| Larry Watson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Larry John Watson | ||
| Date of birth | (1957-09-23)23 September 1957 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Dimboola, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Dimboola | ||
| Height | 179 cm (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 79 kg (174 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Utility | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1975–78 | Essendon (VFL) | 31 (2) | |
| 1979–80 | Fitzroy (VFL) | 4 (0) | |
| 1981–84 | West Adelaide (SANFL) | 66 (19) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1984. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources:AFL Tables,AustralianFootball.com | |||
Larry John Watson (born 23 September 1957) is a formerAustralian rules football player who played withEssendon andFitzroy in theVictorian Football League (VFL) andWest Adelaide in theSouth Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Originally fromDimboola in western Victoria, Watson made his senior VFL debut for Essendon late in the1975 season.[1] A utility, he finished third in Essendon's1976 'best and fairest' count despite playing only 11 games that year.
In1977 Watson was joined at Essendon by his younger brotherTim.[2] The first time the brothers played together for the Bombers was in Round 13 of 1977 againstSouth Melbourne atWindy Hill with the Bombers winning by 12 points. Their final game together before Larry moved to Fitzroy was in Round 22 in1978 againstHawthorn atPrinces Park. Unfortunately that day the Hawks defeated Essendon 17.16. (118) to 16.13. (109).
Watson left Essendon at the end of 1978 and joined Fitzroy for the1979 and1980 seasons where he played fours games for the Lions while not kicking a goal.
After his brief stint at Fitzroy, Watson was signed by SANFL club West Adelaide in 1981. Under the coaching of legendary South Australian footballerNeil Kerley, he played 66 games and kicked 19 goals for the Bloods until the end of 1984, often playing as ahalf back flanker and was a member of their 1983 premiership team.[3] Larry Watson was one of a number of ex-VFL players in The Bloods 1983 Premiership team, includingCraig Williams (St Kilda),Bernie Conlen (Sydney),Mark Dreher (Collingwood),Mike Smith (Sth Melbourne) and captainIan Borchard (Richmond). The team also included future VFL/AFL playersBruce Lindner (Geelong andAdelaide),Tony Burgess (Collingwood) andGrantley Fielke (Collingwood and Adelaide), whileMark Mickan (Brisbane Bears and Adelaide) was unlucky to miss the game through injury.
The Watson brothers played in Grand Finals in different Australian states in 1983. Larry in West Adelaide's 34-point win overSturt atFootball Park in front of 47,129 fans, and just one day earlier Tim in Essendon's 83-point loss to Hawthorn in theVFL Grand Final at theMelbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in front of 110,332 fans.
In 2002, Watson's son Jake died at the age of 18 after an on-field collision in an Under-19s SANFL match for West Adelaide. Following Jake's passing the West Adelaide Football Club retired his number 13 jumper at the Under-19 level as a mark of respect.[4]
Tim Watson's sonJobe Watson, Larry's nephew, played 220 games for Essendon in the AFL.
| International | |
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| National | |
