Fergus Watts

[Skeptic]

How's he doin!!??

Will he live up to the hype..?
Is he fitting in?
Any rumours tha he will be traded to the Saints???

 

[Crow-mosone]

Any rumours tha he will be traded to the Saints???

yes,
he's being traded next week just in time for the wiz cup.

 

[birdmanptr]

How's he doin!!??

Will he live up to the hype..?
Is he fitting in>
Any rumours tha he will be traded to the Saints???

he was going to be the next big foward but i think he is going backwards

 

[Truck Rutten]

he was going to be the next big foward but i think he is going backwards

Let's not get carried away here. The kid's been in the AFL system for only one season.

 

[mickyj]

Let's not get carried away here. The kid's been in the AFL system for only one season.

I did tell my fellow workmates who follow the crows(like myself) not to get carried away with fergus watts first up,IMO he was rushed into the side at a time when we needed big men . The first answer I recieved (and sticks in my mind)no we dont want to hear that he has to be ready now , i thought back then he would need a fair time in The SANFL a year perhaps . Well i hope he proves me wrong and can go forward in his career and play a fair few games for the CROWS.

 

[Eggzoi]

Why on earth would the Saints want him?

 

[Stiffy_18]

he was going to be the next big foward but i think he is going backwards

What do you base that on??????

 

[Truck Rutten]

Why on earth would the Saints want him?

They probably don't, but people will keep linking him to the Saints as long as his old man is their CEO

 

[Truck Rutten]

What do you base that on??????

Stiffy, what are your feelings about Fergus for this season? Do you think he can step up and make some sort of an impact? From what I've read in other posts it sounds like he still needs to bulk up a bit. Where do you see him fitting into the side?

 

[Eggzoi]

Being injured for a good part of the pre-season makes it hard to make a real impact during the year, give him some time to put some more muscle on, he will come good.

 

[Stiffy_18]

Stiffy, what are your feelings about Fergus for this season? Do you think he can step up and make some sort of an impact? From what I've read in other posts it sounds like he still needs to bulk up a bit. Where do you see him fitting into the side?

I think the expectation of lad this year in general public are a bit unrealistic. Its only his 2nd year on the list and he really needs to play some consistent SANFL games before I would rush him into the AFL side. If he plays about half a dozen games this year I would be happy. He is still pretty raw but has a lot of potential.

I think people over-react a bit about him not bulking up. Sure he doesn't look bigger but he is 2 kg heavier than this time last year. He had a lot of puppy fat last year and he has lost that so expect him to get bigger in the next couple of years.

No need to rush this kid. He has had a bit of a interupted pre-season due to OP so we really need to keep the expectation realistic. He will need a fair bit of game time in SANFL to get some fitness under his belt.

 

[Truck Rutten]

I think the expectation of lad this year in general public are a bit unrealistic. Its only his 2nd year on the list and he really needs to play some consistent SANFL games before I would rush him into the AFL side. If he plays about half a dozen games this year I would be happy. He is still pretty raw but has a lot of potential.

I think people over-react a bit about him not bulking up. Sure he doesn't look bigger but he is 2 kg heavier than this time last year. He had a lot of puppy fat last year and he has lost that so expect him to get bigger in the next couple of years.

No need to rush this kid. He has had a bit of a interupted pre-season due to OP so we really need to keep the expectation realistic. He will need a fair bit of game time in SANFL to get some fitness under his belt.

I think you're on the money there. As you say this is only his second season, and key position types can take a bit of time. Freaks like Reiwoldt, who are guns in their second season are definitely the exception, not the rule. I would love him to become the gun forward we've been craving since Mods departed though!

 

[Ozzie]

Fergus Watts = Kenny McGregor.
Played way too early thru injuries . Needs time to bulk up and develop. Kenny took 3 years to mature.

 

[WaynesWorld19]

Fergus Watts = Kenny McGregor.
Played way too early thru injuries . Needs time to bulk up and develop. Kenny took 3 years to mature.

Good comment although McGregor was worse at this stage than Watts.

Although unimpressed with his PS training and lack of physical development that counts for zero when the real stuff starts.

Iam genuinely excited as to seeing this kid play in the Wizard Cup and hope that all the track watchers were wrong in their assessment of him.

 

[birdmanptr]

What do you base that on??????

After seeing him last friday night he is'nt as big as i thought he would be after another pre season of weights.Also i was hoping he would be ready to start at full foward but he seems a bit lost was a good player in under 18's but might have found the jump to AFL a bit to big,hope i am wrong but if hes not carefull others will go past him for a spot.I can see Hudson playing in ruck with Clarke and the talk is Biglands to play at full foward.Hes only young and a long way to go but for mine hes not as foward as i was hoping for.Although i have not seen Maric play he looks a big boy and could play up foward before he becomes a ruckman i thought Fergus was going to be a gun foward but now the jury is out.

 

[theorangeapple]

Why on earth would the Saints want him?

there were reports that the saints were VERY keen on him pre-draft 2003. i even think their recruiting guy came out after the draft and said they were disapointed they missed out on him but ralpheal clarke had to be chosen. naturally that doesnt mean you guys will trade him to the saints.

 

[birdmanptr]

Let's not get carried away here. The kid's been in the AFL system for only one season.

just heard from my cousin hes not playing sunday so if hes not injured and cant make sundays 24 there is something wrong i think

 

[Mad Dog]

just heard from my cousin hes not playing sunday so if hes not injured and cant make sundays 24 there is something wrong i think

Patience young Padawan.......he had OP over the summer and is slightly behind the main group at the moment - no point in rushing him.....

 

[dreamkillers]

He has had a bit of a interupted pre-season due to OP so we really need to keep the expectation realistic. He will need a fair bit of game time in SANFL to get some fitness under his belt.

Your club will need to be very careful managing him this year then as OP can take quite some time to get over properly and if rushed in anway will just have it coming back even worse.

Some players can be completely over it within 6 months whereas others have taken 2-3 years or more to completely get over with the average somewhere in between.

Whilst I don't know the extent of the injury I'd be giving him as much rest as possible in the first half of the season to allow him to firstly get over it and then start the long slow building up process again. Your club's much better off having a player who will play 100 plus games after fully recovering than rushing things even just a little and killing him off for at least a year or two if not for good.

 

[outback jack]

i think its fairly clear at this stage that he isnt going to be a gun CHF of the future, is definitely a fraction slower than is required and he is yet to bulk up, that should slow him down more. He is a solid prospect though, someone said like kenny mcgregor was, thats a fair comparison. He just doesnt have that class of the top forwards, even though hes still young. If we could get a first rounder about 10ish from the saints i'd have no problem trading him.

 

[Nige_Bix]

I think the expectation of lad this year in general public are a bit unrealistic. Its only his 2nd year on the list and he really needs to play some consistent SANFL games before I would rush him into the AFL side. If he plays about half a dozen games this year I would be happy. He is still pretty raw but has a lot of potential.

I think people over-react a bit about him not bulking up. Sure he doesn't look bigger but he is 2 kg heavier than this time last year. He had a lot of puppy fat last year and he has lost that so expect him to get bigger in the next couple of years.

No need to rush this kid. He has had a bit of a interupted pre-season due to OP so we really need to keep the expectation realistic. He will need a fair bit of game time in SANFL to get some fitness under his belt.

I totally agree with this. I believe that the patience will pay off in the end as the lad has something about him that suggests that he will make it. We need to put the expectations on hold.

 

[tinman]

I totally agree with this. I believe that the patience will pay off in the end as the lad has something about him that suggests that he will make it. We need to put the expectations on hold.

It would be nice to see him playing a few games this year and seeing how he goes, but he needs to get his body right first. It is hard enough for a young guy to make an impact when they are fully fit.

He was struggling last year even when he did play, so hopefully when he is over his OP and back to peak fitness he will find a yard as he certainly looks like he lacks one at the minute.

When he is fit we will be in a far better position to be able to assess his progress.

 

[Skeptic]

Just on the Saints, they were keen on him the year he was drafted, but it seemed he wasn't good enough for pick 8 but too good for a mod 20s pick.

The desire to get him over to the Saints comes from the same train of thought as getting Goddard to Carlton... supported them. However, like I said, there is nothing to suggest that he is on the way out.

Why would the Saints want him. Good forwards are hard to find. Fraser will retire in the next 2-3 years so a replacement/change of guard is in order.

Kossi will move from a FP to FF leaving us to find another damaging tall forward to replace him with.

 

[Mong]

he was going to be the next big foward but i think he is going backwards

Expectations of him are too high too early. You're right, he was being talked up as the next big thing. But just because he isn't our star CHF 12 months after being drafted doesn't mean he's going backwards.

He is a victim of the unreal expectations that we put on a first round draft pick. It should be remembered that he was taken in the late teens. And when a CHF is taken that late you can be sure that he is not readymade.

 

[Macca19]

Geez some people ar a bit bloody harsh on him. Hes only 19 and has only had one year in the AFL system. At the same stage and age, Tredrea had only played the one AFL game for two kicks and two handballs, broke his hand then spent the rest of the year playing average football in the SANFL.

My point? Dont expect miracles from physically under developed teenage key forwards as it just isnt gonna happen. If he hasnt improved by the end of next year then id start to worry