Neeld pumps up Jack Watts

[RedmanWasHere]

It won't be too long until this thread's locked.

 

[shifty mp]

Bay 13?

Can everyone just stop laying into Jack? .

Bay 13 cries a Melbourne supporter desperate to deny free speech, its uncomfortable, lets side line it.

To the march of the thought police & the cheers of the politically correct ... pathetic !!!

Even the ABC have run it yet, there are claims its trolling - the same forces keen to close the subject down.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-04/watts-backed-by-neeld/3867354?section=sport

Mods need identify those who want to deny legit discussion, as exposed in this thread.

 

[kaiserchief13]

Jack Watts is lazy and soft. Have heard he enjoys the drink a bit too much as well. Will be living off his hype of #1 pick until 2015 before he isn't on an AFL list anymore.

 

[shifty mp]

It won't be too long until this thread's locked.

Have you been sucked in by the thought police or the politically correct or both?

Its a legitimate discussion. Melbournes failure to develop Watts, perhaps moving him back as suggested by Healy in the middle of last week on 3AW.

 

[andy22]

No. It is a legitimate point of interest. Kosi and Reiwoldt x2 both have flogged him by the same stage in his career, as did Franklin. From his own draft Hurley and Nic Nat have both done more, and from his same age group Reid and Darling (third tall, whatever) have leapt him, and Butcher and Tom Lynch would give a lot more observers a lot more confidence.

And how is Hanson travelling? Would have to be a delisting candidate at years end as things stand. Pick 3 in a superdraft.....

 

[blaze036]

If jack watts was playing for collingwood i'd be spewing... mentally very soft and i feel sorry for melbourne

 

[Black Diamond]

And how is Hanson travelling? Would have to be a delisting candidate at years end as things stand. Pick 3 in a superdraft.....

Mate, Hansen is discussed at length on our board, and not all of it is good. Pop over and have a look at the current thread if you like.

If you'd like to start a MB thread on Hansen then go right ahead too. I'll happily put in my 2c and it won't all be positive.

 

[Forward Press]

I often don't understand the trolling of a 21 year old key position player. He'll get better, without a doubt. Even so, a 21 year old midfielder is still too young to be properly judged.

Of course there is a legitimate debate as to how much he will get better and whether he should spend time behind the ball or be left up forward or whatever, but the OP just reeks of Bay 13.

 

[whelan=legend]

A number one selection cannot hide from the microscope and until Watts produces regularly, his name will come up.

Watts produced regularly last real season.

Now the trolls come back on board after two poor NAB Cup games, lol

 

[Forward Press]

Watts produced regularly last real season

Not sure about that.

He was moved onto the wing/half-back line from Round 8 onwards. Not really producing as a key forward (as he was originally drafted to be). Rounds 1-7 (when he spent more time up forward) resulted in an average of 11 disposals and five marks, and four goals in total.

The Prospectus states that he recorded the second-best retention rate of all Melbourne players delivering into the forward 50 (great), but the team's retention rate when he was the target was the worst of the top five forward targets.

I would say that he has not delivered as a forward so far.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

I see this board has gone to shit. I thought bay 13 was where the short-bus threads went.

 

[sTeeL]

Watts produced regularly last real season.

Its okay. He was picked underage so hes got another 5 years to develop. I didnt realise football changed so much between NAB and the real season. The only thing that possibly changes is how the team goes. The individual will still try to win each ball. Jackie cant do that. Thats why he goes to the HBF.

 

[MightyTiger]

Melbourne supporters are all to quick to point out to us when he has a good game, and tell us how much of a champ he will be, only fair that it goes the other way to, Tambling copped it, Vickery copped it, every top draft pick is scrutinized to no end.

I feel he wont be the out and out star Melbourne supporters think he will turn out to be, decent player is all I can see him becoming, he doesn't have any real strengths up forward like a young Vickery has, doesn't have any real strengths down back like Hurley has and obviously cant ruck like a Nic Nat.

What he does have though is decent speed for a big guy and skills, but unfortunately that's about it, his over head marking is average to ok, for some reason isn't that good on the lead, and doesn't take that many pack marks, although I will admit that he had a decent aerial game against my mob a couple times, really showed a decent leap on him, but apart from that and the odd glimpse here and there he really has done nothing else.

 

[Brolga]

I'm not sold on him, but like our club with Chris Masten, you hope they begin to fulfill their promise. You don't mind if they try stuff that doesn't come off, but wince when it looks like their effort, and second effort, is lacking.
Chris is showing more, hope for Melbourne's sake Jack does too.
But as a highly touted number 1 draft pick, you must wear the scrutiny.

May be a case in point to back up the other thread re raising the draft age.
Would Watts have benefited from a year dominating in a 2nd tier competition and getting his strength and confidence up prior to mixing it with the big boys?

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

Not sure about that.

He was moved onto the wing/half-back line from Round 8 onwards. Not really producing as a key forward (as he was originally drafted to be). Rounds 1-7 (when he spent more time up forward) resulted in an average of 11 disposals and five marks, and four goals in total.
.

At least try to make it seem like you watched him play last year.

Watts is everyone's favorite target, he quietened the haters last year with a promising season (9th in the BnF) and now the knives come out after two poor NAB games.

This doesn't surprise me; everyone wants to feel vindicated... and those who will excuse their team losing in the NAB Cup (ie. everyone) are just as willing to grill a player for poor performance in this Mickey Mouse cup.

Hypocrisy at it's best.

The intensity and attitude queries were also placed on Hodge and Goddard for the first few years, and we all know how that turned out.

Even Gibbs has faced scrutiny.

Watts may not become a brilliant player, he may... he has all the tools.

He's 20 years old.

An interesting quote from the AFL website is that Watts has kicked 5 more goals than Cloke in his first 40 games, while also playing behind the ball and on the wing.

 

[Brock Machine]

Under the microscope and deservably so.

Happy the new coaching staff are not letting him get off the hook by sticking him behind the ball and letting him rack up easy stats.

The guy needs some slack learning a new role but last night was a worry. A few times he needed to go hard at high balls and just stopped. A #1 pick, with the hopes of being the 'go to man' needs that to be instinctual.

The more I see of Watts the more I worry he just isn't that.

 

[The Fact]

Watts produced regularly last real season.

Now the trolls come back on board after two poor NAB Cup games, lol

Agreed, i think were people might have a problem with him is that he never really seems to be busting a nut to get to a contest(Yes i know u can probably find a youtube clip of him doing this but this is just my POV).

Like others have said though, he isn't even 21 yet the kid needs time. I don't think what Neeld did was great but we all make mistakes, really in the end the kid has a lot of time on his side.

 

[Scotland]

Unfortunately for Watts he is going to be compared to Naitanui and Hurley (amongst others) for the next decade. He might end up the 3rd best player of his draft, or the 10th, or the 20th - who knows, but if he's not #1 he's always going to have haters because he was picked first, and as ridiculous as that may seem it's how it is...

He reminds me a bit of Mitchell White, and while he was an important player for us back in the day he was never what you'd call a dominant key forward.

 

[daniel_4tw]

Feel sorry for the kid. If he was taken number 2 we wouldn't be having this thread. It seems if you are taken number 1 you are either a champion or a failure. Impossible hype to live up to.

Let the kid play football and forget when and where he was taken in the draft.

 

[sTeeL]

He's 20 years old.

Hes 21 this month.

An interesting quote from the AFL website is that Watts has kicked 5 more goals than Cloke in his first 40 games, while also playing behind the ball and on the wing.

Jack Darling is only 9 goals behind, yet drafted 2 years later. Maybe we should all get on Jack for the Coleman in 2/3 years?

 

[Vitalogy]

Would take Vickery any day.

 

[ThePuppetMaster]

Hes 21 this month.

Jack Darling is only 9 goals behind, yet drafted 2 years later. Maybe we should all get on Jack for the Coleman in 2/3 years?

I'm sorry; the context of that post just blew my mind.

 

[Scotland]

Feel sorry for the kid. If he was taken number 2 we wouldn't be having this thread. It seems if you are taken number 1 you are either a champion or a failure. Impossible hype to live up to.

Let the kid play football and forget when and where he was taken in the draft.

I don't it is just because he was the #1 pick.

The scrutiny comes from the fact he was taken at #1 ahead of Naitanui; a freak talent that everyone wanted, Rich; a ball winning midfielder and WAFL premiership winner at 17, and Hurley; a standout junior KPP. Had Melbourne picked someone else at #1, I'm not sure where Watts would have been selected, though it would not have been #2.

There were a few rumblings over here when Freo picked Hill and not Rich at 3, but after Hill's first season the knockers were saying that Freo picked a winner.

 

[HARKER]

Feel sorry for the kid. If he was taken number 2 we wouldn't be having this thread. It seems if you are taken number 1 you are either a champion or a failure. Impossible hype to live up to.
Let the kid play football and forget when and where he was taken in the draft.

Because pick 1 should always be infinitely better than pick 2.
It wasn't as much for the player that Melbourne chose, but for the marketing potential that Melbourne disregarded with Natanui, that surprised me.

It happens.

 

[RedLegs#5]

Bay 13?

Can everyone just stop laying into Jack? You're talking about a guy that has effectively trained properly for 2 seasons now as a KPP prospect. He has good games and bad games, but some of the things he can do are great yet go unnoticed by the bulk of the AFL due to the continued jizz-fest over NicNat.

He's also under a new coach, has a new forward structure to learn and is taking some time to adapt to actually having a decent-sized full-forward standing next to him.

We all knew he'd take time. He had a great run of 10-12 games last season following when he was made sub for the Gold Coast game, and yet noone bloody well talks about it because they like to lay the easy boot in. I'm happy to criticise him, but people also have to realise that he's come a bloody long way from that Queen's Birthday game where he was barely even training with Melbourne and yet was thrown to the sharks. He's getting better, some of the things he tries to do are audacious and at times sublime and yet when he goes anonymous it turns to the 'he's crap' wagon.

The obsession with this guy here verges on homoerotic.

P.S. OP clearly sooking over last night. Brilliant.