Watts

[Barney2]

Watts delisting is a bit of a shock even though there were rumours. Should Fergameister been given one more year when injury free?

[riccardo]

Bit late for that now, isn't it?

[chook23]

Watts delisting is a bit of a shock even though there were rumours. Should Fergameister been given one more year when injury free?

We can speculate all we like

the football dept. along with RL made a judgement call

What they are employed to do.

[saintsRrising]

If Kosi is FF then there is no spot for Watts to take.

Kosi >>> Watts

[saintsrus]

Bit late for that now, isn't it?

maybe not, we could always select him in the draft, maybe he needs a reality check

[elvis lives]

what happens it Kosi gets injured for any length of time? Or if neither King nor Gardiner are fit enough to play in the ruck (thus requiring Kosi to play there)? Who plays FFWD in Kosi's absence

Or if Maguire or Hudgton go down with injury or both? Who covers them?

It would appear our KPP depth is horrendously limited.

Watts is a better FFWD option than just about anyone on our list apart from Kosi and Roo.

[HarveysDeciple]

Big queries on his pace and agility.

Modern football seems to have gone past the dinosaurs who can crash packs but can't do much when the ball hits the deck and aren't to quick when chasing.

Had some good qualities did big Ferg, but also lacked in some other key areas.

[Quixote]

what happens it Kosi gets injured for any length of time? Or if neither King nor Gardiner are fit enough to play in the ruck (thus requiring Kosi to play there)? Who plays FFWD in Kosi's absence

Or if Maguire or Hudgton go down with injury or both? Who covers them?

It would appear our KPP depth is horrendously limited.

I was thinking the same thing.

Who are our KPP's now?

Obviously Roo and Kosi up one end, Max, Goose and Chips the other.

We have the unreliable/unproven King and Gardiner duo in the ruck. Pragmatically, you would have to assume that one of these two will spend a considerable amount of time injured. What then?

Blake and Rix to backup ruck. Not great. Also Kosi - but we need hime elsewhere now.

There is Allen - young and unproven. Not wise to rely on him.

Then there is the likes of Gwilt, Goddard, Ferguson and Raph Clarke who you can only assume are pencilled in as forward line backup players if our forward KPP's are injured or required in the ruck.

It would be nice to have a taylor-made backup KPP in waiting if any of the above situations occur. Look at Hawthorn - they're overflowing with them.

Seems we are not.

Draft?

[saintsRrising]

Watts is a better FFWD option than just about anyone on our list apart from Kosi and Roo.

Watts is slow..and not much good if the ball hits the ground.

Apart from Roo and Kosi better options include;


Allen

Gilbert

BJ

Ruckmen resting at FF...this means we play an extra mid...



and probably even Gardiner our new cat.

[saintly]

what happens it Kosi gets injured for any length of time? Or if neither King nor Gardiner are fit enough to play in the ruck (thus requiring Kosi to play there)? Who plays FFWD in Kosi's absence

Or if Maguire or Hudgton go down with injury or both? Who covers them?

It would appear our KPP depth is horrendously limited.

Watts is a better FFWD option than just about anyone on our list apart from Kosi and Roo.

well kosi was innure, so was gherig and we still didn't pick him.

so unlikely to pick him next year if one of them goes down.

[fonz_#15]

the true full forward is gone from the modern game, and watts no longer fits the job description for a permanent role as a key forward. With question marks about pace and agility, he is not able bodied enough to play the role as a FF, once the ball hits the ground he is shot.

Its sad that it hasn't worked out but life goes on

[cwrcyn]

Perhaps it's about forward pressure, and the fear that Watts' opponent will wreak havoc because the coach believes:

That Watts' ability at ground level is below par

That's Watts' lack of pace will mean that opposition coaches will exploit it by putting hard running backmen on him.



Lyon is a huge believer in forward pressure. Perhaps he is only interested in forwards who have the speed, agility, and endurance to fit his defensive pressure requirements.

[mad saint guy]

I am not at all happy with the list changes we're made. We are short on true KPPs now, but we do have a few options. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Gilbert or play a few games as our full forward.

The chances of Kosi lasting an entire season without injury, suspension or being desperately needed somehwre else are very slim.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Whitnall play a few games as our full forward.

[GrumpyOne]

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Whitnall play a few games as our full forward.

So we replace someone with the turning circle of the Queen Mary with someone who has the turning circle of a block of flats?

[bergholt]

what happens it Kosi gets injured for any length of time? Or if neither King nor Gardiner are fit enough to play in the ruck (thus requiring Kosi to play there)? Who plays FFWD in Kosi's absence?

Rix will play about 15 or 20 games as second ruckman, behind whichever of King and Gardiner M are actually fit. Yeah, we all know he's not amazing but he's predictably ok. Koz will play bursts in the ruck swapping with any of those three. No, none of them are gonna kick many but the structure changes without Koz down there so it doesn't matter so much.

In case of injuries, we are a little short of tall forwards. Gardiner C and Clarke R are next in line, followed by maybe Goddard and Allen, but none of them are gonna kick more than one or two a game consistently. But neither would Watts.

So we're gonna need to get some more run into the side and get more goals from smalls - Schneider, Milne and (hopefully) Geary as specialist forwards, along with Ball and Harves stationed down there at times. And Fiora, Len, Joey, Birss and (hopefully) Dal kicking goals from midfield, not to mention nabbing some off half back from the likes of Gram, Maguire, Dempster, Gilbert and Fisher L.

Or if Maguire or Hudgton go down with injury or both? Who covers them?

It would appear our KPP depth is horrendously limited.

Don't worry about key defence; we've got approximately a million key back options. In order:

Fisher S
Hudghton
Maguire
Gwilt
Gilbert
Clarke R
Ferguson
Koschitzke
Gram
Blake

In fact, the only way Gwilt or Fergie will get a game is if Max or Goose or Sammy get injured.

[saintsrus]

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Whitnall play a few games as our full forward.

living up to your name suggesting that

[Barney2]

R clarke= he is trade bait as far as I'm concerned. So much ability, but yet to be proven week in week out. Tends to always carry some injury and looks slow. Scares me when has the ball which is what you dont want especially down back and the opposition capitalise on this. L fisher a much better option down back because he looks more poised than Clarke.

[evertonfc]

I am not at all happy with the list changes we're made. We are short on true KPPs now, but we do have a few options. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Gilbert or play a few games as our full forward.

The chances of Kosi lasting an entire season without injury, suspension or being desperately needed somehwre else are very slim.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see Whitnall play a few games as our full forward.

There's 42 spots on our list; with Gehrig going, surely that bit of insurance for Kosi is needed.

I'm struggling to comprehend this decision. I'm not convinved it was in the best interests of the football club.

He's only just turned 22. Just turned 22. When you've got the talent he supposedly has, you don't turn your back on it.

He's a 95% chance to be drafted or rookied by another club. I'm gutted we've decided not to continue with his development. He went to hell and back to get his leg right, and when he did, he played some really top-notch VFL football.

We recruited him as a long-term replacement for Fraser Gehrig - not to be chopped in the same season.

With even Brooks talked about as a potential forward option, we've lost KPP forwards, and are now relying on a player - marvellously talented as he is - who has consistently failed to get his body right over several years. Last year was his first full season for some time.

I accept Brooks has had his chance, and it was perhaps his time to go. I do not accept, however, that it was time to cut Watts.

With a bit of faith in the kid - we had him barely two years - he might have gone on to be something quite impressive.

I am holding out hope we re-draft him either in the national draft, or as a rookie.

[Armoooo]

R clarke= he is trade bait as far as I'm concerned. So much ability, but yet to be proven week in week out. Tends to always carry some injury and looks slow. Scares me when has the ball which is what you dont want especially down back and the opposition capitalise on this. L fisher a much better option down back because he looks more poised than Clarke.

I agree, but I did notice a bit of improvement from him later in the season, especially in the Freo game I think it was when both the Clarkes dominated, he's still young and I think he will probably earn a place in our starting 22 eventually, and you wouldn't mind have Raph as the weakest member of your 22 by any means.

[Barney2]

here here

[evertonfc]

Worth a read from two months ago...
http://www.saints.com.au/tabId/5315/def ... wsId=49608

Watts he have to do?
2:01 PM Thu 23 August, 2007 | Back

By Ben Broad
for saints.com.au


ALL SAINTS forward Fergus Watts wants is a chance to show the football world just what he can do.

After four years in the AFL system, the 21-year-old is still awaiting his first full pre-season and the opportunity to let his potential come to the surface.

Only now, in the second half of 2007, is the powerfully-built youngster starting to unleash his talents after 18 long months on the sidelines due to injury.

At 196cm and 98kgs, Watts is a rare package and one AFL clubs are aware don't come along too often.

That's why the Saints snaffled him at the end of 2005 when he decided to depart Adelaide two seasons after being drafted from Wesley College and the Sandringham Under 18 side.

Watts booted a goal in his first match for his new club – against West Coast in round one of 2006 – before shattering his ankle for the second time in his career while playing for the Casey Scorpions just two weeks later.

The result has been a long and frustrating trip along the road to recovery, although Watts is staying positive in the hope that his time will come.

He booted seven goals in a match for Casey earlier this month, and is starting to regain confidence not only in his once-broken leg, but also his ability to play at the top level.

"I missed all of pre-season (last year) and then I think I played my first game about round eight or nine," he said.

"I've played about 10 or 11 games this year, and it's probably taken me all that time just to get a little bit of confidence back and get a bit of conditioning and a bit of strength back in my leg.

"We're going pretty well down at Casey and I've played a few good games down there, so it's sort of starting to come back."

Watts, who played five games in two years at the Crows before joining St Kilda, knew 2007 would be difficult after such a severe setback last season.

"I wasn't really expecting too much (this year)," Watts said.

"I mean, I'd missed a year-and-a-half of footy, I'd had five operations in that time all on my leg and ankle."

Missing so much footy started to play on his mind, and he admitted there were some dark moments.

"You start having all these doubts about whether you can play or not, whether you're up to it, whether your leg's going to hold up," he said.

"But I knew I was going to come back and play at least the second half of this year.

"Obviously I would have liked to have played a few games in the AFL but that hasn't happened.

"When you've got Fraser (Gehrig) and Rooey (Nick Riewoldt) down there it's tough but that's just the way it is."

Watts thinks his best chance for a 'breakout' year is to stay fit, believing the rewards will come if he can simply work hard and get his body to the required standard to play AFL football.

"My view is just to stay uninjured and then hope to have a full pre-season," Watts said.

"I've been in the system for four years now and never had a full pre-season.

"I had chronic osteitis pubis and ruptured an ankle once before this. If I can get a full pre-season under my belt and get a good fitness base under my belt then hopefully a lot of these problems will go away."

[Dan Warna]

well time will tell if we did the right thing or watts is the fish that got away.

[plugger66]

well time will tell if we did the right thing or watts is the fish that got away.

Time may not tell because I dont whether he will be picked up.

[bergholt]

There's 42 spots on our list; with Gehrig going, surely that bit of insurance for Kosi is needed.

Nope. Key forwards aren't where the game's going. Maybe we'll only play Riewoldt tall forward this year and have him surrounded by more mobile forwards?

He's a 95% chance to be drafted or rookied by another club. I'm gutted we've decided not to continue with his development. He went to hell and back to get his leg right, and when he did, he played some really top-notch VFL football.

"top-notch"? He kicked 31 in 14 games - 2.2 goals per game in a level far below AFL. For comparison:

Nick Sautner: 69 goals, 19 games = 3.6 goals/game
James Podsiadly: 46 goals, 13 games = 3.54 goals/game
Andrew Williams: 53 goals, 20 games = 2.7 goals/game
Todd Grima: 51 goals, 19 games = 2.7 goals/game

These players - except Grima, I guess - are failed or finished at AFL level. We'll see if he is picked up by another AFL side but don't be surprised if he's full forward for Bendigo next year.

(And let's not read too much into Broad's articles for saints.com.au - they're pretty partisan.)

[evertonfc]

There's 42 spots on our list; with Gehrig going, surely that bit of insurance for Kosi is needed.

Nope. Key forwards aren't where the game's going. Maybe we'll only play Riewoldt tall forward this year and have him surrounded by more mobile forwards?

No.

Riewoldt's not a power forward. He's an athletic tall. You generally need one 'power' forward to be succesful, or two very tall forwards with an athletic capacity. Only Adelaide in 1997-98 (extremely weak years football, particuarly 1997) teams were able to break this mould, which - for all the way the hyperbole about 'where the game is going' - remains intact today.

A mobile forward is a must, but a forward capable of causing pressure through his sheer physical presence is still very important in modern football. It is illogical to think otherwise, or the Western Bulldogs would have won the past two premierships.

He kicked 31 in 14 games - 2.2 goals per game in a level far below AFL.

I wasn't expecting much more. I just wanted him to get out onto the field. Sounds like he's had a pretty harsh run with injuries, and I was hoping he'd use the year to grind out the problems with his body.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/ ... 42,00.html

(And let's not read too much into Broad's articles for saints.com.au - they're pretty partisan.)

Elaborate.

What's your take on Ben's writing ability?