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I have just signed up to share with you all some information I have learned this morning As a Dees supporter on the Gold Coast with links to the Suns, found out that the Suns and the Power are doing a deal to help Power get a pick to us for Jack Watts. All centres around the Suns Pick 21 being up for grabs if the Suns can get more draft points to help with an academy selection when they get to their Pick 24. And Power with Pick 31 and 34 help them get an extra 260 points. As it stands, this deal is on the table and will be close to signed off tomorrow or Tuesday: Melbourne GAIN - Pick 21 LOSE - Watts and Pick 66 Port Adelaide GAIN - Watts and Pick 66 LOSE - Pick 31 and 34 Gold Coast Suns GAIN - Pick 31 and 34 LOSE - Pick 21 This deal is extremely fair i think and very shrewd as everyone wins here based on these principles - GCS want draft points, and 31 and 34 is more valuable than 21 - Dees get a very high 2nd round pick (21) for Watts. Send pick 66 to Power which they wont use anyway as they have just 3 list spots left and will take 21, 29 and 36 to the draft after trading 47 to Freo for Balic - After giving up 31 and 34, Port want a later pick back so they can have enough decent picks to make their 3 compulsory draft selections. These will be Pick 49, 62 and our 66. With Watts, Rockliff and Motlop and still these 3 picks, a great trade period for the Power. I know people may or may not believe me, but I have got this info via the Suns and sharing it on this forum wont affect the deal going through in the next 24 - 48 hours as no other clubs are in the discussion for Watts anymore.. Only sticking point will be if Suns want to keep 21 and put 24 into this deal instead and hope their academy player can get done with their Pick 26 that they have as well. It is the final piece of the puzzle in discussion apparently but it will be 21 or 24 for Watts. What do we think Dees supporters?? *** Personally, pick 21 or 24 is fair for Jack. We paid 23 for Vince, 31 for Hibberd and 30 for Melksham who are all the equal or better players than Watts and were similar ages when traded.

I just want to say that Jack did not come back to pre season under done, in fact he came back in the same shape as 2016 which was good, he had a great year. His 3 k time trial was his best ever, you can check it. All his other figures were good too. He came back with blue hair which was a mistake and put him I all the papers which [censored] off Goody. He went to Byron on a Tuesday night, Wednesday was a day off, got back Wednesday night. Missed no rehab. He did extra sessions every week. It's a furphy. Jack is not like Viney, Jones or Macca, he doesn't live breath football 24/7, he is a normal person like 80 percent of the team but he loves MFC and will be sad to go but he will. I don't know how many of you would have thought we would dream of trading Jack after round 13 this year

I am actually getting sick of this. I happen to really like Jack and hoped he would stay. I would still be happy if he did. I along with Whispering Jack was at Southport Footy ground some 8 or so years ago, where Jack was playing in a practice match. The crowd was giving it to Jack as a high draft pick and I was screaming out encouragement to Jack from my position at the interchange area on the fence and was baiting the crowd all game. Every kick or handball that Jack had I turned around to the crowd and baited them about how good he was. Jack couldn't help but notice, as I screamed at him every time he came off, that he was killing them and they didn't like it and he was thrilled with the support and came over to us as soon as the game ended and chatted. That was the first of many chats I have had with Jack over the years. He became one of my favourite Demons. On a fan day like Luna Park, I always made a beeline for Jack with my grand daughter to spend a few minutes with him. He has always remembered me and been happy to chat. I have supported him when other Dees fans have attacked him and wanted him gone over the years. I still support him. However I support the MFC more than Jack. As a result of a decision made by the FD, not me, I have reluctantly accepted that Jack is probably leaving. I acknowledge there is probably not much I can do about that decision. I am trying to support the FD of my club and the club. I think I have been reasonable in my comments towards Jack. I put up a list of players that the FD would probably value more than Jack, obviously correct since they are not being offered elsewhere and didn't include future players like Weid and made no other comment. You can disagree with that list if you wish to. However, I have never shown dislike of Jack. I will not boo him at his next club and in fact wish him well, unlike number 9 of GWS. I think you owe me an apology. PS. I note you are knocking other MFC players on that list. Interesting.

I don't post here very often but this appalling post has motivated me to do so. I don't think any of us here know the full extent of this story so for you to come out and attack Mahoney's and Goodwin's character in defence of Watts, using his apparent 'loyalty' as an excuse - is really poor. He has been a well paid employee over this time and appears to be (see how I don't portray this as fact?) the type of character who was happy to go along for the ride, or do the easy thing. You have no idea if Jack has always had the best interests of the MFC at heart. Zero idea. If he did, he certainly had a strange way of showing it by in my view picking and choosing when to perform. The one thing we have been told is that after 9 years and 150 games, his inconsistency cannot be tolerated any longer. Given we failed as a club this year due to inconsistency (was not rd23's fault, not Adelaide's fault, but the losses to NM x2,freo,haw that stood between us and top 4 - let alone finals), i think that whether they are right or wrong on Jack it is clear they are trying to address why we came up short. That is their role and they should not be attacked for it or have their motives questioned. Personally, I had held some hope he would stay and turn it around, but his little video he has released eroded that hope and replaced it with anger. Lovely for him to respond to a young concerned supporter yes, but to use that as a chance to overlay a swipe at the club and go on to essentially pisstake the club (my interpretation, others may differ) left me furious. How many other 26/27 year old 150 game players would release that when moving clubs? Compare to Jarman Impey's message to PA supporters - classy and gracious. Jack's approach to me is childish and immature. Perhaps that is why he is so well loved, perhaps it is also why he's always been inconsistent. There have been a few other indicators of this over the journey. Do keep in mind Paul Roos was in a highly fortuitous position during his tenure. He was to be judged only a little on wins, moreso observed cultural change. He needed to build mateship and unity - I have little doubt Jack is top notch in these areas. We are through that stage and now need to break the ceiling. Evidently the FD think Jack, who appears to have developed so poorly and slowly on field and arguably (per video) off it, is not the best exponent of the breakthrough year. Whether we make top 4 next year will have nothing to do with Jack, and him thriving elsewhere will not mean this was a bad decision.

We recruited Jack to be the next Nick Riewoldt. I'll guarantee had he worked as hard on and off the field as Nick he'd be our number 1 forward while we wait for Hogan to fulfill his potential. The fact he's a lazy 3rd forward sums up exactly why we're moving him on for peanuts. Sure he's a good guy and sure most of us like him but I want a flag not a nice 3rd tall to help us finish 2nd

I think Jack Watts is a mixture of Nick Riewoldt and Lucas Cook.

It's fine. These things happen.

Can we please kill this thread and start again?

Hogan Viney Petracca Gawn Jones Jetta Hibberd Hunt Tom Mac Brayshaw Oliver Salem Garlett Pedo Tyson ANB Lever

Aspects I don't believe: - JW 'ramped' up his partying to unacceptable levels after his injury - The FD decided to trade him after a supposed trip to Bondi - JW is a 'culture killer' Aspects I do believe: - JW reacted in the negative to an unflattering exit interview - The FD was frustrated at the reaction and decided to shop him around - The coach and co-captain did themselves no favours by refusing to play a straight bat to FAQ around JW - The FD has every right to move on any player for any reason acceptable to the board. - JW is a very popular player at the club, but that the Leadership Group fully endorses the move of the FD - The FD is moving him on because they are intent on creating the frenzied defensive pressure that just won the tigers are surprise flag The truth is usually in the banality of the wearing of everyday relationships, the dithering of those that refuse to accept hard truths, and the hamfisted approach of people who are new to critiquing players in a public sphere where only the 30 seconds you spent talking about JW is the only thing selected from your 30 minute appearance. I think all people can move on knowing they tried to do the right thing and didn't quite get that execution correct but that their red and blue heart was in the right place.

What's wrong with burgundy? White, by the way.

Helping us march onwards and upwards to the triple ton. C’mon D-Landers, let’s do this! Jack Watts. An enigma. And one whose plight provokes an enigmatic and emotional response from so many of us. My 2 cents. Seven years of either ordinary or inconsistent footy - punctuated by flashes of excellence generally around contract renewal time - and then one and a half years (2016-17) of sustained decent stuff, the latter almost befitting of a no.1 draft pick (yes, we can’t ignore the significance of that investment and the burdensome expectations it has brought - on him, the club and, in a funny way, on all of us). Over the 9-year ‘journey’ (the most hackneyed word at the MFC right now), I must admit I had hoped for more from the blond-haired man in the red and the blue. Do we, the MFC, owe him anything for his loyalty (and popularity) and efforts? I have this nagging feeling it’s the other way round - that he owes us a few more years of his best footy. Clearly, we’re not gonna get that. Maybe we never would have. On over half a million bucks a year, from all reports. Not a bad gig. He’ll be alright, wherever he goes. As to the increasingly eyebrow-raising comparisons in this gargantuan thread - Watts v T Lynch, Watts v A Goodes and, heaven help us, Watts v R Flower - let’s not trespass into the realm of absurdity. Having been fortunate enough to see a lot of Tulip in the last 7-8 years of his career, I’m afraid to say that JW’s absolute best does not come close. There are no similarities. None. If one could quantify and personify Robbie’s pace, grace, flair, determination, courage both in the air and on the ground, evasive skills - skills in general, the whole bloody suite - they would be like a colossus to JW’s garden gnome.

199 pages... one of the most emotive posts ever. Port get Jack Watts in exchange for a packet of chips and MFC pays for the chips. Weak MFC. Goodwin and Mahoney talk about Character and Standards. They have eroded theirs and MFC more than Watts ever could or did. Surely they should disciplined Watts or taken on the challenge to again get the best out of Watts. Roos did. Instead they market Watts as a disruptive fickle type. Really!! Watts has been loyal when others like Scully & Frawley walked away. Watts has always had the best intent for MFC. Others have made decisions to move on club favourites. Woewodin. Spalding. Green. J-McDonald. Those decisions all failed and eroded club, player and supporter morale. It’s salary cap and personalities that have led to this. I am looking for top 4 in 2018. Goodwin has the players to deliver it. It’s his acid test.

That’s what has been happening since he has been at our club Sue. I have never seen one player under so much scrutiny and it’s absolutely disgusting. Also trading jack is a bad enough decision but if we pay part of his wage too then that just shows how desperate and pathetic the club is to get rid of him. This whole saga makes us look like a bunch of amateurs.

Named in our best. Don't blame him for our insipid display.

The keep/trade Watts camps have made their points abundantly clear. But by all means, keep telling us your opinion, thrilling reading.

The whole time you've been on this forum you've hinted at some secret "truth" that you won't explicitly say. You are fast presenting yourself as being completely full of hot air. It is well time to put up, or...

I like to do dance workouts.

Some pre-draft reading for those who want to know more about Balic. You'll note that they all have him well below the pick 38 he went at due to concerns over his scaphoid injury. Snoop Dog Pick 13 Adelaide - Harley Balic (Sandringham Dragons / 186cm / 80kg) Lovely looking player who just glides around the park and looks pretty effortless. Basketball background and has that spacial awareness, time and poise kids from that background often have. Does all things pretty well but its his work rate that I like. Clean at the stoppages and very sure with his hands. Ball use is good and he is very good in the air. Has played HF and HB as well but I think he will start more as a HF type who when they body is right will push up. His ability to do special things is evident and he could be attacking near goal. Why: Be a nice addition to the Crows mids but you could realistically see so many kids in this spot. Burton could be but I think he will be there at the next. Bonner as well is a type they want but with Seedsman and Hampton they may be covered. Knightmare Pick 17. Harley Balic (VIC – MID/FWD) Height: 186cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 05/01/1997 Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons Reminds me of: Poor man’s Jackson Macrae Brief bio: Balic has some tricks and plays with that basketballer several other recent draftees have. Balic stands out most with his decision making ability and vision with ball in hand. He consistently chooses the right option and often finds some really damaging targets. In terms of execution while he has the vision and decision making ability by hand and foot it can be a mixed bag as sometimes he will hit his targets, and other times miss. Similarly finishing from set shots and field kicks at goal further improvement is required as he lacks consistency in front of goal. He is also more of a short-medium distance kicker as someone with only average penetration. A further strength of Balic’s is his strength of marking overhead with his leaping ability making him a threat in the air which gives him potential to play forward of centre. Athletically Balic is good overall. He is not a linebreaking threat but moves well, has strong endurance and excellent leaping ability. As a contested ball winner Balic at this stage is not a factor as someone who is a receiver at this point. Emma Quale Pick 22 (Sandringham Dragons. 187cm. 82kg) Smooth-moving midfielder who gets involved all over the ground. The rationale: The Roos have a strong crew of inside midfielders. Balic would provide a point of difference. He can move through all three parts of the ground and slides easily through traffic. Big Footy Phantom Draft Pick 8 Gold Coast At the moment Harley is a talented prospect who has a lot of upside. His performances have been good this year and he has really improved this year. You look at some of the good afl players and a lot of them have had draft years where they have really improved. I look at Harley and see a kid who has a ton of improvement left and has the potential to be a very good midfielder. His awareness is excellent, he has time with the ball, good vision and makes good decisions. He is an above average athlete yet not elite and he moves well. The upside is his disposal is improving and he is good above his head. He wins clearances yet not at a great level yet, he is not soft and is strong over the ball. He finds the ball well and his ball use improved. He is not an elite kick, they float a little and he is not proven as a mid so he is a risky pick. He does have the tools to be an A grade player. I was hoping Francis or Parish slid to this pick but alas it was not to be. Lemming Pick 8. Harley Balic - VM (186.0 cm, 80.0 kg - Midfielder) Reminds me a little of a younger Mundy. Looks like he is only going at half pace and you want him to look more active. He has grown on me as a player. (He may get adjusted down in my rankings at some point) Yabadoo Pick 18- st.kilda The saints are crying out for midfielders, and I can see Balic developing into a smooth moving classy midfielder. Will start his career as a high half forward and build up his tank. Strong overhead.

Still getting the blood off my clothes. Never heard kids squeal like that.

Please do not compare trading Jack Watts to de-listing James McDonald. One was a heart and soul captain who squeezed every bit of talent out of his body. The other is a highly talented, but flakey player who doesn't seem to understand what is required to be a top AFL player.

Coming in here from the JW thread is like going for a sunday drive into the country side from the busy city.

He had a very good 2016 and the first half of 2017 before injury. The Collingwood QB game was a highlight of his career and the Dees’ last 11-15 years. I think he should stay, commit and progress. I’ll be disappointed if he goes to the bodies in the barrels area just because he had a few beers.

So now herald sun journos are tweeting that Jack didn't have a dig at the club about getting rid of a good kick, he was replying to a little kids video. Well journos maybe before u type a headline actually check the footage first so then Jack doesn't cop unnecessary bashing online.

Well presented and very interesting. I do sincerely apologise Redleg for my comment about your apparent dislike for Jack. It seems i was very wrong on this one.I guess the thought of losing such a class player and not really understanding why has led to my low opinion of Goodwin and the FD. I am really disappointed in their actions on this one. I too love the Demons ( have for over 60 years) and can't work out the logic of their call. Time will tell I guess. As for knocking other MFC players though I really can't see where I did this but no matter. Cheers.

Is it just me or does it look like the Motlop compo is set up to help get GAJ back to the [censored]'s den?

Such a sad video posted of a young fan who loves Jack Watts asking him to stay and that he wear number 4. He thinks Jack is the best kick in the team. Jack's reply is that MFC don't value kicking and that the lad may need a new jumper next year, it clearly isn't in jacks hands and he is being pushed. I know at clinics lots of kids wear number 1, 11 and 4 so I can picyure lots of sad kids

Great to see you're taking the Pol Pot ground zero approach in wanting to remove all history of Jack Watts from the MFC. Did he nick your gf SFebey? You're overly damning on him and relentlessly so.

Would have been pick 19 if we won the premiership. I'm ok with a lower placed team getting compensation for a good player leaving. It stands to reason that they aren't very good because they have less good players. Less about what the player is worth as an individual and what the loss of that individual means to the team overall. Of course Buddy is worth more than pick 19 in isolation, but the Hawks as a team were clearly more than capable of dealing with his loss.

One thing I am sure of is that those who are keen to remove Watts will always be prooved right. If Watts performs well at another club it will be because he needed this gigantic kick up the posterior which would never had happened with us. If he is no good, it will also be proof they were right. But imagine this forum if Watts stayed. The detailed criticism he'd be subjected to every week would make these 204 pages look like a mere blip.

Post more, please. We need more posts of this type and quality.

This is total bs. You have no idea. The guy that turned martin around was choco Williams. He was virtually a full time minder. Wasn't hardwicks coaching...

Not really

Yes trade him while he's playing good footy but bad mouth him so we get SFA in return.Good plan.And my point re Flower was about tackling and defensive effort-thats it.But in retrospect RF played in teams that could actually kick a drop punt to him whereas Watts leads go ignored in favour of a turnover kick.

#Bestinthebizzy. I’ll be back Monday, will a big trade be broken wide open then?

Not sure why that is, but we are very lucky to have @Ethan Tremblay aka @ETthetradebreaker whos the best in the business

I wonder if all your 8300 previous posts are as idiotic as this one

Have you considered publishing a coffee table best of book of deleted demonland posts?

A question I have never asked to this point in my life. What colour shoes do you wear with a burgundy suit? Not sure Jack has answered correctly.

They’ve probably been given 19 on the basis it’s on traded for Ablett. This will be to help GCS.

I had a bit to do with him at the bushies.. He is a very very talented prospect, but he's struggled living up there due to leaving his mother all of a sudden who's brought him up single handedly after the sad passing of his father. He was extremely home sick last year.. Probably the closest thing next to a Tom Lynch. Has that huge reach of arms that when given the opportunity and his confidence is up, he will just clunk em all day! Also note that him and Clayton OLIVER are best friends and have been since primary school. I know it's not a factor but if he did come to the Dees then I personally think we'll see the best of him! Trained at the Dees as part of his AIS program too, so Jason Taylor will already have a good insight into him.

In the end I will trust the coach and his side-kicks to make the call. As a young coach you only get a couple of years to influence and change the list before the performance of the team directs whether you stay (can coach) or go. As Goodwin heads into his second year at the helm he has decided Watts's character is not a good role model for the way he wants the team to perform. I didn't want Jack to go but I applaude Goodwin for having a go. It's his time, it's his arse on the line and I hope like hell he's done the right thing.

I only hope the truth actually does come out. I don't know how people can claim that his partying is at another level. The question I have is if Jacks partying If it was then surely the media would have been coming up with all the stories about his partying - Jack couldn't possibly hide his 'partying' ways in this town. So until I read a piece about Jack being found on the grog or p155ed in public I'll reserve my opinion. I assume he is allowed to have a good time when he goes out though. And that as long as he's not on the [censored] then it doesn't really matter how much he's going out. I'm sure he has a good time when he does go out because he loves being around others. It's obvious. And I expect that if there's anything on then Jack is likely to be invited because he actually has a way of making others feel good about themselves. Lastly, I'm not so sure about 'poor application'? With my Sherlock Holmes hat on there's another question that can be asked here.........if the footy club wanted to move Jack 'Bambi' Watts on (say somebody at MFC just didn't like the way Jack went about his footy - which I'm ok with, they have the right to make that decision), a player that it seems many supporters have a different kind of 'love' for, then how might they best go about rounding up some support for the slaughtering of 'Bambi'? Just asking the question. Hahahaha. Did any one else hear the Ox on SEN during the last week, when discussing a topic with Mike Sheahan (which wasn't about Jack). He quite strongly put forward the notion that you can be pretty well assured that most anything you hear from footy clubs is probably a lie. They just put out the story that they want you to hear. And he agreed with Mike that he had in fact told plenty of porkies to the media in his playing days. Personally, I can't wait until the truth comes out. And I would be surprised if it comes from Jack (in the media). Rather, I think you will find it will come from one of the players - sooner or later.

I vote for this as the best post of the 200 pages.

here are a few similarities between RF and JW. Both loved the club and signed on in dark times despite more attractive offers. Both have sublime foot skills on both sides of the body. Both could play in a number of positions Both played in terrible teams but my argument was that in RFs time the players kicking to his vicinity could at least kick a drop punt that allowed Robbie to leap at the ball with some certainty. In an era when have had deplorable foot skills, JW has had no hope of knowing where the ball will go next. For what ever reason,JW has been smart enough to hang outside the contest when we often swarm into the contest like flies.

The more I hear about Jack the more I understand how it has come to this. His partying is at another level and his application is poor. He is also a victim of his own popularity in that he is highly influential with the younger players. Also it seems he is quite immature and has no insight into how his behaviour may be impacting on his performance. As much as I like him he has to go. I only hope the deal is reasonable.

You're kidding yourself. The bloke is now the difference between us and a flag? I am assuming that is what is the conclusion of 'instrumental, logical, and positive' things would be? We need to beat teams like Freo at home, NM beat us twice, and in the biggest game in a decade we start like that against Collingwood? We are fast running out of excuses and are about to be plum out of scapegoats come Monday. I hope Nate Jones and the boys are ready for the real acid in 2018. I expect top 4 and I expect to win or be beaten by an amazing team.

Agree 100% Guy is simply showing his disappointment with a smile. I reckon he would be a cracking bloke to hang out with. A veritable Mr Popular, and not at all unlikeable. He is simply a victim of our Coaches quest for a Premiership. Bloody shame.

We can disagree on this point. I just don’t agree with it. I would rather play JW at Casey and pay his wage than pay for him to play for Port Adelaide. Or thirdly get Watts and Goodwin together in a room and say ”sort this sh!t out, and do not emerge till you have”

Annnnnd I’m out.