warren dean

You make good points, but as you point out Wattsy was a schoolboy footballer when drafted. The comparisons I was trying to make re stats was more about games played than seasons, but I take your point about preseasons. Brown in 2000 played in a very good team and was carried for much of it, after playing against men. In 2001 he played in an exceptional team with other big strong bodies (Bradshaw and Lynch) around him and a brilliant mid-field. Watts will never have that luxury - well not as a 20 year old anyway. Like you, I believe he will at least be a very good player. And like others have mentioned here, he doesn't look any more out of place than guys like Frawley and Garland did early on. The difference is,of course, he went number 1. You, like me were a very keen for the Dees to take him 1 at the time. With a couple of years to reflect would you go for anyone else now? I think Hill currently looks the best from the 2008 draft, but I'd still take Jack.

Yep I could have but I was more interested the very top end draft picks or guys who would have been but for f/s. I know you are a keen student of the game so you would recall how out of their depth many of these guys looked early on as well.

Don't want to start a new thread on Watts but I think this puts his performances into some perspective, especially bearing in mind that he has played in the forwardline for all 9 senior games and in only one win: JW - 2009 3 games Ave 9 disposals, 3 marks, 2 goals; 2010 6 games Ave 11.2 disposals, 3.3 marks, 4 goals. Laclan Hansen - 2007 3 games, Ave 6 disposals, 2 marks, 0 goals; 2008 10 games Ave 13.3 disposals, 5.3 marks, 4 goals Josh Kennedy - 2006 9 games Ave 5.8 disposals, 3.6 marks, 5 goals; 2007 13 games Ave 7.5 disposals, 3.8 marks, 6 goals Travis Cloke - 2005 15 games, Ave 9.9 disposals, 3.5 marks, 10 goals Jonathon Brown - 2000 13 games, Ave 9.5 disposals, 3.6 marks, 5 goals Nick Riewoldt - 2001 6 games, Ave 9.5 disposals, 4.3 marks 2 goals Matthew Pavlich - 2000 18 games, Ave 12.1 disposals, 4.3 marks, 14 goals Justin Koschitzke - 2001 20 games, Ave 11.6 disposals, 4.5 marks, 2 goals (Rising Star winner) David Schwarz - 1991 6 games, Ave 9.2 disposals, 2.7 marks, 7 goals Scott Gumbleton - 2010 13 games 10.2 disposals, 4.9 marks, 16 goals. Disposals and marks are averages goals are total per season. As you can see there is nothing much to be concerned about with Watts. Statistically he is on a par with most high draft picks who are KPP's. Playing forward line in a team that isn't much good is hard work even for established players. He'll get there.

Disagree. Thought he was very serviceable. Plenty of blokes made errors today. His field kicking was generally very good and moved well into his marks today.

11 possies and 6 marks as well as a goal. Got lost once in the last quarter and slipped over early but pretty impressive I thought. His field kicking and goal kicking both highlights. No need to worry about this bloke!

Jamar Moloney Garland Davey Scully Bartram

Yep, PJ at casey too. If Jones doesn't play it'll be Bennell back in.

Cheney won't be playing -he is played for Casey today - and doing very well!

Born in January 1987 so he was 20 for that season. Career average stats are: Career Season Averages Year Team Games Kicks Handballs Disposals Marks Goals Behinds Tackles Hitouts Frees For Frees Ag. Brownlow 2010 Hawthorn 7 11.0 5.7 16.7 4.3 3.1 2.7 3.4 0.4 1.1 1.7 2009 Hawthorn 21 8.9 6.1 15.0 5.2 3.2 2.2 2.3 0.4 1.0 1.9 0.19 2008 Hawthorn 25 12.3 3.0 15.3 6.3 4.5 3.5 2.0 0.2 1.1 3.0 0.91 2007 Hawthorn 22 9.1 4.2 13.3 5.6 3.3 2.8 2.2 0 0.8 2.0 0.25 2006 Hawthorn 14 7.0 4.1 11.1 3.8 2.2 0.6 1.8 0.1 0.6 1.8 0.36 2005 Hawthorn 20 7.0 3.6 10.6 3.8 1.0 0.6 2.0 0 0.8 1.3 0.05 Career 109 9.3 4.3 13.6 5.0 3.0 2.2 2.2 0.2 0.9 2.0

I actually like both of our clash jumpers and I think they are probably the best clash guernseys in the comp. They are also huge sellers judging by the number of them I see in the crowd at each game.

In the Bailey era, the only Victorian team we have defeated is Richmond. 2008 we beat Brisbane, Fremantle and West Coast (all at the G); 2009 Richmond, Port Adelaide, West Coast and Fremantle (all at the G) and this year Adelaide, Richmond, Brisbane and Port (3 at the G and one in Darwin). Just thought that was interesting!

If my memory serves me correctly, Watts actually played the majority of his junior footy as an onballer (certainly often played as a midfielder with the Dragons). He came to most outsiders attention as a key forward through the U18 carnival in 2008 with a couple of really dominant performances. It may be worth giving him a run up the ground in bursts. Our forward line structure was not good today and as many posters have said we had very few forward line winners. The ball usage of senior players like Moloney was diabolical in the first half and certainly didn't help. I still believe Watts has what it takes and in time will prove so. Lachie Hansen went at number 3 in 2006 and only now is he consistently demonstrating the form North fans would have been hoping for. Be patient.

Love for Jack Watts on "One Week At A Time". Walls pointed out that we get to see Nic Nat's 2 highlights per week adnauseum but Watts provides a dozen quality possessions per week. Quartermain also a wrap for Watts, and pointed out Nic Nat's current average of 1 mark per game!

Welcome and you are right. I am sure Miller will be back next week to provide some support. I have seen Watts and Miller play together on the Casey forward line twice this year and Miller has actually been quite good at blocking and creating space for Watts, especially in the Coburg game this was very noticeable. It'll be interesting to see how they go together at the next level.

I think you are wrong. Flower and Lyon were very good captains who weren't hard men, and I'd struggle to find an occasion when Buckley was ever a tough man (the wiping the blood on Ling incident was just disgraceful). He was certainly an outstanding player who led through word and deed. Brent Moloney won't be our next Captain because as others have pointed out he will not be an automatic selection within a couple of years. As I see it there are four possibilities - 1. McDonald goes on for another year; 2. Green as a stop gap for a year or two; 3. Davey - who I can guarantee you loves the club as much as anyone, until the current young guns hit the 23-24 mark; or 4. Grimes, who is clearly one of the most outstanding young leaders at any club and would cope with responsibility next year, but may be better prepared by waiting a couple more years. The great thing at the moment is that for the first time in a long time there are a number of possibilities for leadership roles at the Club!

Was thinking the same myself. I thought Rivers was actually effective today in his role on Edwards. In fact I thought the whole defence battled manfully given the very poor effort from our midfield in the first half.

6 Davey - amazing ball use 5 Green - our only effective forward all day 4 Bartram - great job on Harvey 3 Grimes - racked 'em up in defence and generally used it well 2 Scully - loved his 3rd quarter run. One of the architects of the comeback. 1 Dunn - liked his game today. He kept at it.

Yep, trained well - looked sharp during the mid fielders drills with Scott West and Mark Williams. No hint of the groin injury.

Took the kids along this morning to Casey Fields. It is a great facility. Had a chat with a few of the blokes. Cale Morton was running laps (lots of them!). He came over and chatted with my 7 year old daughter who has the number 10 on her jumper and said he thought he'd be right to go in 4 weeks. Aussie was walking laps and said he had hoped to be running today but his hammy was still sore so it looks like he will still be a while. Liam was walking laps and did some bike work with Luke Tapscott. Liam said his shoulder is progressing well and he thinks he could be back 3 or 4 weeks earlier than first diagnosed. Jack Watts was moving quite well - didn't seem impaired in any way so would expectr he'd play at Casey on Saturday.

Rohan has been a great footy journo for a lot of years now. Although a bomber fan, he has written many very positive articles on the Demons going back to the Balme era. He has a soft spot for the Demons. It's good that he's bothered to write something like this - shows that we are still relevant in some writers' minds. And he is absolutely spot on. Underdone or not, the lack of effort of some of our senior players on Saturday was disgraceful.

You are correct Demon3. Lyon won his first b&f in 1990 playing mostly in defence. He was a very good CHB for a couple of years there.

He's the best coach we've had since Smith. Finals 5 years in a row, a GF and a very unlucky 3rd. Interstingly, I thought his best year was 1990, when we finished 4th and went out in disappointing fashion to the Eagles at Waverley. That year we went 16 and 6 which in most other years of the final 5 would have got us close to top, but ended up 4th on percentage. We beat top side Essendon twice (including at Windy Hill) and beat Hawthorn in back to back weeks (Round 22 and Elim final). The final win over them ended their run of successive Grand Finals which began in 1983. That was the year we were genuinely good enough to win it. His message did seem to begin to wear a bit thin after 1990, and we plodded into the finals the following year on the back of a great season from Stynes and the best half a season I've ever seen from any player in Allen Jakovich. By the end of 1992 we needed a rebuild and Northey took a better from the Tigers. He certainly gave me my best moments as a Demon fan - Round 22 87 and the next couple of weeks after that. There wasn't much acrimony at his departure - I remember there being quite a bit of excitement at the arrival of Neil Balme, who had a great record with Norwood and the Eagles in the SANFL.

Emma Quayle rated him at number 23 in her list of top 25 draft prospects the week before the 2007 draft. He was actually a bottom age player who had spent most of 2007 playing school footy. He is absolutely worth retaining on the list and will be, at least, a good AFL player.

http://www.senews.com.au/story/80607 Nice article on Tom in this weeks local Cranbourne paper. Mentions he is already mates with Blease and Watts.

Interesting that every Bomber fan will tell you about his great season and how he is worth all that and a bag of chips, yet he didn't make top 10 in their B&F!