Essendon Bombers veteran Jobe Watson has announced his retirement from the AFL, with the 2017 to be the last season in a glittering 15-year career.
Watson, who is one of the best one-club players of the modern era, has played 217 games to date for the Bombers since his debut in 2003. After being picked as No.40 in the draft under the father-son rule, he has gone on to kick 112 goals.
Should the Bombers miss the finals and if Watson is able to complete the season, he will finish on 220 games. However, with Essendon still very much in the finals race, the midfielder could extend his career by a handful of games.
The midfielder captained the Bombers for six seasons between 2010 and 2015, was an All Australian in 2012 and 2013 and also part of the team which participated in the 2014 International Rules series against Ireland.
Watson said he always set out to make the club a better place, but knew this was his last year.
“I always focused on leaving the club in a better place than I found it and I feel like the club is in that place now,” said Watson.
“It was a dream of mine to play for Essendon and I’ve lived that dream. From a child who spent my life around the football club to fulfil a dream to play for the club and then to be a captain of the club.
“I’m content with my career.
“I have really enjoyed being part of this group with teaching and helping the younger boys,” he added.
Maybe Watson’s biggest accolade though was being named the best player in the game for 2012, winning the Brownlow Medal. He later handed it back in the wake of the Bombers doping scandal, for which he had already been suspended the entirety of 2016 for.
Speaking on the Brownlow and suspension, Watson said the medal wasn’t the most important thing to him.
“The most difficult time was certainly after the WADA finding, having to go through that. The medal didn’t matter to me, it wasn’t important, it was the way in which I played.
“The guys who were in the same situation with me meant an enormous amount. Part of coming back to footy and what I enjoyed was interacting with my teammates again.”
He returned for 2017 and has had a solid season with 410 disposals, helping the Bombers into the race for the top eight.
Will
Guest
An interesting idea.
truetigerfan
Guest
Great player, Jobe. Unfortunately used by those who should have had his back. Bombers really should have supported Knightsy as coach. The rot set in before he had even packed his bags.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
No - the club is innocent! The players are innocent!! It's everyone outside Essendon's fault! Isn't that the standard Essendon fan's rhetoric?
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
And the justice system...
I ate pies
Guest
It was proven than Lance Armstrong and the bulk of his team was systematically doping over a long period of time, and it was proven what was taken by him and his team. It's an incorrect comparison.
Nev
Guest
Lance Armstrong never failed a drug test
Don Freo
Guest
What an unhappy man you are. How is praising Jobe a whinge? Still haven't seen any football comment from you...ever.
Col in paradise
Guest
Did you boo Hodge ????
northerner
Guest
You know what's going to be remembered about the Adam Goodes saga? How a part of Australia still couldn't cope with the modern world and a changing society. He got the brunt of their anger. He didn't deserve it. What happened then reflected totally on the crowds that booed him, and not on Adam Goodes. And that's going to be the way I remember his career. Great player, great advocate for his people, standing tall to the last.
While we're at it
Guest
Oh look!!! It's the waaaaaambulance from the West, whinging his way onto another forum, completely off topic yet again. The article wasn't about "name the best retiree from the AFL this year" Don. How is your bold prediction about Freo winning their last 7 games of the season going? I know it's not the subject of this article but hell, that never stops you.
Mattyb
Guest
Birdman,I don't think it's double standards but I'll admit I don't know the finer details in every case. If an athlete is proven guilty I'm more than happy they're suspended. I just don't agree with the strands and cables thing. I have strong suspicions our code was used for their own benifit. Still think Essendon should have been punished on a governess level,which they were. Anyway,happy to disagree but I don't really like the double standards call. CleanSport,exactly,no tests have ever proven them guilty. Excellent use of capitals to for drama effect. It's a reasonably serious issue,I think drama queen antics just get in the way.
Birdman
Guest
hmmm....soz. boburra but I cannot see how you can conflate the Goodes and Watson sagas.
northerner
Guest
I'm sorry for Jobe, because I think he's a class act - but CAS was right and the apologists wrong, and it was more than high time that Australian sports realized they weren't exempt from WADA rules.
Birdman
Guest
mattyb - I bet you're all too happy with WADA when it calls out Russian and Chinese athletes? Double standards it seems.
boburra
Guest
Paul D, opinions, are like backsides, everybody has one,it is not case of right or wrong, it is about agreeing or disagreeing. In the case of Goodes, in my opiion, he was booed for poor play at the time that was escalated because HE played the race card. However, that was then ,this is now,and like I put in my post it will be unfortunate as to what he and others are remembered for. I have no intention of revisiting the "Adams Goodes Saga", I merely raised the point as stated.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Thanks Slaney and he sure was.
Don Freo
Guest
Wouldn't mind an end of season game between the AA Under 23 side and the retirees (there will be 22 of them at least).
Mattyb
Guest
Why thankyou Paul,...I think. I'm sure there's others out though that are going to strongly disagree with our viewpoint though,as seen in the earlier comment from boburra. I stand by my Carlton comments though,and feel the ladder and how they've finished the season validates my viewpoint.
Bobbo7
Guest
AFL bungle? I thought it was Hird, Dank and EFC that drugged the cattle before the dog ate the records.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Like I said - when you're not talking Carlton you're very readable. How on earth anyone can still think Goodes got dragged into people booing him for being black is beyond me