BomberBlitz.com Exclusive Interview - Tim Watson

BomberBlitz: $25, an Adidas football bag, an Essendon Football Club towel, and a pair of club socks. How could you ever refuse?
Tim Watson: chuckles how did you find out about that? But it’s all true, except for the money, there wasn’t any money involved. But that’s what they brought up to Dimboola that day, in 1977 – Barry Keam, Kevin Egan and Ted Fordham.
BB: Having grown up a Richmond supporter, were you actually hoping to be drafted by them?
TW: No, because my brother Larry had already gone to Essendon, so the family had pretty much changed their allegiance to Essendon by then.

BB: These days clubs have schemes and programs to help new young recruits adjust to life at a club in the AFL. Can you describe what was said and done when you first arrived at the club? How did it feel as a young teenager to suddenly be in the big city? How did it feel to be playing against grown men?
TW: At the time, it felt like the natural progression, that I’d gone from this level to this level and on to the next. But when I wasolder I did look back and think, yeah, 15, it was very young.
BB: There’s the tale of when you left, that your mum was crying, but that she’d been watching an episode of “The Sullivans” and someone was headed off to war, and you weren’t sure whether she was crying because you were leaving or because he was! Did you ever find out which one it was?
TW: grins yes, well, that story has been embellished slightly over the years! And I wouldn’t like to detract from a good story!
BB: Did you find a lot of difference physically with the game?
TW: Not really – I was a solid kid… didn’t have the muscle tone, but was fairly well built.

*Editor’s note – for those that haven’t heard the story, Tim’s parents were naturally concerned at letting their 15 year old son head off to Melbourne, but were assured the club had set Tim up with a nice family to live with and that he’d be well looked after. So off went Tim in the car with the three Essendon men. About ten minutes down the road, they turned to each other and said “So… where is the little bastard going to stay?”

BB: Do you often get back to Dimboola? Is there a statue of you or Merv in the main street? Do you catch up with the other Wimmera boys much?
TW: No, not often – I work basically seven days a week so it’s a bit difficult. And no, there’s no statue! I catch up with the other guys occasionally, at reunions.
BB: Do you still have family up there?
TW: Yes, Mum and Dad are in Horsham, and I’ve got aunts and uncles around Dimboola.

*At this point, Tim is asked to move his car for some workmen outside. Off he goes, mentioning casually “If my phone rings, could you please answer it?!” *

BB: Did you ever play AGAINST Roger when Dimboola played Kaniva? If so, did you soil your nicks?
TW: laughs Yes, often played against him as a junior, at primary school. And we were all scared of him!
BB: Really? So he already had the presence, back then
TW: He had five o’clock shadow at the age of 11!

BB: You grew up supporting Richmond…. Then your debut game was against them! Is it true you felt like asking a few opponents for their autographs that day?!
TW: Sort of… I was in awe, being on the field with these men who were my childhood heroes, like Bourke, Sheedy, Bartlett… had to pinch myself I was on the same ground as them.
BB: How did you find playing at Windy Hill? What were some of your fond memories of the ground?
TW: Loved it! It’s where my footy memories are, this tiny ground… I remember sitting in the stand before the game… walking down through the Essendonians eating their lunch… heading into the Social Club after a game
BB: It’s amazing now, looking back at some of the footage of the ground, seeing the Showers Pavilion packed and all the people in standing room… and when I head to training now, there are the vast expanses of grass where the people used to be.
TW: The atmosphere was great… you’d have people everywhere, sitting, standing, even on top of signs!

BB: Who would you say were the people that had the greatest influence on your career?
TW: Definitely my parents… it was a big thing, letting me leave home at the age of 15 and their support during my time in the juniors. Had some great junior coaches as well, and of course Sheeds.

BB: Did you ever turn up to training late, drunk or straight from a night out?
TW: No… but I saw other blokes do it!
BB: I remember reading an article you wrote in The Age which mentioned how the boys used to have their certain venues on certain nights
TW: Yes, they’d have this place on a Saturday night, that one on a Sunday, and so on, until Tuesday arrived and they’d start getting ready for the game that week again.

BB: How many times have you been asked about that “hurdle of the pack” in the night final v Carlton ?? Would you be available should Toyota want to re-create that moment?
TW: grins I’m happy with my VW at the moment! But yes, have been asked many times about that night. It was one of the great nights for Essendon fans… even though it was only the Escort Cup, we hadn’t won anything for a long time, and the fans were delirious.

BB: How hard was it getting back from doing your knee (oh how I hated that day)? What were your thoughts in the change room before your comeback game, after your knee reconstruction? ( IIRC – Carlton at Waverley )
TW: Yes, it was Carlton at Waverley. I really wasn’t ready and shouldn’t have come back then. Missed close on two seasons in the end, it took a long time to come back properly. And it was 86 and 87, so after the success of 84 and 85, it was a really long &
frustrating 2 years.

BB: Did you have any game day rituals/superstitions?
TW: No, I didn’t allow myself to be locked into those.
BB: Can you remember some of the superstitions or rituals that other players had?
TW: Steven Taubert would try to be the last player to run out…. And he wouldn’t put his shorts on til the very last moment… even to the point where he’d be running up the race, nearly onto the field, putting them on. One time he actually put them on back to front, and headed off on the lap around the oval, with people pointing and laughing all the way!

BB: Would you like to see red shorts make a comeback?
TW: Well, if they brought the red shorts back in, it might mean there’s no need for a clash strip
BB: That was actually going to be the next question! It would make us completely different
TW: They might not allow it, because other teams might say “well, we want to wear yellow shorts or brown shorts”…. but… well, why not allow that anyway? If it’s a solution to the problem?

BB: You won three premierships. Was there one that stood out personally for you?
TW: Well… the first… because there’d been the enormous build up to it. No one had thought we’d even be getting a glimpse of a premiership, then Sheedy came to the club in 81 and things started happening… then we had the disappointment of losing the prelim in 82 and the GF in 83 until finally it happened in 1984. Then the third one, coming back after retiring… it was quite a surprise and totally unexpected. It was also the last group out of our zone.
BB: Is it true that even Sheeds didn’t think the team would win it at the start of the year? That when he spoke to you about coming back, that he thought maybe 94 or 95 possibly?
TW: Yes. He thought we might make the six, so… he was surprised… even shocked… that we went so well. See no one knew just how good the baby Bombers were going to turn out…. Misiti, Mercuri, Fletcher, Alessio, Olarenshaw, Calthorpe… all from the draft zone, and quite exceptional.

BB: In your opinion, which was the better Essendon team, the one that won the flag in 1985, or the one that won the flag in 2000?
TW: That’s tough to answer. The 2000 team certainly had strengths that the 1985 team didn’t have and vice versa…. But when I think about that forward line, with Madden, Daniher, Merrett, Van der Haar… I don’t think the 2000 defence would have been able to man up on it. There were a number of 300 game players in the 85 team… Madden played 300 games, Garry Foulds….
BB: Plus the game had changed obviously between 1985 and 2000 – it was 15 years later.
TW: And it’s difficult to compare over time… we found that when we were trying to rank players for the Champions of Essendon, it was a really hard exercise. When you look back, particularly over time, all you can really go on is what the stats were, where players may have come in the Best and Fairest.

BB: Who were the best players you played with? And against?
TW: T Daniher, Madden, Baker, Neagle… Merrett…. Van der Haar… and later, Bomber Thompson and Mark Harvey. And although I didn’t play many games with him, James Hird. From other teams… Glendinning, Matthews, Flower, Carey, Ablett.

BB: Who was the toughest player you played with?
TW: I’d have to say… Mark Harvey. There were players that may have been more physical than him but for courage no one beats Harves.

BB: Who was the better drinker? Van der Haar or TD?
TW: chuckles TD has him covered in terms of consumption, but Vander’s had more attempts!

BB: What was the best prank you ever saw played around the club?
TW: There was a stage where guys would sneak the keys to other players cars out of the rooms and move their cars… sometimes just two or three car spaces, other times up around the corner… one time we actually drove the doctors car right up onto the ground. It took a little while, but then he spotted it – “Shit! What’s my car doing there!”

BB: Of our great rivals during the era in which you played, which one did you enjoy beating the most, Collingwood, Carlton or Hawthorn?
TW: Hawthorn – intense rivalry

BB: Who was the better kick, Garry Foulds or Glen Hawker?
TW: Garry probably had a more penetrating kick, but Glen was more accurate.

BB: Who was the better overhead mark, Paul Van der Haar or Peter Knights?
TW: Vanders

BB: You’ve said that one of your disappointments is that you didn’t get more of a go at the State side. Is SOO something you’d like to see brought back into the game? How do you think it could be fixtured – middle of the year?
TW: It would be difficult to fixture. And we play games in other states now, Perth, Adelaide etc. Without the support it withered on the vine. It was always a great honour to represent the State though – it was the highest honour in the game.

BB: What is it about Sheeds that convinces guys the ilk of yourself & Fish to come out of retirement? How did he approach you?
TW: It was actually others approaching on his behalf… but Sheeds is a great sales person – coaches need to be, they always have something to sell – the club to the public, game plans to the players.

BB: What do you attribute Sheeds longevity to?
TW: His unswerving passion for the game – it hasn’t tired. He can still speak to anyone with that passion and the fact that his passion hasn’t been lost gives him the ability to be creative.

BB: lf you could play one more game of AFL, which what team would you want to play against? Who is your favourite current AFL player to watch? (Jobe excluded of course!) Are they worthy of wearing number 32?
TW: One more game…. I’d choose Anzac Day at the MCG. And in my mind, numbers don’t belong to a player, they belong to the club – it’s up to the player to create their own identity and make the number theirs, not live up to past deeds. I think the previous person before me to wear number 32 only played 1 or 2 games, but everyone remembers it for Barry Davis. I’m not a fan of retiring numbers either. The numbers also belong to the fans.

BB: What lead you to St Kilda in particular for your coaching position? Was it partly due to nearly being drafted by them?
TW: No, simply that they offered me the opportunity, and I accepted it.

BB: How much of the current crop of St Kilda players did you have an involvement with?
TW: Hayes… Baker… Milne… Schwartz… there was a gap in young talent and we looked to fill that. Saw Baker and liked the way he went about stuff, his talent wasn’t as obvious as some of the others. Harvey was there as well obviously but those were more the younger ones just starting out.
BB: Does it make you proud to see them now?
TW: Not proud…. because it wasn’t just me who got them to the club, there were others involved in the decision. But I do take an interest in their development and like to watch them play.

BB: There’s a lot of talk nowadays about “club culture”. What were some of the differences between Essendon and St Kilda?
TW: One main difference – winning and losing cultures. There were things tolerated at St Kilda that were not at Essendon. And the older players pass that culture on to the younger players.

BB: Would you ever consider coaching again, even as an assistant, if it was with the right team? (ie Essendon!)
TW: No, won’t be coaching again.

BB: What advice would you offer to those considering venturing into coaching?
TW: That they need to have an assistance role first. Even if it’s for five to ten years before becoming head coach. There is so much more to understand about the game, to learn about the different roles as well as about the pressure and about decision making.

BB: Given the worldwide success of “Footy Favourites”, wasn’t the natural progression for you to head down the path of a record contract after retiring?
TW: keeping a perfectly straight face It was always on the radar…. And I haven’t ruled it out still.

BB: Does a fish really rot from the head?
TW: Yes! It’s a common well known fact grins
BB: Do you think that it is important that past players at the club continue an involvement with the club? What were your memories of past player involvement and how did this help you and your team mates?
TW: There were past players on the committee. The game has since changed, the boards have different people, and are more business oriented. But I think it’s very important for past players to stay involved, it’s their responsibility to give back to the club.
BB: Any chance of nominating for the EFC board? Would you ever consider a mentoring/development role at Essendon?
TW: I’d consider it at some stage, nominating for the board. But I have other considerations – Jobe being a player at the club, and also my media involvement.

BB: What do you think of the current crop of Essendon players? Do you think we can win another flag within the next 5 years?
TW: Definitely. With our drafting there was a couple of bad years, and there is a gap because of that, but I think the supporters will be pleasantly surprised in the next few years.
BB: I still go into each season thinking we have a chance.. in fact probably go into each game thinking we’re a chance!
TW: grins so do I!

BB: One BomberBlitzer comments “My Mumma loves you. She thinks you’re very handsome. (I think she has a thing for Jobe too – although I think she might think that Jobe is actually you…)”
TW: grins
BB: Do you ever spot particular moves Jobe makes and think “yep, that’s one he got from me!”
TW: Not really…. Sometimes I don’t really even see a physical resemblance, then someone will point out a particular photo, and yeah, it is there. He takes more after his mothers side of the family – longer limbs.

BB: What is the single biggest piece of advice you’ve given Jobe the footballer? Has he followed it?
TW: Probably to respect his position, and the opportunity he’s been given to be an AFL player at a club like Essendon. I’ve been very proud of Jobe’s behaviour so far.
BB: He claims it would be “Go Hard”! And after his debut, he says you said something like “now you realise how tough it is”.
TW: I think “go hard” is just something you tell someone when they run out. But yes, Jobe went from private school football into AFL football, and I think he’s definitely learned to appreciate just how tough it can be over the last 12 months.

BB: If Jobe surprised you by introducing Paris Hilton as his new girlfriend, would you think you’d made a severe parenting blunder somewhere in his upbringing?!
TW: grins Yes!!

BB: During the preseason did you intentionally book Jobe and some of his team mates into a gay resort?
TW: No, it was unintentional. But it makes you wonder why it took them five days before they realised! grins

BB: How long does it take for you to come up with Watto’s Waste (on SEN) on a daily basis? What generally inspires you for the segment?
TW: I forget some days! Seriously, some days I make it up a few minutes before! Most of the time I’m just taking the mickey, but some people don’t realise – it’s hard sometimes to tell when you can’t see someone’s face.

BB: After your stint on The Late Show, do you blame yourself for Aker’s predicament?
TW: laughs someone has a good memory! Aker…. Well, let’s just say he takes player media involvement to a new level!

BB: How did you and the missus first meet? And what was with breeding so many daughters?!
TW: We met through Steve Taubert. And… no real reason! Although it’s probably worked out well, because if I had four boys all playing AFL it would just be too excruciating!

BB: Aches and pains following footy – how are your wrists? Knee?
TW: Good! Touch wood, I’ve done pretty well!

BB: The next question asks “Have you been having a laugh reading the questions on BomberBlitz before being presented with them by Carla?”
TW: grins Yes! have had a bit of a look!
BB: Do you have a favourite BomberBlitz poster?
TW: There are a lot of intelligent posts. Give you a really good insight into how fans think. It’s all part of the new media, where you can get responses straight away – can be quite a challenge. Even on the radio, there’s talkback, SMS, you don’t like something, you can respond.

BB: Do you think porcupines are underrated as a species?
TW: laughs um… most pricks are!
BB: lots of laughter!

BB: Little Red Corvette by Prince or Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh?
TW: Little Red Corvette

BB: What was the last book you read? Do you usually have a book on the go?
TW: I usually have 2 or 3 on the go. At the moment, it’s a Gore Vidal book, “Memoirs”. Also one by Katharine Graham – she and her family ran the Washington Post.

BB: Speaking of books, tell us about your new book, “Kevin Sheedy: The Jigsaw Man”, which was launched earlier this week. How long did it take to write? Were people more than willing to talk about “Mr Enigma” or did some have to be coaxed?
TW: Nearly everyone was happy to talk. It took about two years to construct, and it’s written in the first person – I didn’t want to destroy any friendships with what my interpretation was or feel like I was misquoting anyone – I just basically said “Tell me what you think the truth is” and it’s word for word what they said. Which gives it a rawness and an honesty.

BB: I’m hungry. Should I have BBQ shapes or a Krispy Kreme?
TW: The BBQ shapes. Don’t start on the Krispy Kremes, they’re addictive – have you had one? They’re magnificent!

BB: And, speaking of donuts, the important question: Are you a cinnamon, iced or jam centred type donut man?
TW: grins jam centered

BB: If you could hold a Guinness World Record, what would it be for?
TW: Given what I’ve just been doing, it’d have to be worlds best author, most books sold, something like that!

BB: What music do you listen to?
TW: I’ve got kids between the age of 17 and 21 at home, so it’s anything and everything! I actually like a bit of rap… 50 Cent, Kanye West.. although would you call him rap? Or more hip hop?
BB: What was the last CD you bought?
TW: grins let’s see… it was called…. “The Pirate” grins

BB: What would the “Tim Watson” theme song be? sings “Oh Ruuuuuby…”
TW: laughs yeah, put that down!

BB: If someone made a film of your life, who would you like to play the lead role?
TW: Denzel Washington. But he would be miscast!

BB: Three words to describe yourself?
TW: Strong… loyal…. adaptable.

BB: What is your favourite colour M&M?
TW: Brown

BB: Do you think milk should be added to instant coffee prior to boiling water or after?
TW: always after!

BB: Shorts or pants man?
TW: Shorts

BB: Shoes or thongs?
TW: Shoes

BB: And it’s time for some word associations! James Hird
TW: Brilliant

BB: Waverley Park
TW: Sterile

BB: Billy Brownless
TW: anything but sterile!

BB: Barry Davis
TW: Academic

BB: No 32
TW: love it’s beautiful curves grins

BB: Dick Reynolds
TW: Legend

BB: Lake Glenmaggie
TW: Peaceful

BB: Garry Foulds
TW: Reliable

BB: Injuries
TW: Frustrating

BB: Mullets
TW: Kernahan!

BB: Simon Madden
TW: Sensational

BB: Kevin Sheedy
TW: Iconic

BB: And that brings us to the end of the questions! Many thanks Tim, this was terrific!
TW: grins I hope we win tonight!

Posted 24 August 06 in News