He has the ingredients to be a quality player. Tall, has skill, reasonably nimble for his height. I just think he lacks the absolute competitive desire, and also I think developing in that environment at a basket case club can't have helped. He is best getting out of the Dees and starting afresh. It just whether he is permanently damaged goods. That said, if Roos can't turn him around, who can/could?
Bit like Blease.
Oh and Sylvia.
Oh and Gysberts.
Oh and Moloney.
And Cale Morton.
And Ricky Petterd.
Itâs just the environment.
The environment has got nothing to do with it, otherwise these players would become good once they were removed from said environment.
People love to look at Melbourne footballers and say âwell, he sucks now, but he clearly has talent and we can get the best out of him and turn him into a good playerâ, but it never happens. Theyâre just not good players.
Sylvia is a classic example. Iâve read a lot of comments about what a waste of talent he was. Bollocks. He could kick long and he had a decent speed to size ratio, but he was a turnover merchant, couldnât read the play and had no defensive game. He didnât have potential, he just looked like he did. Same with Watts, actually.
He has the ingredients to be a quality player. Tall, has skill, reasonably nimble for his height. I just think he lacks the absolute competitive desire, and also I think developing in that environment at a basket case club can't have helped. He is best getting out of the Dees and starting afresh. It just whether he is permanently damaged goods. That said, if Roos can't turn him around, who can/could?
Bit like Blease.
Oh and Sylvia.
Oh and Gysberts.
Oh and Moloney.
And Cale Morton.
And Ricky Petterd.
Itâs just the environment.
The environment has got nothing to do with it, otherwise these players would become good once they were removed from said environment.
People love to look at Melbourne footballers and say âwell, he sucks now, but he clearly has talent and we can get the best out of him and turn him into a good playerâ, but it never happens. Theyâre just not good players.
Sylvia is a classic example. Iâve read a lot of comments about what a waste of talent he was. Bollocks. He could kick long and he had a decent speed to size ratio, but he was a turnover merchant, couldnât read the play and had no defensive game. He didnât have potential, he just looked like he did. Same with Watts, actually.
A lot of those guys had or have a lot of talent. Takes a lot more than just talent.
Thereâs a lot of hard work (and other things outside your control - things going right with your body, coaching, opportunity etc) to get from âreally talented kidâ to âvery good AFL playerâ.
He has the ingredients to be a quality player. Tall, has skill, reasonably nimble for his height. I just think he lacks the absolute competitive desire, and also I think developing in that environment at a basket case club can't have helped. He is best getting out of the Dees and starting afresh. It just whether he is permanently damaged goods. That said, if Roos can't turn him around, who can/could?
Bit like Blease.
Oh and Sylvia.
Oh and Gysberts.
Oh and Moloney.
And Cale Morton.
And Ricky Petterd.
Itâs just the environment.
The environment has got nothing to do with it, otherwise these players would become good once they were removed from said environment.
People love to look at Melbourne footballers and say âwell, he sucks now, but he clearly has talent and we can get the best out of him and turn him into a good playerâ, but it never happens. Theyâre just not good players.
Sylvia is a classic example. Iâve read a lot of comments about what a waste of talent he was. Bollocks. He could kick long and he had a decent speed to size ratio, but he was a turnover merchant, couldnât read the play and had no defensive game. He didnât have potential, he just looked like he did. Same with Watts, actually.
A lot of those guys had or have a lot of talent. Takes a lot more than just talent.
Thereâs a lot of hard work (and other things outside your control - things going right with your body, coaching, opportunity etc) to get from âreally talented kidâ to âvery good AFL playerâ.
Agree, and if you donât learn to work hard in your first few years on an AFL list because you will get a game by just coasting, then itâs unlikely (not impossible) youâll see success. Sylvia is the perfect example.
Genuinely feel sorry for this bloke. I just hope he doesnt end-up like Mitch Clark. Probably just not up to AFL footy - should go play minor league somewhere and enjoy lifeâŚ
2008 draft
Pick 1: Jack Watts (Melbourne)
Pick 2: Nic Naitanui (West Coast)
Pick 3: Stephen Hill (Fremantle)
Pick 4: Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide)
Pick 5: Michael Hurley (Essendon)
Pick 6: Chris Yarran (Carlton)
Pick 7: Daniel Rich (Brisbane)
Pick 8: Tyrone Vickery (Richmond)
Pick 9: Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne)
Pick 10: Phil Davis (Adelaide)
Was a strange draft as Naitanui was heavily favoured to go Pick 1, with Watts not really in the mix. Suppose Melbourneâs strategy was to go for a KPP, not a ruckman in Naitanui. Glad they didnât choose Hurley!
Genuinely feel sorry for this bloke. I just hope he doesnt end-up like Mitch Clark. Probably just not up to AFL footy - should go play minor league somewhere and enjoy life..
Genuinely feel sorry for this bloke. I just hope he doesnt end-up like Mitch Clark. Probably just not up to AFL footy - should go play minor league somewhere and enjoy life..
???
guess he means giving the game up due to depression.
Genuinely feel sorry for this bloke. I just hope he doesnt end-up like Mitch Clark. Probably just not up to AFL footy - should go play minor league somewhere and enjoy life..
???
guess he means giving the game up due to depression.
I was thinking that too, however if anything Clark is an example of being able to work through something like depression and get back on track.
2008 draft
Pick 1: Jack Watts (Melbourne)
Pick 2: Nic Naitanui (West Coast)
Pick 3: Stephen Hill (Fremantle)
Pick 4: Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide)
Pick 5: Michael Hurley (Essendon)
Pick 6: Chris Yarran (Carlton)
Pick 7: Daniel Rich (Brisbane)
Pick 8: Tyrone Vickery (Richmond)
Pick 9: Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne)
Pick 10: Phil Davis (Adelaide)
Was a strange draft as Naitanui was heavily favoured to go Pick 1, with Watts not really in the mix. Suppose Melbourneâs strategy was to go for a KPP, not a ruckman in Naitanui. Glad they didnât choose Hurley!
Wattâs and Naitanui were both seen as viable #1 picks for weeks (months?) prior to the draft. I think Watts would have been the favourite for the #1 pick just prior to the draft given everything that had leaked. He was seen as top shelf talent.
Personally, I always thought they should go for Naitanui, but that wasnât because of issues with Watts, I just saw him as a bigger drawcard (which Melbourne desperately needed) and having a lower floor (at a minimum theyâd get a guy who could win taps and tackle, even if he couldnât learn positioning around the ground/good disposal). Both had huge upsides. But Melbourne had a number of ruck options at the time and a lot thought they should therefore go with the other top option in Watts.
If so I didnât hear it. My understanding was they had Jamar, they had Martin, they had another ruck with prospects (canât remember who, donât think they did anything), whereas they had absolutely nothing as a KP forward. This was pre-Dawes/Clark/Hogan being recruited.
Natanui is so overrated and he would have been terrible at the Dees. He was very fortunate he had a mentor and someone to look up to in Cox, who only happened to be one of the best rucks in the last 20 years. He would have had to learn of Jamar at Melbourne.
Hartlett is IMHO the best player in that group by far.
As I recall it was Rich v NicNat for pick 1 for most of the year, but it changed late. How much of that was Wattsâ form at the champs (pretty darned good) and how much was Melbourne ending up in the hot seat is anyoneâs guess.
2008 draft
Pick 1: Jack Watts (Melbourne)
Pick 2: Nic Naitanui (West Coast)
Pick 3: Stephen Hill (Fremantle)
Pick 4: Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide)
Pick 5: Michael Hurley (Essendon)
Pick 6: Chris Yarran (Carlton)
Pick 7: Daniel Rich (Brisbane)
Pick 8: Tyrone Vickery (Richmond)
Pick 9: Jack Ziebell (North Melbourne)
Pick 10: Phil Davis (Adelaide)
Was a strange draft as Naitanui was heavily favoured to go Pick 1, with Watts not really in the mix. Suppose Melbourneâs strategy was to go for a KPP, not a ruckman in Naitanui. Glad they didnât choose Hurley!
Hurley the absolute pick of that list.
Watts was named from a way out as their pick.
Hill was a surprise pick at 3 when people thought Rich was the obvious pick. I remember a lot of people upset we didnât take Rich. (Was it YT?)
Hartlett is IMHO the best player in that group by far.
By far?
Is Hurley in the group? Because I wouldnât swap Hurley for anybody in that top 10.
Theres a few in the teens and 20âs Iâd more than consider it though.
Very Impressive draft overall.
Hartlettâs supposed to be one of the most talented players in the comp, but I donât think he has reached that potential yet. Watching the Port vs Tigers game on Sunday, his disposal was horrid.