Club History Why did Tim Watson end up on West Coast's list?

[EscapeHere]

Hi Bombers Fans

Hopefully someone who remembers their early 90s history can help me with this one!

I never realised until today that apparently Tim Watson spent a year on West Coast's list in 1992. I was only 10 at the time and don't remember seeing anything about it. According to his wikipedia page:

"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."

So my questions are:

1. If he retired at the end of 1991, why did he nominate for the 1992 pre-season draft?

2. Do you know if he moved to Perth and was training with the Eagles, and simply was never selected for a game? Or did he simply stay in Melbourne and do commentary for Channel 7 and effectively was unavailable to be selected?

3. He moved back to Essendon in 1993. Was/is there some kind of rule were players who come back from retirement get first rights at their old club? I know the same thing happened with Ablett and Lockett. I'm wondering whether the same thing would happen today (e.g. Judd decides to come out of retirement in 2017 - would Carlton have first dibs to get him, or would he have to nominate for PSD?)

Thanks!

 

[Eleven 38]

Not 100% on this but I think once you weren't on an AFL list any team could draft you. I don't think Tim signed any deals, had any intentions to move to Perth or sign with the eagles.

Then in 1993 he was only ever going to play for essendon so why would anyone else draft him.

Probably good questions to ring up SEN with in a couple of weeks once the post GF stuff dies down.

 

[Stopher]

Bloody Timmy. He broke an incredible run of either a Fletcher or Watson being at the club between 1967 when Ken began playing up until this very day with Jobe playing on. 49 years unbroken bar 1992!!

 

[NAB777]

West Coast rang him & asked him if he would consider playing for them. He said no. They drafted him anyway.

 

[Conor Mckenna]

He retired at the end of 91...In those days any player listed before was eligible to be drafted..
West Coast knew he still had something to offer, they drafted him without talking to him in the hope they could talk him over , they couldn't..Sheeds could a year later, and the next year was just glorious for EFC and Timmy....Would be great to hear Tim's version...

 

[Conor Mckenna]

Bloody Timmy. He broke an incredible run of either a Fletcher or Watson being at the club between 1967 when Ken began playing up until this very day with Jobe playing on. 49 years unbroken bar 1992!!

Some teams have had no flags in 49 years....We're lucky..

 

[Todman]

Tim was probably the last of this type of drafting.

Some clubs had champions retire but kept them on the list for another year in the hope that itchy feet would get them back on the field. Others stayed on the list as a form of superannuation.

A couple of players in the eighties claimed that they got itchy feet after delisting but AFL rules mean't they couldn't play.

As the club list was about 52 players each there was space for a dud pick like WCE picking Watson or Collingwood drafting Gerard Healy.

In a way it was a form of insurance to stopping good player returning to the club after deciding retirement was premature.

As the club lists got reduced so clubs couldn't park an ex-champion for too long.

Unlike Watson who got zip from WCE, Healy got minimum wage even though he couldn't get on the park. (Healy's wrist was buggered.)

 

[Todman]

2. Do you know if he moved to Perth and was training with the Eagles, and simply was never selected for a game? Or did he simply stay in Melbourne and do commentary for Channel 7 and effectively was unavailable to be selected?

He stayed in Melbourne and read the sports report every night on 7 news. He may have done some radio?

 

[Todman]

3. He moved back to Essendon in 1993. Was/is there some kind of rule were players who come back from retirement get first rights at their old club? I know the same thing happened with Ablett and Lockett. I'm wondering whether the same thing would happen today (e.g. Judd decides to come out of retirement in 2017 - would Carlton have first dibs to get him, or would he have to nominate for PSD?)

Thanks!

If Judd came out of retirement , he would be free to go to the club that gets his signature. or first pick in the preseason draft.

 

[Stopher]

He'll be the last guy in history to go from reading the news one year to playing in a flag the next!

 

[EscapeHere]

Thanks for the responses guys.

So basically from what I understand, back in those days, a club could draft a retired player even if they didn't nominate themselves for the draft? The player had no obligation to play for, train with, or be in anyway involved with their drafted club. But if they did decide to make a comeback, they were locked in to that club. Is this correct?

 

[Howard Moon]

I seem to recall St Kilda were heavily in his ear too and he was considering it but sheedy was too persuasive in the end.

Of course he went on to coach them so the link remained

 

[NAB777]

He retired at the end of 91...In those days any player listed before was eligible to be drafted..
West Coast knew he still had something to offer, they drafted him without talking to him in the hope they could talk him over , they couldn't..Sheeds could a year later, and the next year was just glorious for EFC and Timmy....Would be great to hear Tim's version...

They did talk to him. Malthouse himself phoned Tim, and he told Malthouse in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't play with West Coast.
12 months later, St Kilda were rumoured to be going to draft Tim. That's when Sheedy said 'enough' - and got someone from the club to intervene - because Sheedy & Tim weren't on great terms at that time.

 

[Pweter]

I used to have this on VHS where Watson talked about his retirement and 2nd coming in a bit of detail. I can't recall much being said about West Coast, more St Kilda as Howard Moon says above.

 

[yodellinhank]

Then in 1993 he was only ever going to play for essendon so why would anyone else draft him.

Watson nominated for the '92 Pre Season draft in the hope of being picked up by St Kilda, who he was working for as a skills coach. Essendon had a pick before the Saints, and Sheedy got in his ear. Tim then secretly hoped to be picked by Essendon, but had given the saints his word.

 

[Shane Hird]

He'll be the last guy in history to go from reading the news one year to playing in a flag the next!

Haha he was!!

 

[BERT]

I seem to remember that in 92 The Eagles had closed training sessions and were the first club to do it. Channel 7 sent Tim over to Perth because as a listed player they had to let him in.

This could be my memory playing tricks on me though

 

[yodellinhank]

I seem to remember that in 92 The Eagles had closed training sessions and were the first club to do it. Channel 7 sent Tim over to Perth because as a listed player they had to let him in.

This could be my memory playing tricks on me though

That's a ripper yarn

 

[Howard Moon]

Terrible news reader early doors too, like below rookie quality, took him ages to have a break out season. Atleast he made it though, Grant Hackett never made it past the plodder stage.

nod head - acentuate verb - repeat

 

[Conor Mckenna]

I used to have this on VHS where Watson talked about his retirement and 2nd coming in a bit of detail. I can't recall much being said about West Coast, more St Kilda as Howard Moon says above.

View attachment 179604

I have this video tucked away somewhere along with the comeback quarter game against melbourne...that was an epic game...Timmys highlights package was fricken awesome..what a player he was..

 

[windyhill]

Terrible news reader early doors too, like below rookie quality, took him ages to have a break out season. Atleast he made it though, Grant Hackett never made it past the plodder stage.

nod head - acentuate verb - repeat

Early days he simply would not blink, probably first three months no blinking. Then the blinking started, he couldn't stop, over compensated for the previous 3 months. Bloody comical.

 

[Howard Moon]

Early days he simply would not blink, probably first three months no blinking. Then the blinking started, he couldn't stop, over compensated for the previous 3 months. Bloody comical.

Even worse when Jen would enter into post sport banter, more awkward than a scene from the office

 

[windyhill]

Even worse when Jen would enter into post sport banter, more awkward than a scene from the office

Too true, cringe level high.

 

[Howard Moon]

hows this, my mind just wont compute it - dosent fit

 

[Beerfish]

Maybe that's why Nathan Burke seems to dislike Essendon/Jobe..