P-man

Pretty much. For me I focus so much on the elite attributes that you mention, I probably have paid less attention to his kicking recently. Which is strange given it's the fundamental skill of the game. It's the circumstances in which he disposes of the ball that leads me to be more accepting of him just moving the ball forward, as when he's not under pressure he's generally pretty good. So I kind of roll my eyes when oppositon supporters talk down his kicking as though it's still this huge detriment. I acknowledge it's the weakest part of his game but as you say, how much it is holding him back is the question. As well as the scope for improvement. I think the Jones comparison is a valid one in terms of the gains he can make. I can also confirm that both hands were used for the writing of this post.

Anyhoo. Thanks to those who saw fit to provide a constructive response. It's healthy to take off the red and blue goggles now and then. A harder thing to do where JV is concerned.

Got an insight into what it would be like at the BnF. If he got on the turps it would be even better. He tends to flip between two approaches. One is cocky ("I make my teammates look good putting it down their throats"). The other is self deprecating ("I can't get a touch"). I prefer the cocky Gawny. I hope that's the one that would accept the award.

My main wish is a strong team performance with no injuries. But beyond that, I'm hoping to see Watts dominate moreso than a win. Particularly over in the west where he cops a fair bit from behind the fence.

Actually not a bad read. Although I'm glad I didn't have a mouthful of coffee when reading the Saints had more "star power" with David Armytage listed as an example.

I was more referring to footy forums and from the mouths of others. It's a comment that in MY experience is often made regarding Viney - "Great player but". Rightly or wrongly that seems to be the label that he carries. JV has been one of my favourite players from day dot hence why the comment sticks with me and I wanted to see how much it reflected reality in the eyes of other supporters. I wouldn't say he's now a good kick, but I have certainly seen improvement.

A comment I've heard and read often is along the lines of "Viney would be a gun if he wasn't a butcher". How accurate is this appraisal? To my eyes he's made some improvement in this area although I can't say I've paid a lot of attention. DE stats are very misleading, although if you pay them any credence then he has remained around 66% for the past three seasons. Whilst not great, his main task is to clear the ball out of congestion rather than sideways kicks across halfback so his efficiency is never going to be amazing. His set shot goal from right on the boundary on the weekend suggests that as a technician, he is far from a lost cause. Again, field kicking is a different beast but it's still all about dropping the leather onto the boot. Have astute observers seen anything with regards to JV's kicking improving in terms of technique? How much does it actually need to improve moving forward? Fyfe and Danger won't exactly be remembered as brilliant kicks of the footy so it's not like it's a necessity. But it helps, depending on what other weapons are being brought to the table. Cheers. Love youse all.

Good post. We definitely have a big task ahead pushing into the 8 this season. I don't think it takes a wild imagination to see the Hawks dropping out. They should still be up there but I can see them dropping down as far as 11th. Yes they've topped up with Mitchell, O'Meara and Vickery but in real terms they have picked up the Swans 4th or 5th best mid who was a very good player in his own right if not one sided and rarely if ever tested with a hard tag, an X factor player albeit an unknown quantity in terms of two years off the field through injury, and Vickery. Mitchell and Lewis will leave a big hole in playing and leadership terms. The midfield drops away significantly after those two. Adelaide are also an interesting one. The most potent forwardline in the league but they did have that dream run with injuries in 2016, only using 25 players all year or something ridiculous. Again they should be up there but the midfield remains a little suspect on paper. A few more injuries could see them tumble. Competition for those last two or three spots in the 8 will likely be intense all year.

The players just rated Jones as the 33rd best player in the league heading into the season. Likewise Lewis and Viney were rated inside the top 50. Not bad for "average" players. I'd dig deeper to figure out how Petracca was ranked above average in his position over the past two years but I don't care enough to do so. As always this is a waste of time. We'll have a top 6 midfield in 2017. That much I do know.

I'm conscious that Watts' footballing story is a unique one. He's been smashed from pillar to post in public forums his entire career like very few players before him. He's suddenly had a good year, a breakout year of sorts, with some positive press written about him for a change, and maybe it set off a release valve with all the pressure accumulated over the last seven years. Would that be acceptable? No. But it would explain it. Hopefully this is just a reality check.

Watts' shall we say lackadaisical style has long been a topic of discussion on here. I thought he made some real inroads last year but there's room for improvement. I don't want to see his confidence take another battering, but if this move causes him to improve again in terms of his intensity on the field then I'm all for it. An aggressive Jack Watts goes from being a good player to an elite player.

This is a rewriting of history. He may be depth now but there have been stages of Garland's career where he absolutely would've garnered interest from other clubs. You don't have to search very far to find threads on here with posters gushing about his performances. Granted it was during some lean years but it doesn't mean he wasn't at one stage a rated defender. Example below. Injuries are probably the only way he gets a look in but I won't cringe seeing Garlo's name on the teamsheet. I hope he gets to taste another win or two. He deserves it as much as anyone.

This is my thinking on it as well. If Goodwin doesn't pick him, he would damn sure want to win the match having decided to leave out the fit and ready second ranked goal kicker from last season.

He has a fair bit of Cripps about him. More skilful though. He's a hugely exciting prospect. Once he develops a tank, look out.

So basically we are to discuss whether Jack Watts should play in Round 1 without discussing Jack Watts... Over to you Demonlanders.

Over his career to date he's the only player to rival Watts in the frustration stakes for me. His best games are superb. His intercept marking and general reading of the ball in the air is elite and invaluable. One on one he wins a lot more battles than he loses. He can run all day with just about any opponent. We all know the massive positives in his game. I'm not sure he would be under serious pressure for his spot unless it was players of the caliber of Rance or McGovern coming in. It's the turnovers under little to no pressure that are the hair pullers, made worse when the pressure is brought on by himself in taking on more than he can chew. I try not to envisage it happening at a critical moment in a critical game but it's just so easy to picture. It's frustrating because I think it can be fixed by him realising his limitations and seeking out the easier option more often.

A loss in Round 1 will anger me, but if it's a loss with Riewoldt let off the chain, anger won't begin to describe my sentiments. Put Frost, T Mac AND Buggy on him if that's what it takes.

This was actually highly amusing. Talked up his season last year with confidence, labelling him an underrated player. Like he knew what he was talking about. Then proceeded to refer to him as "Neal" or "Bullen" lol Dunstall let slide slide the first time Frawley wrongly referred to score involvements as score assists. He corrected it the second time. The commentators tend to be reluctant to correct the mistakes of their colleagues so they don't look stupid. The cost of them saving a bit of face is the viewer/listener receiving wrong information.

We need a mic dropping emoticon for posts like this. Nailed it, steve.

Many player managers will be earning their pay cheque come season's end too. You can put it in the bank that Richmond and North will be all over a player like ANB if he finds himself on the outer again this year.

Can they also please themselves?

Petracca though...

T Mac misses an easy running target again. So poor.

Good physicality from Melksham then. I'm not a big fan but he's good in that area.

Fabtastic passage of play from one end to the other. Stretch, Jones, Lewis, Brayshaw, Weed, Hoges.