Give Watts a spell

[whelan=legend]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25674466-19742,00.html

......
He has had a taste of the big time; he will have loved it. He doesn't need another week of people including luminaries such as Leigh Matthews telling the world he's out of place.
Melbourne needs to protect him. It will lose in Brisbane on Saturday night; it should eliminate the risk its most high-profile prospect will lose his self-belief in the process.
As for that nonsense about whether Melbourne should have taken Nick Naitanui ahead of him in the draft, consider this item of trivia.
The No. 1 pick at the 2000 national draft played his first game in Round 15 the following year. He had three possessions and didn't kick a goal.
The next week, he had 13 possies, still no goals.
The skinny kid with the blond hair, then 18-year-old Nick Riewoldt, has grown into his club's captain while becoming the most reliable key forward in the game.
Watts the hurry?

An extract from the article, but 100% spot on.

Great article from Mike, although i believe whilst we should give him a rest this week i would like to see him play against West Coast at the 'G for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it will be the middle of school holidays allowing him to complete rare training sessions with the team.
Secondly, it will be against a much weaker side when compared to Collingwood and Essendon.
Thirdly, it will be a very low key game with no pressure on the kid.

 

[Demon 86]

Fourthly we can all go

oh, except wonna- who may actually want him to play this week so he can have a look at the lad!

I hate Mike Sheehan. For so many reasons I wont even begin. This is the first article of his that I've agreed with in a long time. And the 2yr old future champion horse analogy was very apt!

Give Phar Lap a rest and let him study for a week or two!

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Fourthly we can all go

oh, except wonna- who may actually want him to play this week so he can have a look at the lad!

From my brain to your keyboard 86 - exactly what I was thinking

 

[w00dy]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/melbourne-committed-to-watts/2009/06/22/1245522784159.html

then there's this article, where Connolly says we'll play him as long as he's coping with the workload...

Given the school holidays are coming up, I think it's worth playing him another 2-3 weeks... Once he's back at school, then we'll see how he's going, and look at giving him a rest...

 

[omit]

that article really shoots itself in the foot.

it claims that playing Watts is hurting his confidence because he's not having an impact no games. but then talks about Reiwoldt no having an impact early on.

Nick only kicked 2 goals in the 7 games he played in 2001 (rd 15 - 22). he averaged 9.5 disposals and 4.3 marks. and was involved in 3 90+ point losses and only one win. it doesn't seem to have hurt his development given he won the rising star and club best and fairest in 2002

 

[Crimson Azure]

It should eliminate the risk its most high-profile prospect will lose his self-belief in the process

His last name is Watts not Devondale. I agree we don't want to have him play week in & out if he is giving nothing but I don't think his resilience is that fickle.

 

[jeffo]

Hey Guys,

Hawks supporter, but find it baffling that people are having a crack at Jack Watts. Think he is going to be a sensationl player for you guys, and will be playing in your next premiership side.

Just some stats that i thought were interesting.

After 2 games of AFL footy:

Lance Franklin:

13 kicks, 5 handballs, 6 marks, 3 goals, 4 tackles


Nick Riewoldt:

12 kicks, 4 handballs, 9 marks, 0 goals, 0 tackles


Jarryd Roughead:

8 kicks, 11 handballs, 6 marks, 3 goals, 4 tackles


Jonathan Brown:

8 kicks, 5 handballs, 7 marks, 0 goals, 2 tackles (no kicks or handballs on debut)


Matthew Pavlich:

8 kicks, 7 handballs, 6 marks, 4 goals, 1 tackle


Jack Watts:

9 kicks, 8 handballs, 5 marks, 2 goals, 1 tackle


Think he is in pretty good company....

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

That's exactly right!

We've already been using the stats about Riewoldt & Franklin (and Fevola) for comparison, but I'll have to keep that info about Brown, Pavlich & Roughead as well...

 

[chopperduck]

Yeah, Browny loves talking about his debut game where he didn't get a touch. Comes up every now and then and gets a bit of a rise out of the big fella. If you see pics of Browny in his first few games, you'll see how small he was back then too.

 

[Dez!]

Do everyone a favour and send him back to Casey? Why's that Mike? Wouldn't be doing me a favour, I'd rather see him develop at AFL and get use to it, rather than just have him dawdling round at Casey.

He's not playing poorly by any stretch of the imagination.

It's not like sending him back to Casey will make him physically bigger.

If he's "struggling" with the tempo then how would sending him back to Casey help? Short answer it won't. The only way he will adjust to the tempo of AFL is by playing games at AFL level, not VFL level.

If he's struggling with school then by all means send him back to Casey otherwise he should be playing for Melbourne.

 

[davey_magik]

Why would we send him back now when he played well on Friday night?

I don't understand this at all. It isn't like he'll be burned out after 2 games in 3 weeks. The Lions don't exactly have a huge backline when Merrett doesn't play so it isn't like he'll get monstered.

 

[Beard of Nicko]

Play Watts and Jurrah. Gee they are fun to watch in these lean times.

 

[Beard of Nicko]

Play Watts and Jurrah. Gee they are fun to watch in these lean times.

 

[Karl Pilkington]

The club knows the situation better than anyone in the press.

Watts has started stronger than both Franklin and Riewoldt did, just keep that in mind before judging whether he's ready for AFL or not.

 

[danger_to_walker]

I love the look of this kid, sure he's skinny, not many ready made AFL CHF's going around at 17-18 years of age. Seems to have some serious smarts about him, and moves really smoothly. Plenty of Crows fans were screaming for Taylor Walker to get a game last year, Craigy kept him in the SANFL and he seems to have benefitted from it. Melbourne is a different case though, whilst sitting at the bottom end of the ladder, getting games into guys like Watts, the genuine future of the club should be a priority.

 

[Karl Pilkington]

Thing is, it isn't as if there are other options we could be developing instead of Watts.

When he has the ball, he looks fantastic. His off ball stuff is poor, but that's cause of his size more than anything. He leads to the right spots and runs his guts out. I'm sure only the most stupid BF poster could say something negative about him.

Much more of a concern is Stef Martin, that kid could be great. Really, really, great. But we're giving him the Miller treatment by yanking him around too much and he isn't developing a position for himself. I reckon Martin/Watts should be in our forward line the rest of the year when fit.

 

[Den11]

Why send him back now, school holidays next weeks so for the next three games can pretend he is a full time footballer.

He hasn't been the worst player over the past two weeks, and if you forgive him for the holding the ball (Which i ask why was no one telling him he was hot) he did some nice things with the ball. Including being a great set shot for goal.

Plus why rest him for fear of injury when we will be resting back in the VFL which also has older bigger bodies to play against. Leave the kid in until his for warrants being dropped.

 

[Dez!]

Why send him back now, school holidays next weeks so for the next three games can pretend he is a full time footballer.

He hasn't been the worst player over the past two weeks, and if you forgive him for the holding the ball (Which i ask why was no one telling him he was hot) he did some nice things with the ball. Including being a great set shot for goal.

Plus why rest him for fear of injury when we will be resting back in the VFL which also has older bigger bodies to play against. Leave the kid in until his for warrants being dropped.

That's what I said but it didn't seem to register with people.

School holidays he's a full time footy player and I'll be disappointed if he's dropped.

 

[saj_21]

Why send him back now, school holidays next weeks so for the next three games can pretend he is a full time footballer.

He hasn't been the worst player over the past two weeks, and if you forgive him for the holding the ball (Which i ask why was no one telling him he was hot) he did some nice things with the ball. Including being a great set shot for goal.

Plus why rest him for fear of injury when we will be resting back in the VFL which also has older bigger bodies to play against. Leave the kid in until his for warrants being dropped.

I wouldn;t mind seing him rested but am happy if he plays. Play him against the lower ranked sides at the G over the comnig weeks.

By the way the VFL doesn't have older bigger bodies, the VFL is mainly made of younger players trying to make their way back into the AFL side or blokdes in the mid to early 20's who weren;t good enough to make AFL and wanna play at high level.

 

[Bails2008]

He hasn't been the worst player over the past two weeks, and if you forgive him for the holding the ball (Which i ask why was no one telling him he was hot) he did some nice things with the ball. Including being a great set shot for goal.

Am I the only one who saw him actually handball the ball when tackled by Davey. It may be just me but there were several occassions where players got done for holding the ball when they disposed of the football. Last time I checked the rule is not disposing the ball correctly or not disposing of it at all. Does not matter how good the chase is or the tackle if the person handballs or kicks the bloody thing.

For what its worth I would probably give him a rest this week and then play him the next two weeks at the MCG in games we have a genuine chance of winning. Playing in a winning side would be a massive boost to the lad I think

 

[Dez!]

He had prior opportunity and it was most definitely holding the ball everyday of the week.

 

[Bails2008]

Dez my point was that he actually handballed the ball when tackled. Have a look at it again and you will see what I mean. He definately had prior opportunity, but he did dispose of the football. The game on Friday was very poorly umpired, though I understand why that was paid

Agree though that is much better being paid holding the ball, than when a player gets the hard ball, gets tackled and pinged with no chance of disposing it

 

[WattsGoodForYou]

Yeah they are starting to pay by crowd reaction rather than whether or not they got rid of it. I miss the days when the umpires role was just to decide whether or not a player gained a unfair advantage, so stupid that call (Watts F^&KING handballed it) particulary.

 

[Dez!]

Dez my point was that he actually handballed the ball when tackled. Have a look at it again and you will see what I mean. He definately had prior opportunity, but he did dispose of the football. The game on Friday was very poorly umpired, though I understand why that was paid

Agree though that is much better being paid holding the ball, than when a player gets the hard ball, gets tackled and pinged with no chance of disposing it

He was tackled and brought down before he disposed of it, it doesn't matter if he handballed it because he took too long to do so thus had prior opportunity to dispose of it.

I get what you mean but the call was a correct interpretation of the rule.

 

[Grandmaster_B]

Watts is like a drug.

I have had a taste, and I need another hit.

I hope he plays the year out.