Hannibal

Exciting, isn't it ?

Happenstance.

Things can change quickly... You're now 30, 2 of your 3 favourite players are gone, and you were "really excited about the direction the club is heading". It headed for the kind of disaster rarely seen in sport. But who can blame you ? Most are optimists at heart.

What part of my assessment isn't on the money ? Watts' talents and gifts as a footballer have never been in question. I've queried his appetite for contests and his will to influence games. I question his hunger and commitment to be the best he can. I'll back Roos to have a crack at making Watts the player he's capable of being. I'm not certain he'll succeed, but if Watts commits he'll at least become a very good player even he doesn't fulfill his talent. I give Watts a hard time because I know what he's capable of.

You're a child, so I accept you'll be silly from time to time.

Rubbish post.

If he were to make it I reckon it would be as a small back. But I've lost confidence he'll take the next step.

Of course he does. he's backing himself to get the best out of him. FMDTSTCOH

No, I have an obsession with him competing. You know, putting his body on the line for the team. I don't know anyone who ever thought he'd be a "gorilla", let alone now. I look forward to seeing what Roos can do with him. It's his last hope. If he can't succeed and understand what is required in AFL footy under Roos, he never will. He most certainly doesn't now.

I admire the courage of someone to post such crap.

I can only be honest. I was very disappointed with his game yesterday. In particular his marking attempts. But half-hearted chasing efforts were also obvious. You may think I'm a broken record, but it's the player in question who hasn't changed in the last 5 years and my observations remain the same accordingly. If i was applauding his efforts you'd have no problem. Do you only want to hear nice comments ?

Yes. i thought it was one of his softer games. He didn't hit bodies when he should have, he didn't chase as hard as he should have and in general he tiptoed around the edges. There are times when you have to hit your opponents body first with your torso when flying for a mark. You do this to better position yourself and have them off balance. Watts avoids this and missed marks he should have taken accordingly. He's a terribly soft footballer. But yes, he's a great set shot for goal.

Great summation.

I did no more than correct your incorrect assertion. Or can't you read ? comprehend

If you're the one that is using age as an excuse then of course it makes a difference to the point YOU'RE making. It's YOUR point, not mine. If you use age to make YOUR point then get it right. Then YOU'RE not corrected by people like me who are making NO point other than correcting YOU.

He turns 20 in 4 months.

I don't disagree with a single word. I am a bit of a blue sky junkie. If I wasn't I wouldn't be here. And yes, I supported Neeld in his first year, as I thought the playing group needed someone with a hard edge and the list culling, but I realised at the beginning of the season that he was a total crackpot out of his depth. I still believe in Viney, but he's had a tough run with injuries and will be better when others can capitalise on his good inside work. Who would have thought it could have got to this ?

I'm not sure what you're talking about. I pass on information as I see it. The training standards from a quality and professionalism point of view were vastly superior to previous years. And I passed that information on. When the AFL season started we were diabolically crap. And I passed that information on. Early on I thought Mark Neeld was little more than a spin doctor and border-line crackpot. And I passed that information on. I disseminate and process what is put before me and form the best conclusions I can from the available data. I hoped Jack Watts would be a star and was desperate to draft him, but he plays like a girl. I thought Cale Morton had genuine talent. He was a pea-heart. When I first saw Trengove play I thought we'd landed a beauty. He's a park footballer. One of the more baffling reversals of early form I've seen, but we all have opinions as to why. I have positions on many things and people, but unlike some, I'm not wedded to earlier views and I don't let any natural bias cloud my thinking. You sponsor Jordie McKenzie and let your bias control your judgment. I call him out to be the hack he is. You were buying shares in Daniel Bell when he needed a hospital ward. We're all prone to busts.

Maybe I watch players more closely than you. I never expected him to "dominate", but he's been well below my modest expectations. EDIT: But that doesn't mean I've put a line through him as a player or have wiped any prospect of him becoming a gun. It's simply an objective evaluation of his first season.

It's not the stats that are concerning some, it's the way he's playing. He could have 30 possessions, but I may not necessarily be impressed. Conversely he could have 15 and I could love his game. Jimmy may well become A-grader and I was all for recruiting him, but it's fair to say I've been very surprised and somewhat disappointed with his transition to AFL footy in albeit his first year.

WTF are you ?

Take it easy, China. I merely responded to a post of yours which I didn't quite agree. Nothing more, nothing less. But if it hurts your feelings I'll desist in future.

I don't know WTF you're talking about. I rarely read you and previously had you on ignore. No disrespect, but I wouldn't read you for footy content.

I was very disappointed in him early days, as I stated ad nauseum. It got to the point that his leap in improvement WAS indeed a surprise. But I having seen him play as a junior, advocating we draft him at the time, and subsequently recruiting him as a first rounder, I don't consider his B+ status some miraculous performance. He's reached a level that was commensurate with his talent as a junior. His under-performing in the early years was probably more baffling, but somewhat the norm at this club. He's not A-grade in my eyes, but I wouldn't bother debating it. If some do fair enough.

That may be your ceiling. Jones has reached the level he always should have.