Tim Watson

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.

Watson was the fourth-youngest player ever to play in the VFL/AFL competition and made a comeback after retirement which included another premiership.

Watson 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 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.

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1977

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1978

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1979

Watson won the Essendon best-and-fairest award four times (1980, 1985, 1988 and 1989).

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1980

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1981

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1982

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1983

Watson played the ruck-rover in Essendon's 1984 and 1985 grand final victories.

He was also a member of Essendon's 1984, 1985 and 1993 premiership teams.

Since his retirement, Watson was named the sixth-greatest player to ever play for Essendon in the "Champions of Essendon" list, and he was named ruck-rover in their "Team of the Century".

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1986

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1987

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1988

In 1989, he won the AFL Players Association MVP award, now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy.

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.

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1989

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1990

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1991

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.

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1992

Early in the 1993 season, Essendon senior 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 as a player, having played 307 games and kicked 335 goals for Essendon.

! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1994

! colspan=3| Career

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, including drawing once and losing 31, bringing the 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 19 losses, where they finished 16th (last on the ladder) for the wooden spoon, and Watson resigned during the middle of the 2000 season, where he would step down at season's end, forgoing the final year of his three-year contract.

Watson was then replaced by Malcolm Blight as St Kilda Football Club senior coach.