Past #36: Shannon Watt - drafted at #14 in '97 ND - 155 games - 0 Brownlow votes - original whipping boy

[Event Horizon]

I can't see how we can afford to go in so light on with KPs.
Not to mention the surprise omission of Watt...

Looks like Thursday night surprises are well and truly back...

 

[Roos4eva]

Yes.... yes they are

 

[Shinboners]

Add in Chad Jones and Blake Grima's unexpected debuts in recent times, the extended time Hale was given in ruck, I wonder if JYD has turned his focus away from winning games and onto developing players?

 

[Ausgard]

Originally posted by Shinboners
Add in Chad Jones and Blake Grima's unexpected debuts in recent times, the extended time Hale was given in ruck, I wonder if JYD has turned his focus away from winning games and onto developing players?

Adding Harding Stevens and Porter while removing Chad Jones ( - thought he did enough), Watt and Sainsbury is hardly looking to play the youth though.

Watt I think is in trouble. He was untouchable last year but this year he just hasn't done anything and hasn't really shown much. You see people like Rivers for Melbourne and you wonder how some one who has played 50 games can have such little impact

 

[Event Horizon]

I thought Watt looked to have too much of a burden on his shoulders this season. IMHO all he needed was to start one game on the wing or at full forward.

I really don't know what to say about the future of our spine with both Watt and Baird fit and playing in the VFL.

Is it almost an admission that our last 18 months of persevering with them was a waste of time?

 

[tashibatts]

Huge move by Laidley.. didnt let Shannon miss a second of gametime last year.. didn't seem to miss much in the first 5 rounds - less game time in Rd 6- and Bang, he's gone..

However, I don't have a problem with it, just with Rocca not coming in.

Go Roos

 

[fusion]

We noticed that last week was the first time Laidley had ever benched Watt. And now he's been dropped.

I don't think he's listed as injured. Quite frankly I think he's shown very little this season. Too easily overpowered in the one on one's, and with the opposition delivering well he hasn't been able to stop the full forward from taking marks on the lead.

Probably a good move to allow him to get some confidence back in the twos. I don't believe Watt is good enough to make it. It's up to him to prove me wrong.

 

[benno87]

Do you agree with the match committees decision, as this seems to be the first real 'wow' decision coming from the lottery.

 

[Moti]

1st off, a canon wouldn't stop most of the marks his opponents have taken. Blame the midfield.

2nd, I think his 1 - 1 duels have been better than last year, in fact he hasn't been beaten in a wrestle yet and the other contests have been just great positioning crossed with good delivery.

As for his footy smarts, I have watched him closely since coming to the club and away from full back, he actually has a good footy brain. I think that he has been put into the unfortunate spot of having to play a possie that he just isn't suited to.

If he was developed further up the field, he will be a ripper of a player.

Can't wait to see Boomer or Grant dropped next week if their opponents get a lot of it, because to me they are more to blame then Watt is.

 

[Contra Mundum]

As everyone has said the guy is a CHB - the poor bastard is stuck as the designated FB. I would hate to see the guy traded to Carlton and then see him carve us in a position in which he is more suited.

 

[tashibatts]

I don't have a problem with it, but think that we should have bought someone, say LeCras in for development purposes.. but I am not going to complain about it

Go Roos

 

[Lidge]

Not unwarranted (as the club needed to make an example of a senior/established player via wielding the axe) and Drew Petrie/Corey McKernan can consider themselves lucky.

Let's hope the collective playing group got the message

 

[Flaymin' Maurie]

Stick a fork in him.............he is done.

 

[Angus1]

He is not up to playing AFL standard as a fullback.

Can he play forward???? No idea as I have never seen it tried.

Should he be dropped???
He should have been dropped last year but JYD gave him the chance of a life time. He played every minute of every game.

The result???
Not up to AFL standard as a fullback.

 

[Rooboy 96]

Originally posted by fusion
I don't believe Watt is good enough to make it. It's up to him to prove me wrong.

Well that is all the motivation the boy needs... to prove you wrong...

 

[Wrath]

No!

Wrath

 

[Rooboy 34]

I think that Angus is on the money when he says that he is not up to playing full back. My mates and I call him a goal machine - whoever he plays on seems to kick a bag!!! However I don't think that he should have been dropped - there have been worse than him. How about trying him in a different position???

 

[CURVE]

No.

Shannon Watt wasn't the problem, and dropping him won't be the solution. Nobody from our Midfield was dropped, and that is where our real problems lie.

 

[Ghostwriter]

Perhaps we could trade him to the Cows for a draft pick.

 

[KangaFett]

Bit weird that now baird and watt are both out with both players suppose to be future defenders.

I think it is more a matching winning / damage control move more than anything else. Have a look at the back line on paper - looks like a leek stopper, since it is dripping from the midfield.

 

[Ausgard]

Was the right decision - thought he dropped his head a bit a few times in the Doggies match and that is unacceptable from a fullback.

Perhaps last year was giving him the confidence that he wouldn't be dropped for every little mistake that he made

This year its now "you have the confidence but you have to perform"

In the end no one should be untouchable

 

[utility]

This is an odd decision given that Baird is also omitted and that I didn't think Watt played poorly last week... perhaps there is something else going on behind closed doors.

I can only assume that he is either going to be a late inclusion, or Petrie or McKernan will play in the backline... I can't imagine Colbert playing on Lynch and he may not be suited to playing on Brown, given Brown's strength and mobility, and his method of playing up the ground alot.

 

[Tasroo]

Watt was given as good of a chance that anyone ever has. He is just not an AFL fullback. Try him up forward, if that doesn't work release him at the end of the year.

As Swatta said on league teams last night, "pick the back six and work forward from there". We need some good addtions to our back six rather then about 2 good bloke and four hangers on.

 

[kitty_11]

Thought this thread might have been called 'Watt the f***?!'

Didn't think he should've been dropped this week necessarily. He's had worse performances than last week's against the Doggies. But he is not a fullback, AFL or otherwise. He's had a lot of time to show something, but he doesn't look like he's got the nous for it at all. Period. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it that way.

However, it might pay for him to be tried up forward in the magoos, and see where he goes from there. It's at least worth a try IMO.

kitty

 

[R00StaR]

Originally posted by Tasroo
As Swatta said on league teams last night, "pick the back six and work forward from there". We need some good addtions to our back six rather then about 2 good bloke and four hangers on.

I agree with that, and is one reason Im warming to the idea of Petrie and Brown in the back half, with one of the following as the third tall option Colbert, Watt, Baird, LeCras. While Petrie and Brown are very serviceable players neither have that outstanding element/ feature to their game that the gun forwards in the comp have (imo of course). However they are serviceable as I said and both can play up forward if there is no suitable matchups or they’re simply being beaten, they are also guys we can build a long term backline around.