No chipping in, no trade deal for Watts

Melbourne CEO Peter Jackson has admitted a deal to move on fan favourite Jack Watts would have struggled to go through, if the Dees were not prepared to play a small portion of his salary.

After 153 games in nine years for the club, Watts was shipped off to Port Adelaide, in exchange for Pick 31, despite having two years left on his contract.

Jackson denied it was a salary cap issue, and said the club would have been able to fit in the salary of both Watts and new recruit Jake Lever if they chose to do so.

“It’s not a lot, over the two years remaining on his contract it is about 15 percent. It’s not as if you are paying half his salary to move him on, that’s not happening,” he said on SEN Breakfast.

“It had nothing to do with the Jake Lever deal, we could’ve stood in the TPP (Total Player Payments) next year with both guys at the club.”

There has been derision from some Melbourne supporters regarding the pick the club received in return for the 26-year-old, however the Dees chief said market value showed Watts’ performances didn’t measure up with a first round draft pick.

He also confirmed the Power were the only club to make an official offer.

“When you talk about market value there’s two things you need to look at, the stats, the performance over nine years, best and fairest – where he finished, you can’t actually say he’s a first round draft pick anymore, it doesn’t measure up,” Jackson said.

“The second thing that creates the value is what are people prepared to offer you. The only football club that actually spoke to us about a deal in any real terms was Port Adelaide.

“The offer Geelong was mooting we would’ve been crucified by Melbourne supporters if we had accepted that.

“There was one club making one offer at the end of the day, and that says something.”