Colin Watson (footballer)

Colin Campbell Watson (12 October 1900 – 20 October 1970) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.

Colin Watson
Personal information
Full name Colin Campbell Watson
Date of birth (1900-10-12)12 October 1900
Place of birth Allansford, Victoria
Date of death 20 October 1970(1970-10-20) (aged 70)
Place of death Tatura, Victoria
Original team(s) South Warrnambool, Port Melbourne
Debut Round 1, 1920, St Kilda
vs. Carlton
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 82.5 kg (182 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1919 Port Melbourne 7 (0)
1920, 1922-25, 1933-35 St Kilda 93 (34)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1934 St Kilda 18 (9–9–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1935.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Watson was best on ground for South Warrnambool in the 1918 Warrnambool District Football Association grand final[1] and was enticed down to Melbourne in 1919 where he played seven consecutive games from rounds three to nine with VFA side Port Melbourne,[2] when a bout of influenza at the height of the 1919 Influenza pandemic forced him home to Warrnambool, where he finished off the season with South Warrnambool.[3]

Roy Cazaly went down to coach South Warrnambool during the 1919, 1920 and 1921 finals series[4] and coached Colin Watson and immediately saw an immensely talented footballer, who was then invited to play with St. Kilda in 1920.[5]

He played four games for St Kilda in 1920 (rounds 1, 3, 5 & 7) [6] before deciding to stay at home in Warrnambool and in 1921 he played in South Warrnambool's Western District Football Association premiership, coached by Roy Cazaly.[7]

Watson then returned to St Kilda in June, 1922, where his career finally took off. Watson played with St Kilda in various positions, predominantly on the half back line or across the centre.

Watson represented Victoria for the first time against South Australia on the MCG in 1923, with a near best on ground performance! [8]

Watson played against South Australia at the MCG in August, 1925 on the wing.

He was outstanding in the 1924 interstate carnival, representing Victoria in each of their five games.[9][10]

Watson won the Brownlow medal in 1925 and was regarded as the best footballer in the VFL.[11][12]

In October, 1925, only days after winning the Brownlow Medal, Watson accepted a job in Stawell as an Inspector with Equitable Life Assurance Company,[13] then in early 1926, he accepted the position of captain-coach of Stawell, but St Kilda, perhaps not surprisingly, refused to clear him.[14][15][16]

After standing out of football during the 1926 season, Watson was appointed as captain / coach of country club, Maryborough in 1927 without a clearance, and the Ballarat Football League was disqualified by the VFL as a consequence.[17]

Watson played and coached Maryborough to the 1927 Ballarat Football League premiership.,[18] but resigned in February 1928.[19][20]

Watson was disqualified by the VFL for three years and did not play any football in 1928 and 1929, due to his clearance dispute with St. Kilda [21] and his disqualification imposed by the VFL for playing for Maryborough without a clearance.[22]

Watson took up foot running to keep fit during the late 1920's and competed in a number of rural athletic race meeting.[23][24]

Watson finally returned to the football field with his home town club of South Warrnambool as captain / coach in 1930, after the VFL lifted his disqualification[25] and St. Kilda granted him a permit.[26] Watson won the 1930 Western District Football Association best and fairest gold medal.[27]

In the 1931 Western Districts FA semi final, South Warrnambool captain / coach, Colin Watson was best on ground, but suffered a fractured jaw against Portland.[28] He was once again best on ground the following week in the Preliminary Final against Hamilton.[29] South Warrnambool lost the 1931 grand final to arch rivals Warrnambool by two points, with Watson best on ground.[30]

Watson once again led South Warrnambool into the 1932 grand final, but they were defeated by Hamilton, with Watson playing another starring role.[31]

He returned to St Kilda in 1933[32] and was captain-coach of the side in 1934. Watson represented Victoria in a match against South Australia, in Adelaide in 1934.

In 1935 he left St. Kilda after the first game of the season and returned to South Warrnambool as their captain-coach.

In 1936, Watson took on the captain-coach position at Cobden Football Club.[33] Watson did not initially want to continue on a coach of Cobden in 1937, due to work commitments on his dairy farm at Cudgee,[34] but did stay on a player and eventually ended up as captain / coach in 1937,[35] 1938 and 1939.[36]

In August 1937, Watson purchased a large farm property at Ecklin, near Cobden,[37] thus his reason for finishing off his illustrious and at times controversial football career at Cobden.

Watson was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 and into the Saints inaugural Hall of Fame in 2003.

References
  1. "1918 - South Railways Premiers". Trove Newspapers. Warrnambool Standard (Vic). 4 November 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  2. "1919 - Port Melbourne v Essendon". Trove Newspapers. The Argus. 19 May 1919. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  3. "1924 - Bill Hudd, Colin Watson, & Barney Carr Figure Well in League Company". Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 5 July 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  4. "Colin Watson merits a place". Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 12 December 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  5. "1937 - Roy Cazely tells of..." Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 22 May 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  6. "1920 - Play & Players". Trove Newspapers. The Herald. 30 April 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  7. "1921 - Warrnambool DFA Grand Final match review". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 15 October 1921. p. 67. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  8. "1923 - Victoria regains Laurels". Trove Newspapers. Referee, Sydney. 22 August 1923. p. 13. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  9. "1924 - Australian Carnival - Victorian Champions". Trove Newspapers. The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic). 23 August 1924. p. 33. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  10. "1924 - C. Watson - A great Footballer!". Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 15 October 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  11. "1925 - Who will win the Brownlow ?". Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 26 September 1925. p. 3. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  12. "1925 - Best & Fairest: Brownlow Medal". Trove Newspapers. The News (Hobart, Tas). 7 October 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  13. "1925 - Colin Watson's Future". Trove Newspapers. The Herald. 7 October 1925. p. 10. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  14. "1926 -". Trove Newspapers. The Argus. 24 March 1924. p. 19. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  15. "1926 - Country Footballers Annoyed at Attitude of Metropolitan Clubs in Regard to Clearances". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 3 April 1926. p. 73. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  16. "1926 - A country football league". Trove Newspapers. The Age. 24 May 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  17. "1927 - Colin Watson Case". Trove Newspapers. The Age. 2 December 1927. p. 6. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  18. "1927 - Maryborough's third premiership". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 15 October 1927. p. 83. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  19. "1928 - Colin Watson Resigns". Trove Newspapers. The Horsham Times (Vic). 17 February 1928. p. 1. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  20. "1928 - Ballarat's League move". Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 29 August 1928. p. 8. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  21. "1929 - Colin Watson case". Trove Newspapers. The Argus. 17 May 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  22. "1929 - Colin Watson's Case". Trove Newspapers. The Herald. 30 May 1929. p. 11. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  23. "1928 - Policeman wins Ballarat Gift". Trove Newspapers. Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic). 29 December 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  24. "1927 - Stawell Gift Nominations". Trove Newspapers. The Herald. 11 March 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  25. "Ban may be lifted". Trove Newspapers. News (Adelaide, SA). 3 February 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  26. "1930 - Football Transfers". Trove Newspapers. The Herald. 23 April 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  27. "1930 - Western District FA - Best & Fairest Medal". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 4 October 1930. p. 65. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  28. "1931 - South Warrnambool's narrow victory". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 5 September 1931. p. 62. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  29. "1931 - South Warrnambool beat Hamilton". Trove Newspapers. Portland Guardian (Vic). 14 September 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  30. "1931 - Warrnambool Premiers". Trove Newspapers. Portland Guardian (Vic). 21 September 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  31. "1932 - Western Districts FA Grand Final match review - "Hamilton win Premiership"". Trove Newspapers. Portland Guardian (Vic). 12 September 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  32. "1933 - Colin Watson's Plans". Trove Newspapers. The Herald. 20 March 1933. p. 6. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  33. "1936 - Cobden appoint Watson". Trove Newspapers. Camperdown Chronicle (Vic). 28 April 1936. p. 7. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  34. "1936 - Hampden club's appoint coaches". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic). 24 April 1924. p. 72. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  35. "1937 - Another coach injured". Trove Newspapers. Camperdown Chronicle (Vic). 3 August 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  36. "1939 - Watson to Retire ?". Trove Newspapers. Weekly Times. 7 October 1939. p. 59. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  37. "1937 - People of the Country". Trove Newspapers. The Argus. 4 August 1937. p. 7. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

References
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