Trading Jack Watts could make Demons or come back to bite coach Simon Goodwin
IF MELBOURNE’S forward line purrs like a Ferrari in 2018, Simon Goodwin has nothing to fear. If it falters, the name Jake Watts will haunt him, writes JON RALPH.
Melbourne
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JACK Watts is such a lovely boy.
Courteous to a fault, impeccable manners, never walks past a kid wanting an autograph, never rude or aggressive.
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The problem is that his coach Simon Goodwin thinks he plays like that, too.
That should be former coach.
Because Goodwin just traded the fan favourite for an extremely modest pick — No. 31 — in a draft most recruiters are trying to downplay.
It’s the second time in a week the suspicion is a rival got the better end of the stick in a trade deal with Melbourne.
With Jake Lever, fans will quickly forgive the club when he starts plucking the Sherrin from the sky with monotonous regularity.
The issue for Melbourne fans is not that they got pick No. 31 for Watts when a pick closer to 25 would have felt fairer.
It’s that they didn’t think he needed to be traded at all.
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And the flashpoint will be the reality Melbourne didn’t just push him out the door, they will pay for Port Adelaide to accept him as well.
Footy boss Josh Mahoney didn’t deny the club would be paying some of Watts’ wage next year, a curious situation if ever there was one.
Richmond paid $300,000 of Brett Deledio’s salary last year but it was to get a better trade deal that secured Richmond a first and third-round pick.
Melbourne has paid for Watts when the fans didn’t want him to go — and haven’t really had it explained why he is going — and still got unders for the deal.
Here is a rolled gold promise: the money the Demons will pay Watts will be mentioned by someone in the media every single time he plays next year.
Melbourne fans will be in uproar if their forward line misfires next year and they sold off Watts for an ordinary draft pick — and paid Port Adelaide for the privilege.
So right now they have only one alternative: hope Simon Goodwin knows exactly what he is doing with his forward line.
Let’s take a quick look at it.
Last year the Demons managed a respectable 92 points for and 88 points against.
They had 11 players who kicked 10 goals or more and seven who kicked 20 or more — a nice spread.
Jeff Garlett kicked 42, Christian Petracca 26, Tom McDonald 23, Watts and Mitch Hannan 22, Jake Melksham 21, and Jesse Hogan 20.
Watts had 20 of his 22 goals in his first 12 matches after 38 the previous year, but clearly Goodwin feels he doesn’t crash packs or play the “Melbourne way”.
The problem is the man Melbourne believes can be his successor, Sam Weideman, kicked just three goals from seven games.
He crashes packs, is a fierce competitor, has some mongrel spirit — all the things the Demons felt Watts lacked.
But with just 10 games under his belt, wasn’t it worth keeping Watts around for at least another year?
If Hogan stays fit and kicks 50 goals, if McDonald stays forward and kicks 40, if Petracca explodes, if Cam Pedersen backs up his 2017, Watts won’t be missed.
So Watts will go to Port Adelaide, where Ken Hinkley has wooed him with promises of rejoicing in his positives rather than preying on his negatives.
And as long as Melbourne finishes top six, wins a final, has a front six that purrs like a Ferrari and doesn’t lack a polished ball user who is beloved by the fans, everything will be fine.
Goodwin clearly has the strength of his own conviction and with a list that has few weaknesses this club should be a flag contender.
It’s hard to see many weaknesses on any line, which of course we wrote about only last week.
But in footy there is very little middle ground.
The manner in which Watts was shunted out the door against his wishes might be the shock trade that puts every Demon on edge and drives them to greatness.
It could also be a trade that Goodwin is sick of hearing about if Melbourne fails to realise its stunning potential by late next season.
Originally published as Trading Jack Watts could make Demons or come back to bite coach Simon Goodwin
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