Timothy Michael Watson (born 13 July 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). After retiring from the game, he has continued working in the Australian football industry as a coach, sports journalist and media personality.
Tim Watson | |||
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![]() Watson with Channel 7 in June 2017 | |||
Personal information | |||
Full name | Timothy Michael Watson | ||
Date of birth | (1961-07-13) 13 July 1961 (age 61) | ||
Place of birth | Dimboola, Victoria | ||
Original team(s) | Dimboola | ||
Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||
Weight | 96 kg (212 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Half forward flank, ruck-rover | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
1977–1991, 1993–1994 | Essendon | 307 (335) | |
Representative team honours | |||
Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
1983–1991 | Victoria | 12 76 | |
Coaching career3 | |||
Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
1999–2000 | St Kilda | 44 (12–31–1) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1994. 2 State and international statistics correct as of 1985. 3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2000. | |||
Career highlights | |||
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Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com |
Watson was the fourth-youngest player ever to play in the VFL/AFL competition and made a comeback after retirement which included another premiership.[1]
Tim is a prominent and popular sports journalist and media personality. On television he regularly appears on the Seven Network, where he presents the sport on the network's 6:00 pm Melbourne news bulletin and has a special comments role on the station's Australian Football League (AFL) football coverage.
Watson made his VFL debut in 1977 for Essendon at the age of fifteen years and 305 days, the fourth-youngest player in the history of the League.[2]
Watson 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, which included working as a boundary rider in that year's grand final which the Eagles won.
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".
Watson became senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club, when he replaced Stan Alves, after Alves was sacked at the end of the 1998 season. Watson was then the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club in the 1999 season and the 2000 season. His success was limited, with the side winning only 12 of the 44 matches they played while he was in charge with one draw and losing thirty-one games in total, bringing a winning percentage to 27 percent. In the 1999 season, St Kilda finished tenth on the ladder with ten wins and twelve losses. In the 2000 season, St Kilda won only two games for the entire season with one draw and nineteen losses, where they finished sixteenth (last on the ladder) for the wooden spoon and Watson resigned during the middle of the 2000 season, where he would step down at seasons end, forgoing the final year of his three-year contract.[5] Watson was then replaced by Malcolm Blight as St Kilda Football Club senior coach.
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
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G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
1977 | Essendon | 32 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 136 | 69 | 205 | 36 | — | 1.0 | 0.7 | 8.5 | 4.3 | 12.8 | 2.3 | — |
1978 | Essendon | 32 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 162 | 94 | 256 | 40 | — | 0.6 | 0.4 | 8.5 | 4.9 | 13.5 | 2.1 | — |
1979 | Essendon | 32 | 23 | 34 | 27 | 223 | 111 | 334 | 82 | — | 1.5 | 1.2 | 9.7 | 4.8 | 14.5 | 3.6 | — |
1980 | Essendon | 32 | 22 | 42 | 25 | 337 | 199 | 536 | 94 | — | 1.9 | 1.1 | 15.3 | 9.0 | 24.4 | 4.3 | — |
1981 | Essendon | 32 | 17 | 15 | 21 | 246 | 111 | 357 | 52 | — | 0.9 | 1.2 | 14.5 | 6.5 | 21.0 | 3.1 | — |
1982 | Essendon | 32 | 22 | 24 | 31 | 384 | 153 | 537 | 85 | — | 1.1 | 1.4 | 17.5 | 7.0 | 24.4 | 3.9 | — |
1983 | Essendon | 32 | 26 | 27 | 20 | 442 | 171 | 613 | 115 | — | 1.0 | 0.8 | 17.0 | 6.6 | 23.6 | 4.4 | — |
1984† | Essendon | 32 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 327 | 142 | 469 | 118 | — | 1.1 | 1.0 | 14.9 | 6.5 | 21.3 | 5.4 | — |
1985† | Essendon | 32 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 352 | 183 | 535 | 99 | — | 1.1 | 1.0 | 14.7 | 7.6 | 22.3 | 4.1 | — |
1986 | Essendon | 32 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 26 | 66 | 6 | — | 0.0 | 0.7 | 13.3 | 8.7 | 22.0 | 2.0 | — |
1987 | Essendon | 32 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 84 | 29 | 113 | 18 | 13 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 12.0 | 4.1 | 16.1 | 2.6 | 1.9 |
1988 | Essendon | 32 | 19 | 24 | 17 | 300 | 136 | 436 | 92 | 22 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 15.8 | 7.2 | 22.9 | 4.8 | 1.2 |
1989 | Essendon | 32 | 24 | 23 | 15 | 334 | 205 | 539 | 99 | 39 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 13.9 | 8.5 | 22.5 | 4.1 | 1.6 |
1990 | Essendon | 32 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 262 | 156 | 418 | 93 | 26 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 12.5 | 7.4 | 19.9 | 4.4 | 1.2 |
1991 | Essendon | 32 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 192 | 139 | 331 | 65 | 13 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 11.3 | 8.2 | 19.5 | 3.8 | 0.8 |
1992 | West Coast | 33 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1993† | Essendon | 32 | 16 | 26 | 11 | 154 | 101 | 255 | 58 | 26 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 9.6 | 6.3 | 15.9 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
1994 | Essendon | 32 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 65 | 35 | 100 | 24 | 12 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 7.2 | 3.9 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 1.3 |
Career | 307 | 335 | 276 | 4040 | 2060 | 6100 | 1176 | 151 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 13.2 | 6.7 | 19.9 | 3.8 | 1.3 |
Legend | |||||||||||||
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W | Wins | L | Losses | D | Draws | W% | Winning percentage | LP | Ladder position | LT | League teams |
Season | Team | Games | W | L | D | W % | LP | LT |
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1999 | St Kilda | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 45.5% | 10 | 16 |
2000 | St Kilda | 22 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 11.4% | 16 | 16 |
Career totals | 44 | 12 | 31 | 1 | 28.4% |
Like many past players, Watson has become a media personality, serving as a sports presenter on Seven News in Melbourne as well as having a special comments role on Seven's AFL coverage.
He has also appeared on many football-related TV shows, as a sports columnist in The Age newspaper, and from 2004 until 2013, a co-host on the Morning Glory show with Andrew Maher, on Melbourne radio station 1116 SEN.
In November 2013, Watson resigned from 1116 SEN to spend more time at the Seven Network, it was later announced that he would replace Sandy Roberts as weeknight sport presenter on Seven News in Melbourne. In 2015, Watson returned to the breakfast shift at 1116 SEN.
During the late 1970s, Watson's older brother Larry also played at Essendon as well as Fitzroy before moving to Adelaide to play with West Adelaide in 1981, going on to win the SANFL premiership with Wests in 1983.
In 1993 Tim was named 'Victorian Father of the Year'.[8] 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 Kevin Sheedy.[9] Tim also has a younger brother Rick who currently lives in Tocumwal in New South Wales.
Tim is married to Susie Watson, with son Jobe and daughters Billie, Tess and Grace.
Media offices | ||
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Preceded by Mark Beretta |
Seven News Melbourne Weekend sport presenter October 2000 – November 2013 |
Succeeded by Sean Sowerby |
Preceded by Unknown Sandy Roberts |
Seven News Melbourne Weeknight sport presenter 1994–1998 November 2013 – |
Succeeded by Jim Wilson incumbent |
Essendon Football Club 1984/85 VFL premiers | |
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1984: Essendon 14.21 (105) defeated Hawthorn 12.9 (81), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground 1985: Essendon 26.14 (170) defeated Hawthorn 13.8 (92), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground | |
Coach: Sheedy |
Essendon Football Club 1993 AFL premiers | |
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Coach: Sheedy |
Captains of the Essendon Football Club | |
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VFL/AFL |
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AFL Women's |
Coaches of the St Kilda Football Club | |
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VFL/AFL |
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AFL Women's |
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*St Kilda did not participate in the VFL from 1916–1917 due to World War I
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Essendon Football Club · Team of the Century 1896–1997 | |
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Full-back | |
Half-back | |
Centre | |
Half-forward | |
Full-forward | |
Ruck | |
Interchange | |
Coach |
Crichton Medal · Essendon Football Club best and fairest winners | |
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Leigh Matthews Trophy · AFL Players Association most valuable player | |
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Australian Football Media Association · Player of the Year | |
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Tim Watson in Victorian State of Origin teams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1992 AFL pre-season draft | |
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1993 AFL pre-season draft | |
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Seven News presenters | |
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National |
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State |
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Sport |
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Weather |
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Past |
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General | |
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National libraries |