No Oppo Supporters Jack Watts - Traded to PA for pick 31, Thanks Jack

[Topkent]

Also should be a fair indication of how he is looked at in the league when only 3 clubs hand any interest and the cats wouldn't go near him with pick 22. He hasn't once acknowledged any reason Melbourne would trade him and that's one of the main reasons he is out the door. I'll never boo him and I wish him the best but I'd be more than surprised if he suddenly decided to get serious about his footy.

 

[Franky_024]

I like most of you are a little unsure of how to feel at the moment. I've always liked Watts as a person and felt in the 9 years he was a great servant of the club and loved hearing about how he talked to the public at training, signed kids autographs, always had a smile ect.

In terms of him leaving, i'm putting my faith in the club here. I'm sad to see him go and sure 31 is a bit of a slap in the face, but I think this is the best decision going forward. Everyone is kinda pissed and it's probably justified, but you don't just let a contracted player leave that easily, even homesick players these days are held at gunpoint until their contract is served.

I've got a soft spot for Port, even felt bad for them losing to the Eagles the way they did. Will most definitely support Watts getting a regular gig next and cheer him on against every side but us. Thanks for sticking by us over your career Jack, i'm sure you'll play in a few finals which you thoroughly deserve

 

[Pedo 4 Prez]

See ya Wattsy....we hardly knew ya

 

[Sir Hugh Percy]

Again, there is no possible way that this could go wrong.

I kind of felt that Jack and our redemption stories were entwined. Now Jack's probably going to get his at least.

Anyway, all the best Jack. Thanks for the last 9 years.

 

[pjfairbairn]

Woke up this morning. Still gutted. Why sign him for 3 years when he was OOC if he was on his last chance?

His versatility is not matched by any other player on our list. Love ya Wattsy.

 

[stretcharmstrong]

Hoo-roo jack. Sorry it didn’t work out. Thanks for the good stuff you brought to the club over nine years. Good luck with the rest of your career.

 

[dee_mac]

Look forward to seeing what Jack can do once Port "wash the Melbourne off him". Toumpas went from strength to strength after the cleansing.

 

[LeverPuller]

Someone remind me...wasnt there a suggestion when Spencer, JKH, Kent and BenKen were busted that there was a 5th player who was covered up?

Given everything that has been said, I do wonder...

 

[DemonTim]

Someone remind me...wasnt there a suggestion when Spencer, JKH, Kent and BenKen were busted that there was a 5th player who was covered up?

Given everything that has been said, I do wonder...

Was just the four.

 

[DemonTim]

People need to take the emotion out of this.
A 150 game player who’s best finish in a b and f was 6th
Out of favour at the club. Not performing. And underperforming when put in the vfl
Constant talk of lack of professionalism and lack of effort away from games
No club in the league was willing to offer a pick higher

If no club would pay higher than 31, how in the hell can people claim we got ripped off? Geelong pulled out because they didn’t want to give up a pick in the 20s

 

[dee_mac]

People need to take the emotion out of this.
A 150 game player who’s best finish in a b and f was 6th
Out of favour at the club. Not performing. And underperforming when put in the vfl
Constant talk of lack of professionalism and lack of effort away from games
No club in the league was willing to offer a pick higher

If no club would pay higher than 31, how in the hell can people claim we got ripped off? Geelong pulled out because they didn’t want to give up a pick in the 20s

Geelong offered a pick in the 50's. I'm happy to move on and content that the pick we got was as good as we were going to get

 

[Scottie65]

One of my best mates just posted this on social media......and i agree with him.....disgracful melbourne....( this is not having a crack at your supporters ok...just to make it clear)....i feel for watts and my freind who was a big watts fan....im not liking what simon goodwins bringing to the table.


Over the past decade my footy club have been a bloody rabble. On & off field. Back in 2008, we draft a young kid in year 11 called jack watts. In his first 3-4 years of his career he was terribly managed. We stunk so much, he was pulled out of the classroom and used as a marketing tool to debut on queens bday when he wasn't ready. He has had 5 coaches in 9 years. He had a prick called neeld destroy his self worth & confidence and lambasted him in the media all the time. Throughout all the crap & terrible times at Melbourne, he knocked back 5 offers from other clubs. He loved the jumper, he's teammates and the supporters. And what do they do after all that? Throw him out and kick him in the arse on the way out. In return we get pick 31. Yep,,, pick 31!! And yeah why not,, let's pay for some of his salary at port Adelaide!! Shame Melbourne. You are the biggest scapegoat in football history jack watts. Good luck at port. Thanks for loving the jumper and giving us mentally scarred, success starved supporters hope. You cared for the jumper like us. And you've been treated like shit.
Simon Goodwin.......
I hope you know what you're doing fella.

 

[dee_mac]

One of my best mates just posted this on social media......and i agree with him.....disgracful melbourne....( this is not having a crack at your supporters ok...just to make it clear)....i feel for watts and my freind who was a big watts fan....im not liking what simon goodwins bringing to the table.


Over the past decade my footy club have been a bloody rabble. On & off field. Back in 2008, we draft a young kid in year 11 called jack watts. In his first 3-4 years of his career he was terribly managed. We stunk so much, he was pulled out of the classroom and used as a marketing tool to debut on queens bday when he wasn't ready. He has had 5 coaches in 9 years. He had a prick called neeld destroy his self worth & confidence and lambasted him in the media all the time. Throughout all the crap & terrible times at Melbourne, he knocked back 5 offers from other clubs. He loved the jumper, he's teammates and the supporters. And what do they do after all that? Throw him out and kick him in the arse on the way out. In return we get pick 31. Yep,,, pick 31!! And yeah why not,, let's pay for some of his salary at port Adelaide!! Shame Melbourne. You are the biggest scapegoat in football history jack watts. Good luck at port. Thanks for loving the jumper and giving us mentally scarred, success starved supporters hope. You cared for the jumper like us. And you've been treated like shit.
Simon Goodwin.......
I hope you know what you're doing fella.

I understand that point of view completely. The club as a whole botched nearly all of 2008-2013. What happened in the past has nothing to do with Goodwin. He is building his team for the next 3 years. Jack has to take some onus for his own development performance. You won't find too many 1st round picks not getting selected for pre season games and still playing VFL football in their 9th season.

 

[DemonTim]

I understand that point of view completely. The club as a whole botched nearly all of 2008-2013. What happened in the past has nothing to do with Goodwin. He is building his team for the next 3 years. Jack has to take some onus for his own development performance. You won't find too many 1st round picks not getting selected for pre season games and still playing VFL football in their 9th season.

Nah mate. It’s all melbournes fault. Players don’t have to take responsibility for their performance.

 

[Bluelegs]

One of my best mates just posted this on social media......and i agree with him.....disgracful melbourne....( this is not having a crack at your supporters ok...just to make it clear)....i feel for watts and my freind who was a big watts fan....im not liking what simon goodwins bringing to the table.


Over the past decade my footy club have been a bloody rabble. On & off field. Back in 2008, we draft a young kid in year 11 called jack watts. In his first 3-4 years of his career he was terribly managed. We stunk so much, he was pulled out of the classroom and used as a marketing tool to debut on queens bday when he wasn't ready. He has had 5 coaches in 9 years. He had a prick called neeld destroy his self worth & confidence and lambasted him in the media all the time. Throughout all the crap & terrible times at Melbourne, he knocked back 5 offers from other clubs. He loved the jumper, he's teammates and the supporters. And what do they do after all that? Throw him out and kick him in the arse on the way out. In return we get pick 31. Yep,,, pick 31!! And yeah why not,, let's pay for some of his salary at port Adelaide!! Shame Melbourne. You are the biggest scapegoat in football history jack watts. Good luck at port. Thanks for loving the jumper and giving us mentally scarred, success starved supporters hope. You cared for the jumper like us. And you've been treated like shit.
Simon Goodwin.......
I hope you know what you're doing fella.

I'm so over this argument. Watts had good skills and was a coin toss as to whether he would perform on any given day. That's it, that is his known quantity. I'm so sick of hearing about how he loved the jumper and was a good bloke and everyone's mate, who gives a ****? We have plenty of players like that on our list who actually have a solid work ethic to go with it. We didn't get much for him but take the emotion out of it. Would you give any more than pick 31 for a flaky player who could occasionally turn it on when everything else was going right anyway?

It's pretty clear now that Goodwin thought Watts was having a residue effect on the rest of the playing group by being a senior player who couldn't maintain the right attitude, that's why he's out. Attitude is a virus and the more senior the player the more contagious they are. Emotion and romance doesn't win you flags.

 

[Djcjdees]

Woke up this morning. Still gutted. Why sign him for 3 years when he was OOC if he was on his last chance?

His versatility is not matched by any other player on our list. Love ya Wattsy.

Yep. I agree on both parts. Also, if he was so cancerous, why was it not until late in the season he was dropped? After the 'terrible' preseason he had, he played round 1. Doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out that something unsavory has happened if we are literally paying him to leave.

It's pretty clear now that Goodwin thought Watts was having a residue effect on the rest of the playing group by being a senior player who couldn't maintain the right attitude, that's why he's out.

Understand this side of the argument, but it doesn't explain (at least to my thinking) the above. The 3 year extension and why he wasn't just dropped from the outset this year if he was so effective in spreading his bad ways to others. I think it might be part of the reason he is out, but it doesn't explain it fully to me yet. Not even close

 

[blitznu]

Bahahaha people complaining about pick 31 for a lazy campaigner who didnt kick better than a goal a game. Did sweet **** all oh but he was a nice guy so surely worth a pick in the 20s... show me a player with comparable stats that you would pick up with a pick in the 20s. Seriously glad we got 31 for him now can draft a kid who wants to buy in or get a mature age whos going to buy in. Great move by the club people complaining about mahoney are laughable he has done exactly what has been asked of him every year set a plan and delivered. To many are still scarred from the past and think every move we make is still the wrong 1. Relax have faith.

 

[pjfairbairn]

I think Tom Browne is an absolute flog - listen to this anyway though.

 

[Sir Hugh Percy]

This might be the defining moment of Simon Goodwin's coaching career. If we're harder, tougher, fitter so that we lose the 'soft' tag and return to some sort of finals success (a premiership is too much to hope for, right?) then we and the media will fete him for making the tough decisions that changed the fabric of the club; with this being an oft drawn upon example. Unfortunately, and probably more likely given Melbourne, it could also be the point which we look back on and say that "he stuffed our team balance there" or "he lost the players then". I hope, with little confidence, that it's the former.

 

[demondavey]

So so many melts for no reason.

1. Jack watts is one of the worst players in the AFL at putting on forward pressure, which is the plan used by the last 2 premiers to win the flag. 3 lovely inside 50s are useless when you allow overlaps to occur constantly and hurt your team mates.

He is a key forward who relies on space and speed, something 27 year Olds quickly lose the ability to find. He could be retired by 30.

Yeah we got a little unders for him and lever for overs but that won't mean clubs bend us over. It means more managers will tell their players to pick us because deals get done without the stress an chance of it collapsing.

Sam Lloyd played reserves at Richmond while Jacob Townsend became a premiership player, certainly wasn't due to his talent.
Vandenberg and Tmac will not only compete but they will turn the ball over deep which is the best way to score in modern footy. Tigers weren't hitting riewoldt lace out they were bombing it in bringing it to ground and then fighting an scrapping something Jack will never do in his career. Thanks for some beautiful kicks but you will never help someone to a premiership

Also who knows the draft. If we identified 4 kids inside 50 we like then we don't need 25 instead of 31 if we are confident they are still available

Spot on. Point 1 resonates with me the most. I've just watched premiers in 2016/17 apply an unrelenting and ferocious attack on the man to keep the ball inside the 50 at all costs. It's pretty simple, the longer the ball is in your 50 the higher the chance of scoring.

I've got complete confidence in TMac, Melksham, Harmes and Petracca to play that attack dog role of holding the footy.

The days of hitting the forward lace out are done to an extent, you've just got to have workhorses who hound the footy, handball confidently and love a goal to be in the 50.

 

[demondavey]

I'm finding it hard to work out how I feel about this. I'm a bit sad about it, but I don't think it's a sadness due to me thinking it's the wrong decision (although pick 31 does feel like they're taking the piss). I think it's just a sadness that after all this time, the club and Jack couldn't make it work and it ended like this. I guess Jack was an emblem of everything that's gone wrong at this club over the past decade, and as such we all had a little bit more emotional investment in his success or otherwise.

It might have been cathartic for all involved to see him run out in the red and blue in a finals series, but time to accept that's not going to happen.

I just hope it plays out as a win-win for us and for him. Will have to wait and see.

The only reason people care is because he played one good year in his career, and that because of that he 'turned the corner'. Turning the corner was finishing top 3 in the B&F in 2017. I understand the injury, I don't understand the application.

 

[demondavey]

Can we close this thread now? The guy plays for Port Adelaide. It's done.

 

[Sando22]

I'm a little annoyed we folded and accepted pick 31 but as others have stated, we obviously didn't want him and made that very clear. We then pushed it so hard that there was no turning back so we were forced to accept whatever Port were willing to part with.
Why would anyone part with much more when we shoved him out the door?
I feel for Jack because I like him as a bloke but realistically, how can you rock up unfit/fat to your 9th pre season and be dropped to the 2's midway through that same year? There is obviously stuff he doesn't do or does poorly off field which doesn't seem to have got out and I'm ok that we don't know.
I reckon we have to back the club to know the situation better than us because you don't flick skilled blokes like Jack Watts for a shit pick if he's travelling ok.
Take the emotion out of it, he's a 9 year player who's done essentially f*** all.

 

[Toump Ass]

Someone remind me...wasnt there a suggestion when Spencer, JKH, Kent and BenKen were busted that there was a 5th player who was covered up?

Given everything that has been said, I do wonder...

Is JKH still on our list? I hope not, he's shit.

 

[chiwigi]

Spot on. Point 1 resonates with me the most. I've just watched premiers in 2016/17 apply an unrelenting and ferocious attack on the man to keep the ball inside the 50 at all costs. It's pretty simple, the longer the ball is in your 50 the higher the chance of scoring.

I've got complete confidence in TMac, Melksham, Harmes and Petracca to play that attack dog role of holding the footy.

The days of hitting the forward lace out are done to an extent, you've just got to have workhorses who hound the footy, handball confidently and love a goal to be in the 50.

That's why Port wanted him though. We have some of the best forward pressure and highest number of inside 50's, but our delivery is shocking. We have plenty of bulls, but little class going forward. We need a good kick in our team, we have tacklers and pressure coming out of our ears and it looks like that's what he will provide.

I see this trade like our Impey and A'Chee trades. It isn't really about the individuals, but about the structure going forward and for you Watts doesn't fit it.