- Joined
- Oct 2, 2002
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- AFL Club
- Adelaide
http://www.voy.com/51976/15277.html
Fergus Watts (Sandringham Dragons)
196/86 mid age right foot (dual-sided) key forward.
Slim 196cm energetic jumping jack key forward who covers a lot of ground and runs hard. Huge leap, great intensity and ethic. Doesn't kick many goals and maybe not the same scope for improvement as some but worth an early 2nd round pick, give or take. Ready year 2.
Watts is earlier than he might be in some previous drafts, largely because of the dearth of talls. He lacks class and he's no Riewoldt or Carey but he does have a range of attractive attributes. On form as a KPP he deserves to be ahead of McConnell and Chaplin. They are silkier, appear to have greater scope for improvement and are a bit younger so perhaps he should be behind them. What in the end made me put him just ahead of them was that he is now 196cm and that gives him an extra string to his bow as a potential around the ground backup ruck (at least) once/if he adds another 10kg or so.
*STYLE LIKE: Petrie
*TRADEMARK:
- Spectacular one-grab mark either over the top of the pack or backing back into the face of danger to fling himself up and back.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
I was singularly unimpressed with him in '02 because he seemed to lack poise, his decision-making was iffy and he was almost treacle slow. I don't believe many players can overcome "intrinsic" problems like poise and decision-making. Watts has. Is just about the biggest improver in TAC comp this year. Has easily the best KPP form I've seen this season among the draft candidates.
Plays very inside, gives 101% all the time and always gives a contest.
Is one of the few tall '03 U18 draft candidates who could be classed as a regular pack mark.
Many define him almost exclusively by his big marks. I think this is selling him short and missing his biggest attribute because he is one of the few tall '03 U18 draft candidates who could be classed as is an "inside" KPP. Alarmingly, most of the KPPs this year could be described as "outside talls". Many of these are basketballers who bring with them a heightened concept of "zoning off", sitting off the pack instead of sitting on it or splitting it. Watts is the opposite. Not only gets his own ball but crashes packs, backs back into them, charges into the face of them and has no regard for his own safety. If the ball spills he immediately attacks it with a vengeance. He'll charge 20m to block. He gets the hard ball and feeds off to the smalls, instead of relying on the smalls to get it out to him as some of this year's talls seem to do. He will do all in his power to help his team get possession, to help his team keep possession, and to pressure the other team when they have it. I do rate his overhead contested ability but it is not flawless. It is the other stuff I just mentioned that really sells him to me. He'll never be the bulk of Jonathon Brown but he plays with the same "take no prisoners" attitude. I think he is AFL potential mainly because of his combination of height and intensity more than his marking per se. He should never be judged on stats alone.
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
- Genuinely dual-sided. Happy to use non-pref left even when set kick.
- Quite good kicking style although sometimes hops on impact and finishes facing 45deg, with such kick occasionally going right. Sometimes splay his plant foot, resulting in the kick going left. Some kicks are floaters but he gets good depth with others. Kicking can be a mixed bag but is generally reasonable.
- Doesn't kick many goals. Is actually fairly accurate with either foot (and not just set shot). It's just that he tends to lead hard up the ground from the half forward line, often direct but getting the ball outside range.
- Gets his own ball. Is particularly good in close for 196cm - quick thinker, spots well, and feeds well. Is very creative - eg tap ons or punching ball back over his head etc.
- Creates play and brings team mates into the game.
- Good awareness and generally looks for options.
- Intelligent, very coachable, listens keenly to the coach, understands.
*HANDS:
- Very clean off the ground and below the knees for a tall, even on the run and/or under pressure. Fairly soft hands generally.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- Despite his reputation, a slightly mixed bag . He takes screamers but most of his ohm's will be screamers because he routinely runs under the ball and has to stretch back and up. This is why he is vulnerable to a spoil from behind or being double-teamed. He needs to learn to, whenever possible, hold up a bit and time his leap so he is jumping into the ball and can take it more in front, instead of having to stretch backwards. To "protect the ball". If he doesn't learn this, his flaw will be exploited at AFL level.
- Has a 6cm reach advantage compared to the average player of his height and this is a great "attribute" for a marking player. It also allows him to often get away with doing his "stretch up and back" positioning mentioned above.
- He may often seem to be not in the best position for a pack mark but, in fairness, that is often a result of his great ethic in that he is prepared to charge from a distance to pack marking contests that most wouldn't bother trying to get to.
- Can take a screamer and can do so from any position/angle at a pack. Overall I'd describe him as fairly strong overhead and he certainly takes a lot of TAC marks (averaging 5.8, mainly contested, a TAC game). In the '03 U18 Champs he took 12 marks, of which 9 were contested. Can take a screamer from anywhere and regardless of pressure, leads in a manner that not only presents a "go to" option but demands the ball. However he but is not a "go to" overhead pack mark of the near-guarantee quality of a Carey, Brown or Riewoldt.
- Always tries for front position if possible.
- Keeps eyes on the ball and stands his ground.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
- Huge leap. His DC jump result was dreadful (bottom 7%) but sometimes you just have to go on what you see on match day. eg He routinely climbs over packs and he doesn't need a player to act as stepladder each time. He takes many high contested marks from in front. I concede that he does have a 6cm reach advantage but he also actually jumps well.
- Pace in '02 was dreadful but he went to professional athletics coach over summer of '02 and improved pace significantly. Worked really hard last summer - 2-3 sessions each week. Is often still not quick enough over ground (although no slower over 20m than Spencer or Brakenridge for example). There is still widespread concern re pace and agility but he is definitely on the improve in both areas and I believe he is quicker and more agile this year than he is given credit for, even though his agility had him ahead of only 36% of DC and SS participants, his 20m time ahead of only 20%, and there are certainly still times when he can look extremely slow/lumbering, even in a 20m run, but those occasions are usually late game after he has run himself and his opponent around a lot. His straight-line agility (eg re picking the ball up on the run) seems fine to me. Watts runs hard, far and often but it is true that he sometimes labours in a chase, losing running form (technique). It takes time for a new running style to be automatic pilot in the heat of battle and when you are tired. His running style when fresh doesn't look too bad these days so there is no longer huge scope for improving his pace in that regard but practice and further specialist running coaching is likely to squeeze a little more pace out of him. His body is not yet strong or well defined and there is every chance that a weights program to build him up and, in particular, to strengthen his fairly skinny quads (and hammies for that matter) might give him significant extra power in his run. He'll never be a Goodes but, in summary, I am not hugely worried about his pace down the track (pardon the pun), especially over a short distance. His major improvement to date, speed-wise, is in his acceleration off the mark, attested to by his DC 5m time which had him better than 68% of the 168 DC/SS attendees.
- Seems to often die off late game which I suspect is the result of trying to run his opponents off their legs earlier, as much as a stamina issue per se. 3Km and beep test DC results were sitting around the average mark. It's encouraging that he has so much faith in his endurance and aerobic capacity at 196cm to run as hard and far and often as he does.
- Leads hard and direct and calls loudly.
- Excellent ethic, especially for 196cm. Intensity, determination. 1%ers, especially blocking, shielding, pressuring, smothers. Recovery, 2e's, 1% are very good. Some terrific hbg work inside traffic and at stop plays, incl throw-in ruck contests. Exuberant. Runs on from one contest to next. Usually runs straight on after disposing - doesn't just stand as if the job is done.
- Surprisingly low tackle count but he harasses, bumps and has great physical presence.
- Presents, chases, covers stack of ground. Attacks both man and ball. Launches himself, even/especially at the ball under a pack.
- Is accountable, even running hard to pressure team mate's opponents.
- Great team man. Calls loudly, directs traffic, sometimes goes around to all team mates encouraging them individually at the breaks. Perhaps potential leadership. Certainly leads from the front on match day.
- Quick reflexes eg He has a habit of stealing the ball either from an opponent or off the pack like a rover.
- Good evasion.
- Great Courage eg Broke toe game 2 of '03 Champs but played game 3 anyway. Charges into oncoming traffic, goes where wise men fear to tread. Regularly takes marks running with the flight, even into the face of a pack.
- Has surprisingly good balance & body-on-body ability at throw-in ruck contests, even against a giant like Ericksen or a physical strong man.
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Plenty of scope for physical development. Slim, but not a bad frame. Fairly skinny legs, arms & torso.
- Has grown 4cm in a year (and could be still growing?).
- Still lacks some pace but still has scope for improvement (see above).
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- Is essentially a key forward, part time ruck at U18s whose AFL potential is invariably labelled as key forward only. However, I think that is too narrow. Ironically, if he can bulk up and lift his pace and endurance even just a little more, his best asset AFL-wise may become versatility. He is good enough overhead to play any key position and sufficiently accountable, balanced and clean to play HFF, 3rd tall defender, ruck or, dare I say it, onball. Onball, he may become able, if he can lift his aerobic capacity, to play as a very tall ruckrover, who can help at throw-ins Spent time in that role early '03. If he can lift his pace and lateral agility I could see him as maybe a tall key defender. AFL clubs are looking to put more talls into mid-field (eg Pavlich) so tall run-withs will become more in demand - and they are sooooo scarce. Watts could be an attractive proposition. I fully concede that much of this is conjecture bordering on the fanciful, given Watts' current weight, pace and lateral agility, and that many observers would say I was being silly. They may be proven right. The odds are on their side. There are a lot of ifs in my speculation. However, I do not believe that any of it is completely beyond the realm of possibility. To do most of the above, he should also learn to ration his energy.
- In particular, he is now 196cm and, although only 86kg, if he could add even another 10kg (hopefully more) I think he has serious potential as a ruck, at least a support ruck. Also, although his endurance per DC tests is not too bad, it would be better if he could lift it. I could easily see him as a key forward who would make an excellent backup ruck, used in a similar manner to Fraser. Maybe vice versa. His actual throw-in ruck skills and smarts are as good as any '03 U18 I have seen in this year's crop and he is already very effective at these stop plays. Gets to the front, holds his ground and gets clean, directed palm-outs. Beat Dubieniecki. and Ericksen (eg) in many throw-in contests and Blake at least once. Obviously the main key is weight and my ruck thoughts are based on the questionable assumption that he can add enough of it.
*QUERY:
- Pace.
- Lateral agility.
- Maybe endurance, depending on the role.
- Need to protect the ball more often (re overhead marking).
*SOME STATS:
- TAC: Averaged 15 disposals in 6 TAC games (Played mainly school). 5.8 marks, 1.2 tackles, total 6 goals-4. 53% of disposals are kicks. 39% of his possessions are marks. Ranks 7th for av marks among talls (at least 188cm). Reasonably consistent. (Worst game statistically was 9 in shocking downpour conditions round 17)
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 11 disposals and 4.0 marks in 3 U18 Rep games. 4 goals (all in one game)
Kicks vs feeds: mixed
Gets own ball?: yes. 8/34TD were HR. 6 hbg.
Kicks long vs short: mixed.
Kicking accuracy: 5/16 ineff/clang incl 1 clang.
Handball accuracy: good. only 3/18 ineff/clang incl 1 clang.
Marking: 9 of 12m were contested.
Tackles: 5
*OTHER STUFF:
- All Aust TY.
Fergus Watts (Sandringham Dragons)
196/86 mid age right foot (dual-sided) key forward.
Slim 196cm energetic jumping jack key forward who covers a lot of ground and runs hard. Huge leap, great intensity and ethic. Doesn't kick many goals and maybe not the same scope for improvement as some but worth an early 2nd round pick, give or take. Ready year 2.
Watts is earlier than he might be in some previous drafts, largely because of the dearth of talls. He lacks class and he's no Riewoldt or Carey but he does have a range of attractive attributes. On form as a KPP he deserves to be ahead of McConnell and Chaplin. They are silkier, appear to have greater scope for improvement and are a bit younger so perhaps he should be behind them. What in the end made me put him just ahead of them was that he is now 196cm and that gives him an extra string to his bow as a potential around the ground backup ruck (at least) once/if he adds another 10kg or so.
*STYLE LIKE: Petrie
*TRADEMARK:
- Spectacular one-grab mark either over the top of the pack or backing back into the face of danger to fling himself up and back.
*SUMMARY ASSESSMENT, RECOMMENDATION:
I was singularly unimpressed with him in '02 because he seemed to lack poise, his decision-making was iffy and he was almost treacle slow. I don't believe many players can overcome "intrinsic" problems like poise and decision-making. Watts has. Is just about the biggest improver in TAC comp this year. Has easily the best KPP form I've seen this season among the draft candidates.
Plays very inside, gives 101% all the time and always gives a contest.
Is one of the few tall '03 U18 draft candidates who could be classed as a regular pack mark.
Many define him almost exclusively by his big marks. I think this is selling him short and missing his biggest attribute because he is one of the few tall '03 U18 draft candidates who could be classed as is an "inside" KPP. Alarmingly, most of the KPPs this year could be described as "outside talls". Many of these are basketballers who bring with them a heightened concept of "zoning off", sitting off the pack instead of sitting on it or splitting it. Watts is the opposite. Not only gets his own ball but crashes packs, backs back into them, charges into the face of them and has no regard for his own safety. If the ball spills he immediately attacks it with a vengeance. He'll charge 20m to block. He gets the hard ball and feeds off to the smalls, instead of relying on the smalls to get it out to him as some of this year's talls seem to do. He will do all in his power to help his team get possession, to help his team keep possession, and to pressure the other team when they have it. I do rate his overhead contested ability but it is not flawless. It is the other stuff I just mentioned that really sells him to me. He'll never be the bulk of Jonathon Brown but he plays with the same "take no prisoners" attitude. I think he is AFL potential mainly because of his combination of height and intensity more than his marking per se. He should never be judged on stats alone.
*DISPOSAL, DECISION-MAKING, SMARTS:
- Genuinely dual-sided. Happy to use non-pref left even when set kick.
- Quite good kicking style although sometimes hops on impact and finishes facing 45deg, with such kick occasionally going right. Sometimes splay his plant foot, resulting in the kick going left. Some kicks are floaters but he gets good depth with others. Kicking can be a mixed bag but is generally reasonable.
- Doesn't kick many goals. Is actually fairly accurate with either foot (and not just set shot). It's just that he tends to lead hard up the ground from the half forward line, often direct but getting the ball outside range.
- Gets his own ball. Is particularly good in close for 196cm - quick thinker, spots well, and feeds well. Is very creative - eg tap ons or punching ball back over his head etc.
- Creates play and brings team mates into the game.
- Good awareness and generally looks for options.
- Intelligent, very coachable, listens keenly to the coach, understands.
*HANDS:
- Very clean off the ground and below the knees for a tall, even on the run and/or under pressure. Fairly soft hands generally.
*OVERHEAD MARKING:
- Despite his reputation, a slightly mixed bag . He takes screamers but most of his ohm's will be screamers because he routinely runs under the ball and has to stretch back and up. This is why he is vulnerable to a spoil from behind or being double-teamed. He needs to learn to, whenever possible, hold up a bit and time his leap so he is jumping into the ball and can take it more in front, instead of having to stretch backwards. To "protect the ball". If he doesn't learn this, his flaw will be exploited at AFL level.
- Has a 6cm reach advantage compared to the average player of his height and this is a great "attribute" for a marking player. It also allows him to often get away with doing his "stretch up and back" positioning mentioned above.
- He may often seem to be not in the best position for a pack mark but, in fairness, that is often a result of his great ethic in that he is prepared to charge from a distance to pack marking contests that most wouldn't bother trying to get to.
- Can take a screamer and can do so from any position/angle at a pack. Overall I'd describe him as fairly strong overhead and he certainly takes a lot of TAC marks (averaging 5.8, mainly contested, a TAC game). In the '03 U18 Champs he took 12 marks, of which 9 were contested. Can take a screamer from anywhere and regardless of pressure, leads in a manner that not only presents a "go to" option but demands the ball. However he but is not a "go to" overhead pack mark of the near-guarantee quality of a Carey, Brown or Riewoldt.
- Always tries for front position if possible.
- Keeps eyes on the ball and stands his ground.
*ATHLETICISM, INTENSITY, ETHIC, CONSISTENCY:
- Huge leap. His DC jump result was dreadful (bottom 7%) but sometimes you just have to go on what you see on match day. eg He routinely climbs over packs and he doesn't need a player to act as stepladder each time. He takes many high contested marks from in front. I concede that he does have a 6cm reach advantage but he also actually jumps well.
- Pace in '02 was dreadful but he went to professional athletics coach over summer of '02 and improved pace significantly. Worked really hard last summer - 2-3 sessions each week. Is often still not quick enough over ground (although no slower over 20m than Spencer or Brakenridge for example). There is still widespread concern re pace and agility but he is definitely on the improve in both areas and I believe he is quicker and more agile this year than he is given credit for, even though his agility had him ahead of only 36% of DC and SS participants, his 20m time ahead of only 20%, and there are certainly still times when he can look extremely slow/lumbering, even in a 20m run, but those occasions are usually late game after he has run himself and his opponent around a lot. His straight-line agility (eg re picking the ball up on the run) seems fine to me. Watts runs hard, far and often but it is true that he sometimes labours in a chase, losing running form (technique). It takes time for a new running style to be automatic pilot in the heat of battle and when you are tired. His running style when fresh doesn't look too bad these days so there is no longer huge scope for improving his pace in that regard but practice and further specialist running coaching is likely to squeeze a little more pace out of him. His body is not yet strong or well defined and there is every chance that a weights program to build him up and, in particular, to strengthen his fairly skinny quads (and hammies for that matter) might give him significant extra power in his run. He'll never be a Goodes but, in summary, I am not hugely worried about his pace down the track (pardon the pun), especially over a short distance. His major improvement to date, speed-wise, is in his acceleration off the mark, attested to by his DC 5m time which had him better than 68% of the 168 DC/SS attendees.
- Seems to often die off late game which I suspect is the result of trying to run his opponents off their legs earlier, as much as a stamina issue per se. 3Km and beep test DC results were sitting around the average mark. It's encouraging that he has so much faith in his endurance and aerobic capacity at 196cm to run as hard and far and often as he does.
- Leads hard and direct and calls loudly.
- Excellent ethic, especially for 196cm. Intensity, determination. 1%ers, especially blocking, shielding, pressuring, smothers. Recovery, 2e's, 1% are very good. Some terrific hbg work inside traffic and at stop plays, incl throw-in ruck contests. Exuberant. Runs on from one contest to next. Usually runs straight on after disposing - doesn't just stand as if the job is done.
- Surprisingly low tackle count but he harasses, bumps and has great physical presence.
- Presents, chases, covers stack of ground. Attacks both man and ball. Launches himself, even/especially at the ball under a pack.
- Is accountable, even running hard to pressure team mate's opponents.
- Great team man. Calls loudly, directs traffic, sometimes goes around to all team mates encouraging them individually at the breaks. Perhaps potential leadership. Certainly leads from the front on match day.
- Quick reflexes eg He has a habit of stealing the ball either from an opponent or off the pack like a rover.
- Good evasion.
- Great Courage eg Broke toe game 2 of '03 Champs but played game 3 anyway. Charges into oncoming traffic, goes where wise men fear to tread. Regularly takes marks running with the flight, even into the face of a pack.
- Has surprisingly good balance & body-on-body ability at throw-in ruck contests, even against a giant like Ericksen or a physical strong man.
*SCI (SCOPE FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT):
- Plenty of scope for physical development. Slim, but not a bad frame. Fairly skinny legs, arms & torso.
- Has grown 4cm in a year (and could be still growing?).
- Still lacks some pace but still has scope for improvement (see above).
*AFL VERSATILITY:
- Is essentially a key forward, part time ruck at U18s whose AFL potential is invariably labelled as key forward only. However, I think that is too narrow. Ironically, if he can bulk up and lift his pace and endurance even just a little more, his best asset AFL-wise may become versatility. He is good enough overhead to play any key position and sufficiently accountable, balanced and clean to play HFF, 3rd tall defender, ruck or, dare I say it, onball. Onball, he may become able, if he can lift his aerobic capacity, to play as a very tall ruckrover, who can help at throw-ins Spent time in that role early '03. If he can lift his pace and lateral agility I could see him as maybe a tall key defender. AFL clubs are looking to put more talls into mid-field (eg Pavlich) so tall run-withs will become more in demand - and they are sooooo scarce. Watts could be an attractive proposition. I fully concede that much of this is conjecture bordering on the fanciful, given Watts' current weight, pace and lateral agility, and that many observers would say I was being silly. They may be proven right. The odds are on their side. There are a lot of ifs in my speculation. However, I do not believe that any of it is completely beyond the realm of possibility. To do most of the above, he should also learn to ration his energy.
- In particular, he is now 196cm and, although only 86kg, if he could add even another 10kg (hopefully more) I think he has serious potential as a ruck, at least a support ruck. Also, although his endurance per DC tests is not too bad, it would be better if he could lift it. I could easily see him as a key forward who would make an excellent backup ruck, used in a similar manner to Fraser. Maybe vice versa. His actual throw-in ruck skills and smarts are as good as any '03 U18 I have seen in this year's crop and he is already very effective at these stop plays. Gets to the front, holds his ground and gets clean, directed palm-outs. Beat Dubieniecki. and Ericksen (eg) in many throw-in contests and Blake at least once. Obviously the main key is weight and my ruck thoughts are based on the questionable assumption that he can add enough of it.
*QUERY:
- Pace.
- Lateral agility.
- Maybe endurance, depending on the role.
- Need to protect the ball more often (re overhead marking).
*SOME STATS:
- TAC: Averaged 15 disposals in 6 TAC games (Played mainly school). 5.8 marks, 1.2 tackles, total 6 goals-4. 53% of disposals are kicks. 39% of his possessions are marks. Ranks 7th for av marks among talls (at least 188cm). Reasonably consistent. (Worst game statistically was 9 in shocking downpour conditions round 17)
- Stats summary '03 U18 Champs:
Averaged 11 disposals and 4.0 marks in 3 U18 Rep games. 4 goals (all in one game)
Kicks vs feeds: mixed
Gets own ball?: yes. 8/34TD were HR. 6 hbg.
Kicks long vs short: mixed.
Kicking accuracy: 5/16 ineff/clang incl 1 clang.
Handball accuracy: good. only 3/18 ineff/clang incl 1 clang.
Marking: 9 of 12m were contested.
Tackles: 5
*OTHER STUFF:
- All Aust TY.
