| Tim Watson |
| Personal information |
| Full name |
Timothy Michael Watson |
| Date of birth |
13 July 1961 (1961-07-13) (age 50) |
| Place of birth |
Dimboola, Victoria |
| Original team |
Dimboola |
| Height/Weight |
185 cm / 96 kg |
| Position(s) |
Centre half forward, ruck-rover |
| Playing career1 |
| Years |
Club |
Games (Goals) |
|
| 1977–91; 1993–94 |
Essendon |
307 (335) |
|
| Representative team honours |
| Years |
Team |
Games (Goals) |
|
| 1980–1985 |
Victoria |
? (?) |
|
| Coaching career3 |
| Years |
Club |
Games (W–L–D) |
|
| 1999–2000 |
St Kilda |
44 (12–31–1) |
|
|
1 Playing statistics to end of 1994 season .
2 State and International statistics correct as of 1985.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2000.
|
| Career highlights |
|
|
Timothy Michael "Tim" Watson (born 13 July 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, sports journalist and media personality.
He is notable for his long career at the Essendon Football Club as a player where he participated in several premiership teams. He was the third youngest player ever to play in the VFL/AFL competition and made a comeback after retirement which included another premiership.[1]
Watson is a prominent and popular sports journalist and media personality. On television he regularly appears on the Seven Network, where he does the sports reports for the Melbourne news and provides guest commentary at Australian Football matches. He is also a radio personality where he can be heard on SEN 1116 and their highly popular morning program Morning Glory.
[edit] Early career
Watson made his VFL debut in 1977 for Essendon at the age of fifteen years and 305 days, the third youngest player in the history of the League.[2]
He won the Essendon best-and-fairest award four times (1980, 1985, 1988 and 1989). In 1989, he won the AFL Players Association MVP award, now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy.[3]
Watson played the ruck-rover in Essendon's 1984 and 1985 grand final victories. He was made captain in 1989 and held that position until 1991, before retiring from the game due to the injury problems that had plagued the later part of his career.[4] In the 1992 pre-season draft, Watson was recruited by the West Coast Eagles even though he had signalled his intention to retire. He never played a game for the club, instead continuing a commentary role with the Seven Network for 1992.
[edit] Comeback
Early in the 1993 season Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy lured Watson out of retirement. Although Watson was not as fit as he had once been, and was never able to recapture his top form, he played a vital role in the forward line, kicking some important goals throughout the year. His experience in what was a very young team was instrumental in helping Essendon win an unexpected premiership that year.
After the 1994 season, Watson retired for good, having played 307 games and kicked 335 goals. Since his retirement, Watson was named the sixth greatest player to ever play for Essendon in the "Champions of Essendon" list, and was named ruck-rover in their "Team of the Century".
[edit] Coaching career
He was the coach of the St Kilda Football Club in 1999 and 2000, his success was limited, with the side winning only 12 of the 44 matches they played while he was in charge. In the 2000 season St Kilda won just two games for the entire season and Watson resigned during the year, forgoing the final year of his three-year contract.[5]
[edit] Media career
Like many past players, Watson has become a media personality, serving as the Melbourne sports presenter on Seven News. He has also appeared on many football related TV shows, as a sports columnist in The Age newspaper, and a co-host on the Morning Glory show with Andrew Maher, on Melbourne radio station SEN 1116.
[edit] Personal life
During the late 1970s, Watson's brother Larry also played at Essendon.
In 1993 Watson was named 'Victorian Father of the Year'.[6] In the 2002 National Draft, his son, Jobe Watson, was drafted by Essendon under the father-son rule. Tim and Jobe were both coached by the same man, Kevin Sheedy.[7]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|
|
|
|
|
*St Kilda did not participate in the VFL from 1916–1917 due to World War I
Italics denote caretaker coach
|
|
|
|
|
| National |
|
|
| State-based |
|
|
| Sports |
|
|
| Weather |
|
|
| Past |
|
|
| Persondata |
| Name |
Watson, Tim |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
Australian rules footballer |
| Date of birth |
13 July 1961 |
| Place of birth |
Dimboola, Victoria |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
