Tim Watson

Short Biography

Timothy Michael "Tim" Watson (born 13 July 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach, sports journalist and media personality.Watson is notable for his long career at the Essendon Football Club as a player where he participated in several premiership teams. He was the fourth-youngest player ever to play in the VFL/AFL 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, where he does sports reports for the Melbourne news and has a special comments role on the station's Australian Football League (AFL) football coverage.Football careerEarly careerWatson 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.Tim 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.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 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.ComebackEarly 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 careerWatson 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