Watts quits the Crows

[MaccasNeighbour]

From what I understand Watts has been coming along pretty well this year. He has beefed up a lot over the last 2 years at the Crows and was definitely going to play a lot more games next year, if he'd stayed.

I thought he should have played in the round 15 game against the Hawks where he travelled as an emergency but because of the conditions Craig played another small youngster, Chris Knights. Other than that I can't think of any other games where Watts should have been given a game. With MMcGregor, Perrie, Welsh and Henschtell performing well this year and largely without injury he was always going to struggle to get a game.

The best thing that could have happened for the Crows (other than Watts staying) is having him kick 10 goals in a final. Hopefully that'll be enough to make a Vic club want to trade for him. Otherwise with the first 8 (?) picks going to Vic clubs the Crows may get nothing in return for what was a first round pick who is now almost ripe to play AFL footy.

 

[Crowked]

He's good. Very good. He's very worthy of a top ten pick. Had a few ankle injuries etc and was skinny as a rake when he joined the Crows 2 years ago. And the Crows have had ZERO injuries. Now he's built like the proverbial. We wont use pick 5 on him because we're chaising mids, but I woudlnt be surprsied in the least to see the Bombers give up pick 7 for him.

21 and a fringe player probably wont cut it. Especially as we'd want to offload a tall fringe player to make room for Watts - who would they want? Walker? Hall? J Cloke?

21 and fringe player definately wont wont cut it.

I think the deal is more likely to be done with a club like the Roos, Melbourne or Saints as they dont have the PSD on their side. Carlton and Collingwood will offer very little as they could try to get him in the PSD. Essendon could be a consideration but pick 7 in this draft, I'm told wont get an equal replacement.

 

[MarkT]

No idea hotpie. I don't doubt they want more than I'd offer and probably other clubs would offer more but other clubs don't already have to fit Rocca, Tarrant, 2 Clokes, Fraser, Rusling, Didak, Caracella and maybe Buckley/Burns into a forward line. What we need is blokes that can get it to that lot. Unless the guy is definitively better than most of that lot then it's pointless to give up pick 5 for what he brings to the club in terms of improvement. If he's an out and out gun then that's different but I doubt it.

FWIW players I want to offload are the announced delistees if anyone wants some certainty about getting them, Lockyer, Davis, C. Morrison, O'Bree, Lonie the three you mentioned and after that's it's make an offer and it should be considered. Maybe the Crows would take a punt on Davidson although there is a chance we'll try and get him onto the rookie list to give him a last chance to stay fit. The bottom line is we should expend too much energy on him becasue he aint what we need.

 

[ComicStoreGuy]

and what do you think the Saints are going to give for him?

Bout the same as you gave us for Begley, sweet FA.

 

[Joffaboy]

Bout the same as you gave us for Begley, sweet FA.

Only the Crows wanted Watts, will be a different situation.

So with that in mind it will be a done deal with McGough and Fiora plus the Crows giving us there first pick

 

[Forzaport]

Jim Watts has convinced his son to come home.

Jim Watts is St.Kilda CEO.

Expect Fergus Watts in Saints colours in 2006.

Looking likely - so much for watts wanting to be a "one club man" as he said in 2003. Oh well, not the first go home story, won't be the last.

If Jimmy wants his son in saints colours next year the crows should get a very favourable deal for him. otherwise he could end up in the PSD playing for either carlton, collingwood or hawks.

 

[Joffaboy]

Looking likely - so much for watts wanting to be a "one club man" as he said in 2003. Oh well, not the first go home story, won't be the last.

yeah but the Crows aren't a "real" club so his statement still stands

 

[scooter600x]

Bit hard for Victorians to judge SANFL players. What has he done over 2 years? Was the 10 goals out of the blue?

Even including last weeks 10, Watts still kicked fewer goals this year than Patrick Wiggins!

Oh, and Watts' side is in the GF, Wiggins' side is crap.

 

[Saintsfan]

Looking likely - so much for watts wanting to be a "one club man" as he said in 2003. Oh well, not the first go home story, won't be the last.

If Jimmy wants his son in saints colours next year the crows should get a very favourable deal for him. otherwise he could end up in the PSD playing for either carlton, collingwood or hawks.

Wow the Saints allow Begley to go home, for obviously sentimental reasons and thats fine got bugger all replacement, yet now we have a young guy wanting to do the same in reverse and he's a what?

For mine the Saints obviously would be his preferred destination, with the family connection at the club, and the fact he's been a fan for a fair while.
It would seem to me the club if it offered our first round draft pick, would be fair as it allows the crows to get an extra first rounder.

 

[Crowked]

Bout the same as you gave us for Begley, sweet FA.

You wont be getting him then.

Begley was free because no one else wanted him. We picked him up as list depth, for the value he represented at the time, as you say Sweet FA. Now, he's destined for the scrap heap because he's just not good enough. Watts on the other hand is attracting a lot of interest from half a dozen Melbourne clubs, one of which will pay a reasonable price.

 

[Powerstufff]

The day we start giving players games to "give them an incentive to stay" is the day we give up on being a successful club.

Nailed it in one.
Poor career decision. Obviously I'm not upset about it but there is something there to be frustrated about for any footy supporter.

 

[arrowman]

Poor career decision.

The team mates he is leaving behind will have premiership medals before he makes a PF.

Obviously I'm not upset about it but there is something there to be frustrated about for any footy supporter.

Well put.

 

[Forzaport]

Wow the Saints allow Begley to go home, for obviously sentimental reasons and thats fine got bugger all replacement, yet now we have a young guy wanting to do the same in reverse and he's a what?

For mine the Saints obviously would be his preferred destination, with the family connection at the club, and the fact he's been a fan for a fair while.
It would seem to me the club if it offered our first round draft pick, would be fair as it allows the crows to get an extra first rounder.

1. With begley i always thought the saints released him cos they couldn't do a deal with crows/power and the then the crows just picked him up in the PSD.

2. if the saints offered their first round pick which would be #16 or so - that would be reasonable - especially considering no one knows how watts will perform at AFL level - he could be a gun as much as he could be a dud. From the looks of things he looks promising but hey, haven't we all heard that before?

 

[Macca19]

He's good. Very good. He's very worthy of a top ten pick. Had a few ankle injuries etc and was skinny as a rake when he joined the Crows 2 years ago. And the Crows have had ZERO injuries. Now he's built like the proverbial.

Dunno who youve been talking to or seeing but hes still lean and is definately not 'built like the proverbial'.

 

[DaveMorro]

Bout the same as you gave us for Begley, sweet FA.

Probably because he's crap

 

[afc9798]

yeah but the Crows aren't a "real" club so his statement still stands

You're right, we aren't a real club. Not one of our players has urinated on a woman in a bar yet. How can we even hope to compete with the standards set by real clubs like the Saints Hell, our captain doesn't even cry when he gets hurt and our players aren't accused of rape. What will we ever do without all that culture and history?

 

[afc9798]

Wow the Saints allow Begley to go home, for obviously sentimental reasons and thats fine got bugger all replacement, yet now we have a young guy wanting to do the same in reverse and he's a what?

For mine the Saints obviously would be his preferred destination, with the family connection at the club, and the fact he's been a fan for a fair while.
It would seem to me the club if it offered our first round draft pick, would be fair as it allows the crows to get an extra first rounder.

God, I didn't realise that Fergus' best friend was just killed by a bomb in Bali. When did this happen? I could understand if he was just being a mummy's boy and wanted to go home for dinner every night, but given the circumstances are obviously the same as the Begley situation....

 

[MaccasNeighbour]

Dunno who youve been talking to or seeing but hes still lean and is definately not 'built like the proverbial'.

He was a rake 2 years ago, now he looks like a normal footy player. To his credit he has obviously done the work in the weights room, I think he has put on something like 12kg.

 

[Saintsfan]

God, I didn't realise that Fergus' best friend was just killed by a bomb in Bali. When did this happen? I could understand if he was just being a mummy's boy and wanted to go home for dinner every night, but given the circumstances are obviously the same as the Begley situation....

You tosser read my post again WE all KNOW why Begley wanted to go home even felt sorry for the guy. You know the Saints did everything in their power to accomodate his wishes of a return.
Now did I say anything about Watt's other than he wants to return home? how do you know how attached he is to his family, or how he feels having to live in Adelaide? He also has had limited opportunities at the Crows and might also factor that in to his playing future.

The fact I pointed out that we gave up Begley for nothing at least I expect the Saints will offer something back so get off your high horse you down water hick

 

[johnnyhoward]

You're right, we aren't a real club. Not one of our players has urinated on a woman in a bar yet. How can we even hope to compete with the standards set by real clubs like the Saints Hell, our captain doesn't even cry when he gets hurt and our players aren't accused of rape. What will we ever do without all that culture and history?

You've summed up our entire 100+ year history perfectly

 

[hotpie]

Dunno who youve been talking to or seeing but hes still lean and is definately not 'built like the proverbial'.

I didn't say which proverb did I?

I watched a bit of the SANFL final on the weekend. He's bulked up big time and while he's not enormous, he's built up a lot across the shoulders, and now has some of the strength required to play key position. At only 20 he's still three years away from the ideal physique for a tall mobile stong marking forward. He'll never be a Sav Rocca lardarse.

 

[MarkT]

Obviously I'm not upset about it but there is something there to be frustrated about for any footy supporter.

Like what? The draft? A club drafts a bloke from another state and presumably tries its best to re settle him but it can't always work. If you want a national competition and a draft then you have to accept not everyone will want to stay at the club they never wanted to go to in a place they never wanted to live in. The disturbing thing is that people think it can or should be otherwise.

Maybe we should think about tying school leavers to their first employer for life? As it is a club has a 2 year hold. If they can’t make it work by then then them’s the breaks.

 

[sainter35]

You're right, we aren't a real club. Not one of our players has urinated on a woman in a bar yet. How can we even hope to compete with the standards set by real clubs like the Saints Hell, our captain doesn't even cry when he gets hurt and our players aren't accused of rape. What will we ever do without all that culture and history?

Very true....but I wouldn't ********** on the Crows to be honest...

 

[afc9798]

You tosser read my post again WE all KNOW why Begley wanted to go home even felt sorry for the guy. You know the Saints did everything in their power to accomodate his wishes of a return.
Now did I say anything about Watt's other than he wants to return home? how do you know how attached he is to his family, or how he feels having to live in Adelaide? He also has had limited opportunities at the Crows and might also factor that in to his playing future.

The fact I pointed out that we gave up Begley for nothing at least I expect the Saints will offer something back so get off your high horse you down water hick

Thanks for the over reaction. Down water Hick?Are you suffering from small state syndrome?Too many people in too smaller area? How big of St Kilda to offer "something" back. You were the one that brought Begley into the story, it was completely irrelevant and has no bearing whatsoever to the Watts scenario. I don't think he'll go to the Saints anyway, as they will most likely be trumped by the Bulldogs who are desperate for a key forward.

 

[afc9798]

Very true....but I wouldn't ********** on the Crows to be honest...

What a pity, we were in dire need of more members for our waiting list.