Nick Watson

[OutOfTheCentre21 190]

Can he kick more than 40m? 🤞

[Hawny for Gawny 465]

7 minutes ago, OutOfTheCentre21 said:

Can he kick more than 40m? 🤞

I watched one of the highlight reels and looks like 45 is around his limit, kicked it from 50 near the sideline and went out of bounds on the full , still more than a spargo. 

 

[JackVineyNo1Fan 9]

13 hours ago, Colm said:

If we don’t trade up for Reid and Watson is on the board at our then he’s probably best available at our pick and we would have to really consider him. I wasn’t in favour of getting another small forward on but he has won me over. 
Kossie and him would be a nightmare for other teams defences. Even with his small frame I’d expect him to have a big impact at AFL level next year. 
If Kossie continues to spend more time in the middle then it would make even more sense. 
I do agree with others that we would want to have another top 10 pick to draft for needs with our second one. 

I’ve seen him play in person. His height won’t be the biggest issue he always takes the tallest defender. He is very good at contesting with them, bringing it to ground and the kicking a snag.

[Sydee 4,684]

13 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

I reckon the Crows up tempo play comes far more from their excellent half backs and how hard their mids run, not to mention Dawson being the best mark/kick on baller in the league.

But Rankine certainly helps. And Rachele is classy too.

The thing about those guys is they both had games that were going to translate to AFL level and will eventually lead to midfield minutes.

With Watson I’m just worried he’s not tall, strong or quick enough to really become that level of player. 

Dawson behind the Bont if you ask me - really rate Dawson though 

[poita 3,945]

The hardest of hard passes for me. I don't care how good he is against players his own age, you'll never convince me that a 170cm player is worth a high draft pick. That's especially true when we have no young midfielders coming through, and ageing KPs and rucks. We have far bigger needs.

[Hawny for Gawny 465]

3 minutes ago, poita said:

The hardest of hard passes for me. I don't care how good he is against players his own age, you'll never convince me that a 170cm player is worth a high draft pick. That's especially true when we have no young midfielders coming through, and ageing KPs and rucks. We have far bigger needs.

I think Watson will be decent at AFL level but as you said he is at a disadvantage because of his height already and we have more important holes to fill.

[Nascent 9,345]

2 hours ago, poita said:

The hardest of hard passes for me. I don't care how good he is against players his own age, you'll never convince me that a 170cm player is worth a high draft pick. That's especially true when we have no young midfielders coming through, and ageing KPs and rucks. We have far bigger needs.

Gentle reminder that Kozzie was drafted at pick 12 standing 171cm.

Nick's had a far superior 2 years at junior level.

If you want a mid, agreed he's probably not your guy. Outside of Reid though I'm not convinced we will find the star mid that you're after. McKercher and Sanders probably the best mids to follow, but hard to get a good gauge when they played against such weak state teams that primarily filled their midfield with bottom agers.

My view is that players like Watson are infinitely harder to find.

[Matt 424]

11 hours ago, Garbo said:

Probably a late 1st at best or 2nd round pick, you never see a player or his height go early due to the perceived lack of upside, if we keep it more then likely we could get him with freos 2nd round pick 

Classic

[Supreme_Demon 4,144]

He certainly has talent does Nick "The Wizard" Watson.

Reminds me of a bit of a combination of Caleb Daniel and Jamie Elliott.

The big question is...what do the Melbourne Demons currently need to improve our list? 🤔

 

[dazzledavey36 56,346]

I've identified midfield depth as a concern for us.

But with North potentially getting an extra 1st round for compo this will push us back down a peg.

With saying that, unfortunately I believe that means we'll miss out on Duursma, Sanders and McKercher.

I think our next best option to at least improve our forward half is pocket rocket Nick Watson.

He's a 170cm small forward but don't be put off his height. The kid has some serious X factor and star factor. 

Last year he was pigeon-holed as a small forward, so recruiters wanted to see what his midfield capabilities were like. Didn't take him long until the Coates League round 3 against Northern Knights where he announced himself quickly that he's got the tools to step up and play midfield.

He had 34 disposals and kicked 2.3 in a complete dominant display. His numbers this year play as a high half forward/midfield have been incredibly strong. There has been comparisons to Nick Daicos when he's playing around the midfield with his ability to hit pin point passes and also weave his way in and out of traffic.

Not counting his championship games where he once again dominated especially his game against WA where he had 13 disposals and kicked 5 goals playing purely as a forward pocket and then another 4 goals against Vic Country.

His ability to play at a high level throughout his junior level and consistency is elite. 

If we were to pick him I can easily see a round 1 debut. X factor, speed, tackling pressure and ability to hit the scoreboard.

The kozzie/Wizard combo would generate some genuine excitement within fans and he's got that real strut and arrogance (in a good way) in the same way as a Tom Papley and Hayden Ballantyne which I think we've genuinely lacked over the years.

 

 

[Edm 104]

Would be a great addition, him and kossie could do some special things together, perhaps go all in on gc pick 4 and grab O’Sullivan too 

[Greg Schneider 1,018]

Feel like if dogs get pick 4 they might go after him, they’re on the lookout for a small forward, they’ve only got weightman and apparently keeping tabs on lohmann from Brisbane 

[dazzledavey36 56,346]

3 minutes ago, Lewis said:

Feel like if dogs get pick 4 they might go after him, they’re on the lookout for a small forward, they’ve only got weightman and apparently keeping tabs on lohmann from Brisbane 

Hmm good point.

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,383]

I just cant get my head around using our first pick on a 170cm player who appears to get a lot of his ball on the lead. My preference would be Duursma or McKercher but agree good chance they are not there. Would prefer us look at OSullivan or Caddy if we rate either in same talent band over the Wizard. The more I look at this draft and how it seems to become very vanilla very quickly I do wonder if we cant trade right up the top end whether we are more likely to try to trade for need or move picks into the first round of the 2024 draft.     

[Colm 2,204]

So much depends on what the AFL give North. It sounds more and more likely that they will get pick 3 for McKay which would be bad news for us as it pushes us out from pick 5 to pick 7 after GS take Walters. 
I think there’s now a clear top 6 in the draft this year as well- Reid, Walters, Curtain, Duursma, Mckercher and Watson so us moving back to 7 will really hurt. 
If we can get GS pick by trading up our current pick 5 or bundling up our other picks I would certainly take Watson if he’s still on the board. I’d rather Mckercher but would be delighted with either and O’Sullivan. 

[BW511 2,730]

Genuine question @dazzledavey36, how do you think he performs in our current setup?

I am 100% on board for his pace, skills and goal sense, just fear for the bloke when he’s working in a jam tin with 36 other bigger blokes on top of him.

Edited September 9, 2023 by BW511

[Greg Schneider 1,018]

Errol gulden went alright last night at 175cm. Kozzy 1cm taller than Watson, height won’t be an issue 

[Lord Travis 10,819]

Seems a likely bet for our first pick and we’re very interested.

[dazzledavey36 56,346]

8 minutes ago, BW511 said:

Genuine question @dazzledavey36, how do you think he performs in our current setup?

I am 100% on board for his pace, skills and goal sense, just fear for the bloke when he’s working in a jam tin with 36 other bigger blokes on top of him.

He's 3 centimetres shorter then Kade Chandler so I don't think height will be a factor at all.

Caleb Daniel is 168cm tall and so far has carved out a fine career playing over 150 games.

As you said, the fact that he's already got the speed, goal sense and skill level then I think that's good enough.

[Jjrogan 1,486]

Big yes. If we aren't going to change our game style or get more efficient users in the midfield, it stands to reason we need more players that can create something from nothing up forward.   Big kpf take several years to develop.  This kid could help us snag a few wins in 2024 and keep us right in the mix. 

[Nascent 9,345]

Just gonna leave this here 😉

 

 

 

[dazzledavey36 56,346]

45 minutes ago, Nascent said:

Just gonna leave this here 😉

 

 

 

Apologies Nas. 

Wasn't sure if there was a thread already 

[Fat Tony 5,337]

Can he take a hanger? It’s difficult to play as a deep forward without a leap against an AFL zone defence. 

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,383]

Yes there are players that make it work around that height but how many?  An then how many are you happy to risk a top 10 pick on. I have also read mixed assessments on whether it is thought it can translate to more than a small forward. If we take him then he passes the JT test and I am all in I just struggle to see it. 

[Lil_red_fire_engine 11,383]

1 hour ago, dazzledavey36 said:

He's 3 centimetres shorter then Kade Chandler so I don't think height will be a factor at all.

Caleb Daniel is 168cm tall and so far has carved out a fine career playing over 150 games.

As you said, the fact that he's already got the speed, goal sense and skill level then I think that's good enough.

I wouldnt take either of Kade Chandler or Caleb Daniel with a top 10 draft pick.