rpfc

I think in all the hoopla over the amazing spring and athleticism of Natinui it is lost on most the apparent athleticism of Watts. He isn't some man-child schlub dominating over boys, he is 17 playing in every position fwd of, and including, the centre line. Natinui could be a forward, Watts IS a forward.

You shouldn't let the marketing department make recruiting calls. He's Fijian, has a leap, is athletic, and has crazy hair. Great. If he doesn't develop into an A grade footballer it is a wasted pick, no matter the extra excitement he will bring for a short time. Watts is a bottom age player who looks like he can play CHF, FF, Wing or all three (Richo). I have argued that Naita could do the same, but one is a great footy player and the other is an great athlete learning to play footy. I'm gonna ignore the Cousins rubbish.

To those who want to try and offer more than Carltank I am not so sure. I don't want to pay 1.3m over 3 years to an unproven, albeit promising, beanpole ruckman. I don't want to go after someone who has a brother playing for us and yet still seems reticent to play for us. I don't want to trade a pick in the top 30 for him. Get him in PSD if it breaks down but let's get the right blokes for the right deals.

Hate having co-captains, and Miller needs to string two good years together. Let him concentrate on taking marks and kicking goals. He's getting better though.

They were both on $500k, deal with it people. You have to pay the money to someone... Makes sense they are on this much.

Didn't have pre-season, battled hard. Promising tall forward, signed on till 2010. Next.

Disposal lets him down but gets a pass mark for the year because he was coming back from injury. Commitment cannot be questioned. Persist with.

What makes someone troll? I don't get it at all. Is it low self-esteem? A desire to be the centre of attention? Or maybe it is the erroneous belief that your opinion is unchallengeable and a 'truth' that just has to be heard? Just get off the computer, go ouside, look up at the stars, take a breath, and try and do more with your life.

He came second in the B+F at 19. He was tagged mercilessly at 20. He will be 21 at the start of next year. He will be at Melbourne at the start of next year. I cannot believe that the hand-wringing on this site has led to "We should trade a promising 20 year old because he struggled being the most tagged midfielder in the worst team in the comp."

Checker Hughes used to say 'for every inch over 6 foot, you have to wait a year.' So what if we have to wait, we have time. I don't know when this 'midfielder mentality' arrived in our game but they win the Brownlows, the win the MVP awards, and fans think they are more important than a 194cm forward target with skills and as much potential to be great than any other player in the draft. I don't claim to be an expert, or have any inside knowledge, but I know football. If their even in potential, go tall Barry. Go tall, Barry.

Up there with Garland and Warnock as most improved. As a wingman, he is value. I can't say enough about the way he plays his footy - fearless and bold. We would be better off if more played like this bloke.

You don't pick the best player right now, you pick the kid you think will become the best player. It's an important distinction in the wake of Palmer adjudged the 'best player' of last years draft while Cotchin, Kreuzer, Morton and probably others will be better players in the long run judging from what i have seen in their fledgling careers. Watts is 17, thin, 194cm, AA full fwd for his age, and in Yr 11. He is also playing the toughest position on the ground - CHF. He is a different player than Rich, of course, and most reports say that Rich is a tough, polished performer. But don't tell me it isn't a gamble either way. And when they are this close, you always go tall. It's like affirmative action for people over 6 foot 4.

Is it school holidays already?! Wouldn't bother answering that nonsense.

I reckon they all look like training jumpers. Personally, the white shorts with the red jumper looks awful, I don't mind the white idea. Has historical relevance on its side aswell.

Jeez, calm down. But you're absolutlely right, great players should be trusted implicitly to become great coaches. A great example would be Premiership coach Tim Watson - Great player, greater coach.

Watts would do more for our forward line than Rich for our midfield.

Rare quality?! You give Brent Guerra too much credit. He is awful, but plays a role in the Clarkson gameplan and looks like a world beater. Don't give me this defeatist attitude that we cannot play this way because we don't have the talent. We should aim to play this way and mould our personnel around it.

Who is Rich going to kick it to for a decade? Get Watts and build an even hardworking midfield to get the ball to him in a few years time.

We should threaten WCE with this deal and then swap picks with them for a sweetener. They secure Rich and we get Watts at 2 with a little something on the side. But deals like these never happen, clubs don't trust other clubs to do what they say they are going to do.

What a thread. The opening post had a blatant contradiction and some replies were pure rubbish. The kid is 17, he is a CHF, and who gives a flying firetruck if he isn't available to play much until he is 19. We are the worst team in the comp, we can wait for him to become a gun. By the way, picking someone because it will keep the fans from whingeing is a ridiculous idea. Just delete the thread already, save some embarrassment.

A telling moment in the game came when we were stuffing around with the ball across the backline and the defensive wings with the usual culprits - Green, Bruce, White, Jones, Carroll, Wheatley, and Batram - just kicking it sideways waiting for someone to take the game on and one Simon Buckley dashes in between a few players and hits a target in the fwd line. The telling moment was Matty Whelan giving him a little clap, as if to say "well done kid, that's the gameplan." He plays bold Simon Buckley. The other players belie their arrogance off the field with their meekness on the field, and it's frustrating. The meek may inherent the earth, but they don't win footy games. Bailey has got instill some inner confidence to follow his bold gameplan of run and carry.

Thank Jeebus it's over. Awful end to the season as well. I really hope Bailey kills them in the gym and the track over summer, they deserve it. Positives out of the year would be the 180 degree turnarounds from Garland, Warnock, Miller, Buckley, Johnson (both) and to lesser extent Sylvia, Dunn, and Jamar. Two of the three wins were particulary special with the Freo game in the top 10 moments watching the Dees at the G for me. Developing players to hope for next year continuing their good start to their careers would be Morton, Grimes, Maric, Martin, Wonaeamirri, and Valenti. Alternatively, form reversals needed for Jones, Batram, Bate, Frawley, Bell, Meesen, and Newton. And an absence of injury required for McLean, Petterd, Moloney, Robertson, Rivers, and Davey. No reason to despair for next year and the future, but after last week you are forgiven for being a little, only a little, despondent.

No he has not ruled out trading any senior player, read some of the others in the thread who disagree. Rogue is spot on, and I harp on this every week it seems, senior players are expendable because they have value and they will not be around to win a flag for the Melbourne Football Club! Why anyone would be so desperate to keep the 'senior' 'leaders' around a club that has won 8 of the last 44 games is beyond me... Vulnerable to trade because they will not be around for our 'window': Bruce, Green, Wheatley, and Carroll.

Beamer was placed in the leadership group when they changed it mid-season. Not entirely sure, but I think he was placed in the group even after his shoulder ended his year. That kind of respect gets you patience with the coaching staff. I am not convinced that we cannot keep all 5 of those players long term. McLean - RR, Jones - Rover, Grimes - HBF, Moloney - IC, and Valenti in the 25. Injuries take their toll, personally I don't want them to get rid of any of the 5. But I hope Valenti agrees to another year on the RL and comes in for Macca so we can take pick 35 in the ND.

I got the impression he was not going to trade FOR senior players. And of coourse he is not going to say that senior players are on the market, it will unsettle everyone and dent his plans.