Who would you take?

[Con Gorozidis]

Ok Ok - True to form I am going WAY too early (but you all Im prone to do that by now).

But who would you take - Jack Watts or Tom Lee?

Jack Watts #4 Melbourne Demons
Age: 21yr 8mth Games: 55 Born: March 26, 1991
Height: 196cm Weight: 91kg Position: Forward
Last Drafted: Round 1, Pick #1

v

Thomas Lee St Kilda Saints
Last played for Adelaide Crows in 2009
Born: January 2, 1991
Playing Height: 195cm Playing Weight: 94kg Position: Forward
Last Drafted: Round 4, Pick #60
Last Traded: Pick #12 from GWS to St Kilda Saints

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Don't want to jinx him, but at this point happy to stick with Lee. I actually expect Watts will continue to be good (and will get better) across HB for Melbourne (and he probably won't be needed much up forward from now on, now that they have Clark, Dawes and soon the big unit Jesse Hogan), but I think Lee could be just as effective in the same role across HB if we wanted to play him there. I'm expecting Lee to be more effective up forward than Jack, though, so for that reason I'm happy to go Tom, if I had to make a call right now.

[#1GILL]

Watts for sure

[Dave McNamara]

Tom Lee: More than happy to take this bloke, along with Buddy White..., and that's against any recent young key forward-types recruited to the big league. They will be a very formidable and very exciting key forward dynamic duo for the Saintas... and not forgetting Ayrrn S either... look out!

Jack Watts: For once I have to disagree with APS. This bloke is the most over-hyped/under performed No 1 draft pick since Josh Fraser. But that's not his fault. His career was largely doomed from the start... cursed through being a high draft pick chosen by the (still) clueless Dreamons. GOP at absolute best.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

Tom Lee: More than happy to take this bloke, along with Buddy White..., and that's against any recent young key forward-types recruited to the big league. They will be a very formidable and very exciting key forward dynamic duo for the Saintas... and not forgetting Ayrrn S either... look out!

Jack Watts: For once I have to disagree with APS. This bloke is the most over-hyped/under performed No 1 draft pick since Josh Fraser. But that's not his fault. His career was largely doomed from the start... cursed through being a high draft pick chosen by the (still) clueless Dreamons. GOP at absolute best.

i feel for poor Jack Watts he cops it a fair bit i dont think he will ever live up to the tag od number1 draft pick but i think he can become a solid player .. if that is with Melbourne is to be seen

[plugger66]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

[Sobraz]

Watts clearly...

Put him into a better environment with better leaders and he'd flourish... Has ability, lacks drive.. Lenny would set him on the right path...

[MCG-Unit]

Watts. Needs to go a bit harder at contests though.

Hope Lee makes good of his second chance and has a belter of a career.

[The Redeemer]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

Watts could be a fantastic swingman.

People advocated for BJ to play this role and he was a number 1 draft pick.

So what was the difference?

[gringo]

Watts might just be the BJ type that doesn't really have a position. Once he just gets on a roll things might come together but Tom Lee has been playing on some big bodied players at WAFL level and dominating. I will back Tom in on his form to date to be a very good pick up so I think he will win out in the short term. Watts could still be anything or just a Fiora type of high pick that kind of promises forever but never arrives.

[plugger66]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

Watts could be a fantastic swingman.

People advocated for BJ to play this role and he was a number 1 draft pick.

So what was the difference?

Dont get my quote with the question you asked.

[The Redeemer]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

Watts could be a fantastic swingman.

People advocated for BJ to play this role and he was a number 1 draft pick.

So what was the difference?

Dont get my quote with the question you asked.

I just wanted to quote you.

[shmic_s]

Well when i started to read the OP, i was thinking Watts is a GOP at worst and BJ+ type ceiling. Interesting to see other mentioning BJ too.

Take Watts for sure, for the above reason. Lee an unknown, but don't think that I'm not excited about him.

[AnythingsPossibleSaints]

Jack Watts: For once I have to disagree with APS. This bloke is the most over-hyped/under performed No 1 draft pick since Josh Fraser.

I don't think Watts is particularly hyped at all (at least not based on his on-field performances so far- it's more that he gets a lot of attention and press because of where he was taken in the draft, as all who are taken at no.1 do, not because he has been dominating games). In fact he is pretty harshly treated by many (especially online), purely because of where he was drafted, IMO.

I don't think it's his fault that he was taken at no.1 and I don't remember him ever coming out and saying he would be a "superstar", or anything like that, so it's more that others are expecting him to be something that he's probably not, at this stage. If his draft was held again now I doubt very much he'd be taken at no.1 though, or maybe anywhere near it, so that was probably more Melbourne's mistake (especially considering they could have had Nic Nat! ).

He has actually played some very good games of footy across half back from what I've heard and read, though, in the sort of role Sam Fisher usually plays for us. In that role I think he will be successful, because he has the height, serious speed (for someone that tall) and apparently reads the play well and has good skills. He doesn't look to be suited to physical, or contested type footy, but in that role he might be able to get away with not being that way, so it might not matter that much.

I just think that Lee has pretty much identical attributes though, but possibly with more likelihood of being successful up forward, so that is why I'd be happy to stick with him and why, if the two of them had been in this year's draft together, I wouldn't have been surprised if Lee had been taken first, or at the very worst, very close to Watts. Because, after all, the question here is who would we take if we had the choice now, to potentially have on our list for the next 10 years, not "who has had the better career to date?". You don't get the 55 senior games of Jack Watts if you chose him, you just get what he does from here, ditto Lee and I'm not expecting anything out of this world from Jack, so that is why I'm confident that Tom could have the better career from this point on, especially up forward (based on his physical attributes, what he's done on field in the games he's played, what I've seen and read of him and on what I've been told about how highly our club and others in the industry rate him).

I have very high hopes for Lee, but I'm also expecting Watts to have a good career across HB, so that's why I think it's a pretty close call.

[Devilhead]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

By the end of 2014 it will be Lee by the length of Bass Strait

[plugger66]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

By the end of 2014 it will be Lee by the length of Bass Strait

I hope you are right because by then Watts will be a very good player. That would mean Lee is as good as Rooy at his best. Looking forward to 5 B&F for Lee.

[gringo]

Well one has played a year of AFL footy for no games and the other has played 55. Watts by the length of the flemington straight.

By the end of 2014 it will be Lee by the length of Bass Strait

I hope you are right because by then Watts will be a very good player. That would mean Lee is as good as Rooy at his best. Looking forward to 5 B&F for Lee.

I assume you are using a method of divining to see the future. You should know for certain that Lee will be as good as Rooey if you know for certain Watts will be a very good player by then. He could have 2 knee reconstructions by the time 2014 comes around. He could be another Richard Tambling and get traded out. Just because you go at number 1 in the draft doesn't guarantee you anything. He has a very lazy attitude at this stage and he reminds me so much of Fiora. Athletically gifted, not tall not short, has some tricks but shows them inconsistently and just lacks a killer competitive streak.

I'm thinking he has every chance long term but he will want to show a massive improvement in 2013 if he is going to be a player.

[bergholt]

I assume you are using a method of divining to see the future. You should know for certain that Lee will be as good as Rooey if you know for certain Watts will be a very good player by then. He could have 2 knee reconstructions by the time 2014 comes around. He could be another Richard Tambling and get traded out. Just because you go at number 1 in the draft doesn't guarantee you anything. He has a very lazy attitude at this stage and he reminds me so much of Fiora. Athletically gifted, not tall not short, has some tricks but shows them inconsistently and just lacks a killer competitive streak.

Watts is 196cm, bigger than Riewoldt, surely that counts as tall?

[Saintersss]

People love to say that using a number 1 pick on a half-flanker is a complete waste, therefore Watts shouldn't play off the HB line, but if you look back on the past decade, we've seen the following picks; Hodge, Goddard, Deledio and Gibbs; all play predominately off the HB flank.

I do think Watts can turn into a very good player, but I just feel under Melbourne's poor development system he will take longer to get there. If he played for a team that develops their young players a lot better, say Adelaide, he would be doing a lot better a lot earlier. But he'll get there.

Overall, I definitely would choose Watts over Lee. It's effectively asking whether you'd trade Watts (plus the other picks) for Pick 12. No way Melbourne would even consider that.

[Armoooo]

Watts, would be the easiest decision I've ever made, even in the incredibly unlikely event that Lee does become a superstar we would have comfort in the knowledge that we made the right decision at the time.

[plugger66]

By the end of 2014 it will be Lee by the length of Bass Strait

I hope you are right because by then Watts will be a very good player. That would mean Lee is as good as Rooy at his best. Looking forward to 5 B&F for Lee.

I assume you are using a method of divining to see the future. You should know for certain that Lee will be as good as Rooey if you know for certain Watts will be a very good player by then. He could have 2 knee reconstructions by the time 2014 comes around. He could be another Richard Tambling and get traded out. Just because you go at number 1 in the draft doesn't guarantee you anything. He has a very lazy attitude at this stage and he reminds me so much of Fiora. Athletically gifted, not tall not short, has some tricks but shows them inconsistently and just lacks a killer competitive streak.

I'm thinking he has every chance long term but he will want to show a massive improvement in 2013 if he is going to be a player.

I actually using the method of seeing the his games he has play as opposed to Lee who in his one year of AFL footy played no games. I think if someone says Lee will be better than Watts in 2014 by the length of Bass Strait i have the right to say what I said. Of course no one knows but why didnt you suggest the other guy could also be wrong? No idea what the number one pick has to do with what is being discussed.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

I don't think Watts is particularly hyped at all (at least not based on his on-field performances so far- it's more that he gets a lot of attention and press because of where he was taken in the draft, as all who are taken at no.1 do, not because he has been dominating games). In fact he is pretty harshly treated by many (especially online), purely because of where he was drafted, IMO.

I don't think it's his fault that he was taken at no.1 and I don't remember him ever coming out and saying he would be a "superstar", or anything like that, so it's more that others are expecting him to be something that he's probably not, at this stage. If his draft was held again now I doubt very much he'd be taken at no.1 though, or maybe anywhere near it, so that was probably more Melbourne's mistake (especially considering they could have had Nic Nat! )..

i think Melbourne get the raw end of that deal aswell ... yes NicNat is a much more advanced player than Watts but in all honesty given the family link Nic Nat has its fair to say the Dee's would have had some strong battles to fend off the home sickness of Nic Nat and its also fair to say without the guidance of Cox Nic Nat might not have been as good as he has been if the Dee's picked him and basically he had Jamar mentoring him ...
so from a glance it looks like the Dee's made the big mistake picking Watts over NicNat but really there was a risk that them taking NicNat could have easily blown up in their faces .. its not clear cut

[gringo]

[quote=

I assume you are using a method of divining to see the future. You should know for certain that Lee will be as good as Rooey if you know for certain Watts will be a very good player by then. He could have 2 knee reconstructions by the time 2014 comes around. He could be another Richard Tambling and get traded out. Just because you go at number 1 in the draft doesn't guarantee you anything. He has a very lazy attitude at this stage and he reminds me so much of Fiora. Athletically gifted, not tall not short, has some tricks but shows them inconsistently and just lacks a killer competitive streak.

I'm thinking he has every chance long term but he will want to show a massive improvement in 2013 if he is going to be a player.

I actually using the method of seeing the his games he has play as opposed to Lee who in his one year of AFL footy played no games. I think if someone says Lee will be better than Watts in 2014 by the length of Bass Strait i have the right to say what I said. Of course no one knows but why didnt you suggest the other guy could also be wrong? No idea what the number one pick has to do with what is being discussed.

Seriously you have watched him play and can say you have seen enough to suggest he will be more than a GOP. He is extremely uninspiring at this stage and I hope for melbournes sake it's like Goddard not Fiona. I have seen several games and a couple of casey games and right now he's just an average player.

I have seen Lee play WAFL and the foxtel cup and he looks better than Watts but is probably older and more advanced. Watts is only ahead on reputation as a number one pick. If he was drafted at number 22 I doubt he'd still be on their list. I'm not even saying Lee is going to be better but any inspired vision can only be on his reputation not output.

If he's taller than rooey he's even more disappointing, he should be able to play as a third tall forward and dominate.

[plugger66]

[quote=

I assume you are using a method of divining to see the future. You should know for certain that Lee will be as good as Rooey if you know for certain Watts will be a very good player by then. He could have 2 knee reconstructions by the time 2014 comes around. He could be another Richard Tambling and get traded out. Just because you go at number 1 in the draft doesn't guarantee you anything. He has a very lazy attitude at this stage and he reminds me so much of Fiora. Athletically gifted, not tall not short, has some tricks but shows them inconsistently and just lacks a killer competitive streak.

I'm thinking he has every chance long term but he will want to show a massive improvement in 2013 if he is going to be a player.

I actually using the method of seeing the his games he has play as opposed to Lee who in his one year of AFL footy played no games. I think if someone says Lee will be better than Watts in 2014 by the length of Bass Strait i have the right to say what I said. Of course no one knows but why didnt you suggest the other guy could also be wrong? No idea what the number one pick has to do with what is being discussed.

Seriously you have watched him play and can say you have seen enough to suggest he will be more than a GOP. He is extremely uninspiring at this stage and I hope for melbournes sake it's like Goddard not Fiona. I have seen several games and a couple of casey games and right now he's just an average player.

I have seen Lee play WAFL and the foxtel cup and he looks better than Watts but is probably older and more advanced. Watts is only ahead on reputation as a number one pick. If he was drafted at number 22 I doubt he'd still be on their list. I'm not even saying Lee is going to be better but any inspired vision can only be on his reputation not output.

If he's taller than rooey he's even more disappointing, he should be able to play as a third tall forward and dominate.

How can you discus something that you decide one second a guy is not big enough and next time he is tall. Surely you are having a lend of anyone with a brain?

[hAyES]

Oh my goodness is this a serious question? I'd take a bag of chips over Jackie Watts.