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Player Watch Rookie Pick #4 (2025) - Jack Watkins

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Winning the McLean medal normally means being delisted
Ah Chee 2017
[PLAYERCARD]Will Snelling[/PLAYERCARD] 2018
[PLAYERCARD]Jack Trengove[/PLAYERCARD] 2019
Sam Hayes 2021
[PLAYERCARD]Tom Clurey[/PLAYERCARD] 2024

That only leaves Cam Sutcliffe and Nick Moore as survivors. No medal in 2020 due to covid panic.
 
That only leaves Cam Sutcliffe and Nick Moore as survivors. No medal in 2020 due to covid panic.
Technically Nick Moore isn't on the AFL list so can't get delisted. But yeah basically AFL listed players that win it are guys that can't break into the AFL side so they play all the SANFL games. Better AFL list players actually get selected for AFL and thus don't get enough votes to win.
 
Technically Nick Moore isn't on the AFL list so can't get delisted. But yeah basically AFL listed players that win it are guys that can't break into the AFL side so they play all the SANFL games. Better AFL list players actually get selected for AFL and thus don't get enough votes to win.
And when Suttcliffe won his, he was already delisted. He won his in 2022. He was delisted in 2020.
 

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Dont rate him, but can see why Carr would list him. He wants players who can contest the footy.
Agree... same same as other D grade players we already have. No skills, but I think that's the type Carr must like.
 
I don’t think Watkins is that unskilled. He’s no Butters or JHF but he kicked some excellent goals this year that you wouldn’t see Drew, Wines or Mead kick. He covers the ground well and shows leadership with the way he goes about it.

If he does get on our list and squeezes the odd game, he’d be playing as a 5th or 6th banana in the midfield. That could look different surrounded by better players around him.

Not everyone who’s unfashionable is as good as [PLAYERCARD]Tom Atkins[/PLAYERCARD], but I wouldn’t be surprised if Watkins had a [PLAYERCARD]Will Snelling[/PLAYERCARD] type AFL career. Snelling played some good games for Essendon.
 
I don’t think Watkins is that unskilled. He’s no Butters or JHF but he kicked some excellent goals this year that you wouldn’t see Drew, Wines or Mead kick. He covers the ground well and shows leadership with the way he goes about it.
Kicked 5 goals this year. 81 goals in 295 games at all levels, going back to under 9s. Can't rely on him being a goal kicker unless he's played forward half only ala Sam Gray.
 
He's probably Kane Mitchell again, but he works hard, he wants to win and he's a smart footballer. We all thought halfway through the year he would have walked into our AFL side.

He dropped off a bit after missing out on the mid-season draft, if we don't pick him up he'll probably go back to Victoria. It would be good to have him around the younger players to help with development.
 

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He's probably Kane Mitchell again, but he works hard, he wants to win and he's a smart footballer. We all thought halfway through the year he would have walked into our AFL side.

He dropped off a bit after missing out on the mid-season draft, if we don't pick him up he'll probably go back to Victoria. It would be good to have him around the younger players to help with development.
Nick Moore .2 - great state league player. Port are seriously listing him trying to keep Butters. It's a disgrace. As if Butters isn't leaving at the end of 2026 (he's already sold his house in preparation) and from what I heard around the time Bergman signed on, Bergman will give two more and then he'll be back in Vic also.
Port are trying to plug with bandaids instead of thinking long-term 2, 3, 4 years. I mean, there's no way Liddy, MacKinlay & Watkins will still be on the list in 2 years time.
They would have been better off keeping Burton (I've got my doubts with Sinn & Burton can kick the ball) and Jackson (way more skillful than the above & had big upside). At the moment Port are spinning in a circle and not making decisions which give me any confidence.
Watching Collingwood & Brisbane on Saturday, we need players who can kick and mark - not scrap the ball along the ground. We won't get anywhere while we keep selecting these type of players over skilled ones.
The only change I'm sold on so far is the appointment of Tim Parham & apart from improving our athletic performace, we've gone backwards.
 
We aren't talking about Danny Butcher here who couldn't get a kick. He's won his clubs BnF the last three years in a row, has captained a side and is probably in the top 3-4 SANFL players out there. He's miles better than Nick Moore. Mitchell is probably a fair comparison but Mitchell couldn't kick. Watkins is a better kick.

Is it plugging holes with bandaids? Probably. I think Mackinlay has a future. Not sure about Liddy. But we need midfield depth and we won't get that with late picks in the draft this year. Going after Brodie, Wehr, potentially Fiorini and potentially Watkins at least adds much better competition for spots. Its also easy to flick the likes of Liddy, Watkins etc. who would be on short term contracts when better youth come along.

On the rest. Burton is a lovely looking kick but the end result doesn't match the aesthetics. Jackson had skills but no desire to improve.
 

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Welcome to the senior AFL list Jack. Time for you to show what you can do.
 

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