Timothy Michael Watson (born 13 July 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers, is a professional Australian rules football club. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCracken family in their ...

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 The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...

competition and made a comeback after retirement which included another premiership. Tim is a prominent and popular sports journalist and media personality. On television he regularly appears on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australi ...

, where he presents the sport on the network's 6:00 pm

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

news bulletin and has a special comments role on the station's Australian Football League (AFL) football coverage.

Football career

Early career

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

AFL Players Association The AFL Players Association (AFL PA, also simply known as AFL Players) is the representative body for all current and past professional Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players. The AFL PA promotes and protects its memb ...

MVP award, now known as the Leigh Matthews Trophy. 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. In the 1992 pre-season draft, Watson was recruited by the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Footbal ...

even though he had signalled his intention to retire. He never played a game for the club, instead continuing a commentary role with the

for 1992, which included working as a boundary rider in that year's grand final which the Eagles won.

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".

Coaching career

St Kilda Football Club senior coach (1999–2000)

Watson became senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club, when he replaced

Stan Alves Neil Stanley "Stan" Alves, OAM (born 22 May 1946) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. Playing career Melbourne Alves played 226 games and kicked a total of 160 goals for the Melbourne Football Club from 1965 until 1976. c ...

, 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 Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) ** Australian rugby league wooden spooners ** County Championship Wooden Spoons ** List of Australian Football League wooden spoons The wooden spoon is the imaginar ...

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. Watson was then replaced by

Malcolm Blight Malcolm Jack Blight AM (born 16 February 1950) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for and coached the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Woodville Football Club in the South Australian N ...

as St Kilda Football Club senior coach.

Statistics

Playing statistics

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1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 16 , , 16 , , 10 , , 136 , , 69 , , 205 , , 36 , , , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 8.5 , , 4.3 , , 12.8 , , 2.3 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 – ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 19 , , 11 , , 8 , , 162 , , 94 , , 256 , , 40 , , , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 8.5 , , 4.9 , , 13.5 , , 2.1 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 23 , , 34 , , 27 , , 223 , , 111 , , 334 , , 82 , , , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , 9.7 , , 4.8 , , 14.5 , , 3.6 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Syst ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 22 , , 42 , , 25 , , 337 , , 199 , , 536 , , 94 , , , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 15.3 , , 9.0 , , 24.4 , , 4.3 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 17 , , 15 , , 21 , , 246 , , 111 , , 357 , , 52 , , , , 0.9 , , 1.2 , , 14.5 , , 6.5 , , 21.0 , , 3.1 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., Un ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 22 , , 24 , , 31 , , 384 , , 153 , , 537 , , 85 , , , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , 17.5 , , 7.0 , , 24.4 , , 3.9 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 26 , , 27 , , 20 , , 442 , , 171 , , 613 , , 115 , , , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 17.0 , , 6.6 , , 23.6 , , 4.4 , , , - , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

† , style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 22 , , 25 , , 22 , , 327 , , 142 , , 469 , , 118 , , , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 14.9 , , 6.5 , , 21.3 , , 5.4 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

† , style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 24 , , 27 , , 25 , , 352 , , 183 , , 535 , , 99 , , , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 14.7 , , 7.6 , , 22.3 , , 4.1 , , , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 3 , , 0 , , 2 , , 40 , , 26 , , 66 , , 6 , , , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 13.3 , , 8.7 , , 22.0 , , 2.0 , , , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 7 , , 5 , , 8 , , 84 , , 29 , , 113 , , 18 , , 13 , , 0.7 , , 1.1 , , 12.0 , , 4.1 , , 16.1 , , 2.6 , , 1.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1988 , style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 19 , , 24 , , 17 , , 300 , , 136 , , 436 , , 92 , , 22 , , 1.3 , , 0.9 , , 15.8 , , 7.2 , , 22.9 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 24 , , 23 , , 15 , , 334 , , 205 , , 539 , , 99 , , 39 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 13.9 , , 8.5 , , 22.5 , , 4.1 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 21 , , 19 , , 21 , , 262 , , 156 , , 418 , , 93 , , 26 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 12.5 , , 7.4 , , 19.9 , , 4.4 , , 1.2 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 17 , , 15 , , 13 , , 192 , , 139 , , 331 , , 65 , , 13 , , 0.9 , , 0.8 , , 11.3 , , 8.2 , , 19.5 , , 3.8 , , 0.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 33 , , 0 , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , , — , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

† , style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 16 , , 26 , , 11 , , 154 , , 101 , , 255 , , 58 , , 26 , , 1.6 , , 0.7 , , 9.6 , , 6.3 , , 15.9 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 32 , , 9 , , 2 , , 0 , , 65 , , 35 , , 100 , , 24 , , 12 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 7.2 , , 3.9 , , 11.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 307 ! 335 ! 276 ! 4040 ! 2060 ! 6100 ! 1176 ! 151 ! 1.1 ! 0.9 ! 13.2 ! 6.7 ! 19.9 ! 3.8 ! 1.3

Coaching statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 10 , , 12 , , 0 , , 45.5% , , 10 , , 16 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center; font-weight:normal" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 22 , , 2 , , 19 , , 1 , , 11.4% , , 16 , , 16 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2, Career totals ! 44 ! 12 ! 31 ! 1 ! 28.4% ! colspan=2,

Media career

Like many past players, Watson has become a media personality, serving as a sports presenter on ''

Seven News ''7NEWS'' is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high-definition television, high definition studios in Martin Place, Sydney, while f ...

'' 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 Andrew Maher is an Australian sports journalist and broadcaster for the Seven Network and Melbourne sport radio station 1116 SEN. He is best known for covering both Australian rules football and the Big Bash League for the Ten television netw ...

, on Melbourne radio station

1116 SEN 1116 SEN (call sign 3AK) is an Australian radio station in Victoria. Owned and operated by Pacific Star Network, it broadcasts a sports radio format from Lower Plenty to Greater Melbourne. First broadcast on 29 November 1931 as 3AK, the stati ...

. In November 2013, Watson resigned from

to spend more time at the

, it was later announced that he would replace Sandy Roberts as weeknight sport presenter on ''

'' in Melbourne. In 2015, Watson returned to the breakfast shift at

Personal life

During the late 1970s, Watson's older brother Larry also played at Essendon as well as before moving to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

to play with West Adelaide in 1981, going on to win the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as th ...

premiership with Wests in 1983. In 1993 Tim was named 'Victorian Father of the Year'. In the

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

National Draft, his son,

Jobe Watson Jobe Watson (born 8 February 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Watson, the son of three-time Essendon premiership champion Tim Watson ...

, was drafted by Essendon under the father-son rule. Tim and Jobe were both coached by Kevin Sheedy.Wilson, Caroline (29 June 2003)
"Watsons show it's still a family game"
Tim also has a younger brother Rick who currently lives in

Tocumwal Tocumwal ( ) is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Berrigan Shire local government area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne ...

in New South Wales. Tim is married to Susie Watson, with son Jobe and daughters Billie, Tess and Grace.

References

External links

Tim Watson – Champions of Essendon

Tim Watson – SEN profile

Tim Watson – Saxton Speakers Bureau

Tim Watson – 7news profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Tim St Kilda Football Club coaches 1961 births Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club Premiership players Leigh Matthews Trophy winners Champions of Essendon Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Seven News presenters Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Victorian State of Origin players Crichton Medal winners Dimboola Football Club players Living people Three-time VFL/AFL Premiership players