth round pick for him based on the record of our master negotiators.

Those same negotiaters that got Hibberd for Pick 29?

We can't get everything right, but don't make out as if we get shafted all the time, as it simply isn't true. 

[Lucifers Hero 39,556]

19 minutes ago, PaulRB said:

I thought Goody's postmortem observation that we started to fall away as a team from Round 15 is interesting as it also coincided with Jacks loss of form and him being dropped to the VFL...

How much can a team trust and rely on a player who went missing in one of the most crucial periods for the MFC in the last 5 years?

Note: Jack did not play rounds 14, 15, 16, 17 so its a bit rich to say he went missing in one of the most crucial periods for the MFC in the last 5 years.  He wasn't there so find someone else to blame for the team's form lapse!

He came back and played injured for rounds 18, 19, 20 and was then dropped.

So some facts please...

...Maybe we lost form because Jack didn't play in that period and the team missed him. 

[old dee 23,777]

IMO a definately NO! He was in very good form pre his injury. He struggled on return which has been known to happen to a lot of good players. 

[binman 42,629]

Again, he is a contracted player. He has to agree to any trade. 

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,108]

Watts application was questioned at the start of the year. Back end of year his application was questioned again. I want players that do not need after 9 years of AFL to be coaxed to get the required effort for a high performance professional club. I want players that I trust what I will get week in week out. I would trade him for anything inside pick 30 or as part of any deal to get Lever and/or some outside run like Gaff/Devon Smith/Hall/Whitfield. 

[DV8 2,271]

1 hour ago, binman said:

Again, he is a contracted player. He has to agree to any trade. 

But we don't have to agree to play him.

There is a thread over at BigFooty,  suggesting JW was out and about a few weeks back. And was said to be the "Life of the Party".

I think the club maybe has 'drawn a line, in sand,' where Jack is concerned?

https://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/jack-watts-to-the-dockers.1176058/page-4

Edited September 6, 2017 by DV8

[Ted Lasso 19,284]

Jack started the year pretty well, got injured and never got his best form back. 

Hes not even close to our biggest issue and it's a total cop out to suggest he is. 

[TRIGON 4,783]

Whilst he frustrates at times, he does have what we have a significant lack of - polish. 

[chook fowler 19,444]

Used to care. Don't anymore.

[Go the Biff 3,414]

47 minutes ago, DV8 said:

But we don't have to agree to play him.

There is a thread over at BigFooty,  suggesting JW was out and about a few weeks back. And was said to be the "Life of the Party".

I think the club maybe has 'drawn a line, in sand,' where Jack is concerned?

If you're going to spread this tripe, at least be accurate in the crud you quote

The thread is not about Watts being "out & about". It's about him being traded to Freo

And the "out & about" mentioned was a wedding. Stop the presses ! Hold page 1 ! Footballer has fun at wedding !

FMD

 

[beelzebub 23,313]

This may or may not really be at all about whether Watts is good, bad or indifferent. 

I CAN see it being about whether Watts fits into the Goodwin vision of things to come.

Roos had a bit of time for Jack. I don't get the same vibe about Goodwin.

SG has used Jack as a bit of a message. He might well want to yell louder 

Jack might become even more of a whipping boy to Goody than anyone here has managed .

[DV8 2,271]

41 minutes ago, TRIGON said:

Whilst he frustrates at times, he does have what we have a significant lack of - polish. 

Just like a fine glass gem. All sparkle.

[McQueen 17,864]

He frustrates the hell out of me but we have a real dearth of quality ball users on the list.

It's between the ears for Watts. Whatever happened to him mentally during his hammy injury this year essentially spelt the end of his season. 

I think during the time that Roos, Goodwin and McCartney have been on board, we have seen a harder, more desperate Jack at times - albeit infrequent.

I'm loathe to say give Jack himself another chance but I would like to see the coaches give him another year of development (if that makes sense).

[Wilson7 2,648]

He does have elite skills but that is only part of the package. He is 27 at the start of next season and still getting dropped for not doing what the coach and team demands. Unfortunately i agree with Matthew Lloyd, he's far too comfortable at Melbourne and easily falls back into bad habits. I wouldn't trade him for peanuts but would if a good deal was offered.

[deebug 1,754]

3 hours ago, leucopogon said:

Keep him and play him out of the goal square. Trade in better users of the ball that can deliver it to him on the lead lace out so he can kick us 3 goals a game for the rest of his career. Not to mention his ability to create scoring opportunities for others with his evasiveness in tight and pin point footskills. Keep him around and play to his strength, goals and score assists.

Agree with what your saying, Keep him in the forward fifty and watch him improve his game.

[Cards13 9,117]

2 hours ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

Up until his injury he was having a very good year - on top of a great 2016.  Teasing is the right word for it.

A fit and firing Watts makes us a four goal better team; when he's 'off', he's a liability.

 

I'm conflicted, as I think many supporters are.  If success comes, I'd love to see him there as a key part to it.  However if the offer is very good... perhaps both parties could benefit from the change.

The first thing the Footy Dept look for in a kid they draft (now days) is competitiveness, if he doesnt have that he will be very unlikely to be drafted by us. 

Will be interesting to see what happens in this trade period (and next) to players of ours who aren't competitive when required.

[Die Hard Demon 1,224]

The way Jack plays doesn't reflect the way Goodwin wants us to play. Tough, fierce, relentless and uncompromising. That laconical body language along with the lack of 2nd & 3rd efforts fails to ignite any  inspiration to his teammates & supporters. For a guy with as much talent as what he's got, he just does not impact anywhere near as much as he should. If we get any interest in him.. we get what we can for him & move on. 

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

2 hours ago, Go the Biff said:

If you're going to spread this tripe, at least be accurate in the crud you quote

The thread is not about Watts being "out & about". It's about him being traded to Freo

And the "out & about" mentioned was a wedding. Stop the presses ! Hold page 1 ! Footballer has fun at wedding !

FMD

 

Remember how he couldn't get a game in the pre-season?

There was a reason.

[What 18,810]

55 minutes ago, Die Hard Demon said:

The way Jack plays doesn't reflect the way Goodwin wants us to play. Tough, fierce, relentless and uncompromising. That laconical body language along with the lack of 2nd & 3rd efforts fails to ignite any  inspiration to his teammates & supporters. For a guy with as much talent as what he's got, he just does not impact anywhere near as much as he should. If we get any interest in him.. we get what we can for him & move on. 

Some posters say Watts would excel in a final.

More like he would crumble under the pressure.

[Redleg 40,817]

6 hours ago, Nasher said:

 

I'd trade him for a player that makes us better.  I wouldn't just trade him for the sake of it.

Edit: snap @Vogon Poetry

Pretty hard to argue against that.

[old55 23,369]

19 minutes ago, Petraccattack said:

Some posters say Watts would excel in a final.

More like he would crumble under the pressure.

He wouldn't crumble under the pressure of having to kick the goal from 45 metres on a 45 degree angle - he'd put it straight through the centre, mid-post high.  More than I can say for ANYONE else on our list.  Just take a look at the R23 game - Watts kicks the goal from 50+ on an angle - Garlett, Gawn and Tyson all miss sitters with less than half the degree of difficulty.

There's different types of pressure and players respond to them differently.  Watts responds very well to pressure when kicking the ball both in play and from set shots.

Who would you want kicking for goal to win the GF after the siren?  For me it would be Watts every time.

[Adam The God 30,120]

Keep. Can't be more constructive than that. Will have a very good 2018.

[Pates 9,659]

I lean towards the no side of things here, but I noticed on The DeeBrief facebook page there are rumours he is looking at other clubs. If this is the case then I don't think we try to convince him to stay, he's been around the club long enough so he either wants to be here or he doesn't.

When he's up and running (and it should be said until he got injured he was doing a good job in a role not suited to him) he's a critical cog across the HFF in our line up, but should he go I think we can cover him.