WATTS TOURS CATTERY
Jack tours Cattery, meets Scott, Dangerfield
JACK Watts made a flying visit to Geelong yesterday with the Cats ramping up their interest in the unwanted Melbourne forward.
Watts was taken on a tour of Geelong’s new $91m facility by Brownlow medallist Patrick Dangerfield and also met with some of the club’s coaches before returning back up the highway with manager Paul Connors. However, a formal offer is yet to come from Geelong as it juggles a number of f key trade moves.
JACK Watts is exactly what Geelong needs.
That might come as a surprise to some Geelong supporters considering Melbourne’s love/hate relationship with the 26-year-old.
But with a forward line lacking high quality key position options, Watts can slip perfectly into Geelong’s attack.
The Cats were forced to play Harry Taylor forward for the majority of this year and, while he managed to do a job, the defender has always looked more at home at the other end of the ground. And with Tom Lonergan retiring Taylor will be needed down back next year.
Back-up options like Rhys Stanley and Aaron Black failed to cement their spots in Geelong’s forward line last year, while Wylie Buzza is still a developing player.
At times Tom Hawkins was forced to play well up the ground as a lead-up forward. It took him away from where he can really influence games. That’s inside 50, where he can use his strength and speed on the lead to his advantage. Watts is a great mover. He covers distance without problem and he would relish a lead-up style role in blue and white hoops.
No one will shy away from Watts being down on his output this year. Even the player himself is able to admit that.
But he has more than enough strings to his bow to support Hawkins. Who knows? Maybe a change of scenery could be the making of a player once rated as the best junior in the country.
“We can say he had a bad year last year, but he still rated (top) two for what people call the ‘moneyball’ kick and that’s the kick inside 50m,” Watts’ manager Paul Connors said on SEN.
“The other thing we’re obsessed with is forward pressure and Jack is rated elite in that. It would be nice if people focused on some of the things he did well. We’re happy to focus on some of the things he doesn’t do that well.
“Let’s be careful not to throw it all out as well.”