Jaded No More

"Demons' Glimpse of Jackness- Grimes and Watts star in Collingwood massacre" :D

Enjoy your lifetime ban!!! :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:

It actually makes it better. I love it when other clubs hate us/ envy us... which for once they actually do! They all wish they had a potential superstar to help them grab headlines, but they don't. Makes it all the more sweeter. We have Jack Watts, and you have a box of tissues.

Video from the HS: http://player.video.news.com.au/heraldsun/#1140161353 Bigpond video: http://bigpondvideo.com/afl/167721

I also wanna add that, whether he likes it or not, Watts will be a media and marketing weapon for us (if he lives up to expectations of course). He isn't just a talented player, he is also very well spoken, confident and has the right look to be driving marketing campaigns for many years to come. It is going to be part of his role at the club, and he will no doubt get financially rewarded for it as well. Time to get used to it.

The media I've heard has been mostly positive, but here is the thing, who gives a crap what other clubs/supporters think? The only thing that matters is how Watts feels, and if asked, I doubt he would say he feels exploited. In fact, ask any kid playing sport at any level, and he will tell you that he prefers to play in big games on big grounds in front of big crowds, than in nothing games. Jack has had the right physical and mental preparation and has ticked all the boxes both with his playing and his studies. He deserves to play, and the added financial incentive he brings with him, is just a bonus.

I hear Jacko is seriously considering lining up alongside Jack. It's been a long time since Jacko felt the urge to kiss another man, but it seems the time is upon us

He is in massive trouble IMO. Will be lucky to keep his spot on the list next year.

Given Watts has said all along that he will stay and finish his VCE, regardless of who drafts him, and given the club has made numerous concessions to allow him to finish his studies, it is fair to say that Watts and his family care about his studies. While VCE results are not the be all and end all, they can open educational doors and allow Watts to explore studies and develop a career outside of football (which every single player should do). He is right to concentrate and balance school against footy, but as Bailey said, he is performing well at school, and not studying the day before an exam is hardly disastrous. Many of my school teachers encouraged us to take the day off before an exam and let the information marinate. Of course due to a lack of general interest, we never time managed properly and would end up cramming, but I'm sure Jack is better than that

http://podsentral.com/node/869

Thanks for that. I might start a separate thread with the link, because I'm afraid this thread is now almost as big as the talented man himself

He will start on the bench. Ten minutes into the first quarter he'll run on, to a massive wave of cheers (and possibly some other unmentionable acts). Davey will spot him up, he'll take a bounce and run, sell the dummy to Dale "Pansy" Thomas, run to the 50 and nail a goal. Cue standing ovation and many many other unmentionable activities in the pant region In all honesty, I think he will probably get 15-20 touches, and be on the receiving end of at least one or two easy handballs from teammates trying to help him get a goal (especially if Miller is playing :D). He won't have a huge game, he won't kick a bag, but I think he'll do a couple of things that will just have every Melbourne supporter smiling in the knowledge that this kid will one day be a star. The club surely isn't putting any performance pressure on him. His first game should be about finding his feet and getting rid of the nerves. We are not playing him because we need him to win us the game (but it would be nice if you do Jack!) I'm going into lock down this weekend and forcing myself to get all my work done before Monday. Stupid uni crap getting in the way of Jack Watts. Disgrace!

That sort of figure would be disastrous. In fact, anything under 65,000 would be. Who cares if it's going to rain? Has anyone died sitting in the rain before? Bring a rain jacket and harden up!!!! It's public holiday, Collingwood is playing well, Melbourne has shown glimpses and Jack Watts is making his debut. (I'm not having a go at you, but we can't be looking at these sorts of figures and expect to keep this game going)

My avatar has just gone from slightly amusing to very very wrong

71,050

I don't think anyone gets it, so here's a bigger version: I'm gonna change it to the Homer one I made before (when I should have been revising for exams ), because that expresses perfectly how I feel about J2!

I'm in the same boat. I got a thesis proposal due Tuesday and exams Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday... But I'm willing to sacrifice sleep to get it all done before Monday.

No doubt you are correct on all points. Making his debut will be a big distraction and no doubt shift his focus considerably. However, it is not our decision to make and I'm sure that if he does play, it is because his parents, teachers and the club all feel that he is capable of coping. Afterall, it is just mid-year exams and he will not have any football distractions come his final exams. (and as I previously said, if his exam is in Psychology, he really doesn't need to bother studying )

That is a completely separate issue, and one that needs to be left up to Jack and his family. On the one hand, if you're going to leave your studying till the last minute, you got little hope of passing as it is. Secondly, regardless of exams I assume he will play this week (does it matter if he plays Saturday or Monday?), and will watch the game on Monday. On the other hand, he might not want to get distracted and may wish to focus on his exams, in which case I have no issue with him not playing. But if he does choose to do that, than he shouldn't be playing at any level and given the weekend off to study.

I for one don't think anyone on our list would have issues with Jack getting a game. For one, he has performed admirably at VFL level, playing out of position and with no pre-season. Racking 20 odd possessions a game (and kicking 3 when played as a forward) is pretty reasonable form for a 196cm kid. Secondly, while there are other players deserving of a game, in particular Cheney, their ability or inability to get a game is not related to Watts whatsoever, as they are not key forwards. Besides, plenty of first year players have been given game time not on their own merits and not due to being in stellar form, but simply because the club wanted to give them a run and a taste of senior footy (think Grimes last year, Jetta and Bennell this year, Spencer, etc etc..). If Watts is physically fit and is able to run out a full match, he should play. As for Newton, he has failed at every opportunity given to him, and if he has an issue with Watts being selected ahead of him, tough luck. He should probably get used to it too.

I actually think it's important that, if Watts plays so does Miller, for a number of reasons. Firstly, because there is no doubt that Collingwood will try to test Jack out physically, and it's important for him to have a strong senior body around to help him out. Secondly, if we're going to run with a Watts-Bate-Miller combination for the next couple of years (at least), we need to start working on getting the chemistry and structure working with these three right away. Also, assuming Watts plays further up the ground, and not out of the goal square, it will enable Miller to play deeper and maybe... heaven forbid... actually kick some goals! So with that in mind: Out- PJ, Whelan (or Junior if he's injured) In- Watts, Cheney I also think that, given Monday is the closest thing to a final our club will experience in at least the next two years, that we should play as many kids as possible. We need to give the young players an opportunity to experience big games, in front of big crowds, that will really test them. It's a great opportunity to see who can lift for big matches and who can't, and the benefit of playing in such a pressure atmosphere will be phenomenal.

Yes, you do not have private ownership of J1 (or J2 for that matter). We've got shared custody! (and I am not implying that J1 and J2 are in anyway similar to two giant bananas who have an affinity for wearing grandpa pajamas)

Team performance should have nothing to do with individual performance, although in this case it obviously does. It is a lot harder to play well in a crap team when you're a kid, than to play well when you're surrounded by a bunch of great players who take a lot of the heat off you (yes, I am talking about Rich/Rioli/etc etc...) Grimes certainly deserves a Rising Star nomination. It's a good thing the entire award is completely stupid and irrelevant, or else I might actually care about how little attention our boy is getting As it stands, the less other clubs notice our kids, the better. Don't need the vultures circling and sniffing for blood at the end of the season.

What part of "restoring it to its former glory" did you fail to understand?