Skuit

A fellow Demonlander asked me a couple weeks back what I thought of the slated Watts' trade. I indicated that I didn't really care but would be happy enough to never have to think or hear about Jack Watts again. I was wrong. So so very so wrong. The wrongest I've ever been. It's apparent now that I'll never escape JW4 in my life-time. Leave/stay/go/join the circus/whatever: a whole generation or more of the Melbourne Football Club will be defined by Jack Watts. My generation. I'll still hear about Jack watts when I'm Old Dee's age. This makes me sad. (Insert sad-face emoticon).

As a proud supporter of the S&MFC: name them to me Stretch, oh please, name them to me again. (Paging @Bitter but optimistic).

Firstly, what a joy is it to pencil a mock team-sheet with Lever at your disposal. Hibberd Tmac Jetta Frost Lever Hunt Our starting back six as befitting our game-style: balanced but dynamic, hard at the ball, with aggressive rebound and the potential to be miserly. See ball, kill ball. Intercept/win the contest and go for broke. Tmac in a simplified defensive role with reduced offensive responsibilities (ahem, restricted offensive authority). He was good up front this year, especially in what we were missing in terms of leading forwards, but I get the sense it's either/or; when Tom is firing our A-plan is off and the rest of the front half isn't functioning. Also, he has a pretty poor turning-circle, and I don't think there's room for both he and Hogan in our intended pressurised set-up (with Pedo or Max thrown in as well). Available to pinch-hit when our system isn't working/we want to change it up. Not to forget: Tom was on AA track in the front half of 2015 in this role (until, admittedly, he was slaughtered by Cloke and lost his mojo), and he really was in fantastic form for spoils/intercept marks on the opposite number 1's. That was, until he took on the dual roles of both offensive and defensive marshal in the back-line. Yet, he and Lever could form quite the formidable duo, with Jetta being Jetta, and Frost for support with less defensive responsibilities. Frost ahead of Omac because he has greater weapons and adds an extra dynamic. Brayshaw (and Jones and Lewis) to rotate off HB with Salem shifted to a HFF (to take Watts' role? As Watts doesn't play tall, I'm not exactly sure he provides that Salem can't). Vince at Casey or forward of the ball. J. Smith our first back-up, and poor Wagner not to get a look-in. Sorry Josh. The rest I don't care about/or selects itself on form.

I had a small concern like this also Gonzo. But we've had a drip-feed of firsts through injuries and trading futures: Petracca and Hogan were a year late (Hoges an extra year for being underage and then perhaps considering this year - one again), Brashaw maybe two; Oliver and Wieds a year early - in essence I don't think we're starved of young talent. And the notion that we were potentially done with trading after Lever and Balic hit home a bit. We're fighting against equalisation: it's a cycle where veterans move out, clear cap, and you develop new young players. Every club has to go through it. But we've stock-piled the best young list in the league to break the cycle and have a one-two-three-year tilt. And now, those players have become genuine commodities. If we're squeezed on cap, we trade them out for value and hopefully continue the cycle from there to powerhouse status without a serious rebuild (a la Geelong/Sydney etc).

Hehe. Woke up in the middle of the night for the Lever deal, went to work for ten hours, came home, only to read that people are still complaining about spending overs for a future, consistent AA defender. This site has gone full-tilt. I speculated that we would accommodate the Crow's demand for paying two firsts while not spending a cent more than our original offer of 10 & 28 - so as to allow them to save face. This is exactly what has happened. What I failed to predict was that our own supporters would be duped by the 'two-firsts' hype and believe that we're the ones losing face. Forgetting everything else: it's a first and a first and a fourth for a first, second and third, with one of those firsts (hint: ours) being a genuine ready-to-go first and a known commodity with a couple years in the system. What the hell is the problem with that? Anyways, congrats to Josh and the team for once again showing we're on top the game while maintaining our good reputation and getting [censored] done.

Someone joked before about who we will play on Watts? The obvious jovial answer was Lever. But extend that a little bit further, and while we may be concerned he might go on to finally further develop and kick a bunch of goals for his new team (whether it be the kick in the ass/better delivery/or whatnot), is anyone really concerned about how we're going to cover him when named on the team-sheet vs. us? Do you really think he'll tear us apart? Search deep down, and I think the answer to this thread is already in your heart.

Nice take-down Spirit. The verbal equivalent of a 'don't argue'. But also yes, most definitely. They rode their tin-ass luck all the way to a topless premiership-medallion photo-shoot, but: If alone, in the slightest of sliding-doors moments, we had beaten them the way gods had intended before Jake Spencer brought his own bad karma, the finals rankings would have looked like this, with them having to front up for an elimination re-match against us: Adelaide Geelong GWS Port Sydney Richmond Melbourne Essendon Conclusion: see ya later RFC. They'll struggle to make finals next year.

So if Watts goes out, we'll suddenly have three second-round picks in a supposedly weak draft (and when we haven't participated in the second-round for half a decade)? Pick-swap. Our list space will give a clue as to which year.

Also, I doubt that story came to Roos through our footy department. So it came from the Watts' camp. Which probably means Jack just wasn't listening closely enough. Which is probably the very same reason we all find ourselves here today.

I'm going with all of a) and a fair dose of b) for a a full B.A. conclusion. 225 × 225 - forumserver.twoplustwo.com

Jesus what? Cale Morton was a 76 game veteran with the MFC and we traded him out for a packet of stale chips!? A first-rounder with a smooth boot and so much latent talent - no wonder our club nearly tore itself apart shortly after. I'm sure that with just another five years or so on the list Cale would have been on the verge of cracking a top-20 finish in the Bluey.

Sounds to me like a either a lack of preparation on Goody's behalf or that he perhaps shied away from the contest? Tsk-tsk.

Three consecutive six-day breaks including a trip to Perth to negate any positive effects we may receive from our bye followed by a regional backwater tour taking in Darwin, Hobart and Canberra over the course of a month? Too much to ask for?

Yes, I was assuming we win the flag with the 'ish' as a small concession. Did you catch any of the latest season? I don't really want to spoil the ending, and it wasn't a realistic twist, but the Richmond Football ended up as the premiers.

So, according to the article: Lever and 18 for 10 (2017) and 18ish (2018). Equals pick 10 (disregarding any supposed and speculative superdraft adjustments - arguably countered by cashing our currency now). Or, Lever and 18 for 10 and Watts (28ish - 2017) and 18ish (2018). Equals 10 and 28ish (with the above considerations). My guess: the Crows are looking to save face and want those 'two first-rounders' in at least name, even if equates to an overall poorer deal (scenario A). We will in turn accommodate their fragile grand-final choking egos to the utmost extent to which we were originally offering (the equivalent of 10 and 28 - scenario B) but look to turn this goodwill in our favour - perhaps by seeking a later pick from the Crows in addition. Yet, we will have put our own internal price on Watts - be it 20 from Geelong or 30 from Sydney, and will be happy enough to come out on top of the overall ledger - so it may seem we get a bargain or pay slight overs.

Pretty sure you don't stay married for 12 years unless you're a reasonably decent liar.

Not if I see back there first.

As a random aside, Shaun Rehn coached the Byron Bay under 14's while I was living there. But I don't imagine we'd get much more than a packet of organic quinoa chips and perhaps some tofu knives in a trade with them for jack.

@Petraccattack has every right to be annoyed. He was showered and shaved by 4am ready for the first day of trade week and the MFC once again failed to turn up until it was too late (9am).

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Qweaere doesn't even qualify as cromulent. I think that was your spell-checker taking offence rather than the censor

Just one good bail-hearing away.

And still the calibre of the original post would be an improvement to the coherence and rationality of the current-most Jack Watts thread . . .

Any word from the event @Supermercado to shed some light on where the great man has been hiding all these years? Looks too healthy to have been expatting in Angeles.

You can just about extend that to the whole JT era. 2012 Dawes pick 20/pick 26 reserved for Jack Viney.