#1 pick, going cheap

[Brown26]

Watts was a GREAT player at under 18 level. Elite. Melbourne just were never able to get the best (or good, or mediocre) out of him. The question is, can we. He dominated the under 18 games as a full forward. Is that just because he was bigger than the other kids, I doubt it.

I agree with others that Bucks needs to sit down with him and see if he has a) the desire and fire to change / improve and b) the guts to do it, both off the field and on field.

The comparisons with Varcoe are not totally off target in that regard and I don't think it's too far to suggest that Watts could be given two jobs (ie. 1. defensive pressure and 2. mark / lead from the goalsquare as the third tall / gunston type) and see what happens - rather than the messiah tag he was given at the Dees. He can kick a goal, but does he have enough guts to take a contested mark and lay a hard tackle?

He'd be cheap...

- Ben

[Lazza]

[mattdally]

If cheap, yes - If not, no.
Pretty simple. 3rd or 4th rounder would do it.

He would be an upgrade on Toovey, Goldsack, Frost, Witts, Sinclair, Young, PK, Dwyer, Armstrong.

[jackcass]

[mudlark]

[Neil Appleby]

No, no, no, no no.

Apart from the fact that we'd be a laughing stock, the guy is the sort of player we don't need. Not only is he mentally fragile, physically soft and possessing virtually no footy smarts; he is a momentum and culture killer.
Jesse White is a rampaging bull and possessed of enormous skill and game-turning footy smarts by comparison.

Take Ben Kennedy's mediocracy, PK's lack of tank, Seedsman's lack of intensity and Fasolo's disappearing capacity, roll them into one and you have Jack Watts.

No!

[Jezza]

[Tannin]

Brilliant. Thanks Jezza. I trust that we got rid of that dud?

[qldmagpie67]

Let the coach sit down with him and see where his heads at.
Worked with Varcoe
Then I would put him in a couple contests against Frosty and see what he does.
Kick a lob pass to him and have Frosty charge full pelt at him and see where his eyes go
Take the mark and be prepared to cop the whack his in
Drop the eyes or mark and sorry mate not for us
I like the idea of having him as a forward hybrid type he does have mobility
For mine it's all about his head
He won't be a messiah here and would be at best our 3rd or 4th forward target behind Cloke Moore Elliot/Fasalo/Swan
Not worth trading a player we have any hope e we can develop
Third round pick or second round if we grab one somewhere and don't see a use for it in the draft.
His salary won't be high on performance he would have to take what's offered.
Also the demons don't have the greatest ability in developing players and the pressure they heaped on the kid at 18 was enormous.
I remember reading prior to his first game was either then CEO or president said he would lead them to a premiership within 3yrs.
Not a lot to live up to really
No wonder he caved in
Also how many coaches had a pre conceived idea on him when they arrived ?
Let's Bucks and Hine decide I'm happy to give them the benefit after the Varcoe deal

[5150]

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

Wouldn't be comparing Varcoe to Watts. Watts has never performed at an elite level in pressure games, whereas Varcoe has. Also find it interesting that some people are asserting that Buckley can get something out of Watts that his coaches at Melbourne couldn't get out of him. Roos is no fool. He tried him as a KPP. That didn't work. He tried him as a mid. That worked against weak opposition and then Witts went missing against better opposition. So what would you all like Buckley to do with him?

[Tannin]

^ No. Read the posts. The consensus view (which seems to have entirely escaped your notice) is that Bucks should assess Watts' prospects, that Bucks should talk to him and do whatever else he needs to do to decide if Watts has any value. That's the point of assessment: you look at the evidence and then you make a decision, which might be positive and might be negative. Is there some factor which has prevented Watts from performing well? Can we supply that factor? Is he cheap enough to be worth the punt? If you can answer YES to all three of those questions, then you consider recruiting him. A NO to any one of them, and you don't.

(You also consider using the pick or the trade for other players - possibly you might decide that Watts would be OK but Smith or Jones or Obelinskivincy looks better.)

[King Monkey]

[inxs88]

Hey if I said we could get him for pick 50 what would you say, in a shallow draft year???

[King Monkey]

That there's not enough room for him AND Jesse White at the Holden Centre!