| Larry Watson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Larry J. Watson | ||
| Date of birth | 23 September 1957 | ||
| Original team | Dimboola | ||
| Height/Weight | 179 cm / 79 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Utility | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1975–1978 1980 1981–1984 |
Essendon Fitzroy West Adelaide |
31 (2) 4 (0) 66 (19) |
|
|
1 Playing statistics to end of 1984 season .
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Larry J. Watson (born 23 September 1957) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and West Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
Watson made his league debut late in the 1975 VFL season.[1] A utility, he finished third in Essendon's 1976 'Best and Fairest' count despite playing only 11 games that year. He originally came from Dimboola and in 1977 was joined at Essendon by his younger brother Tim Watson.[2]
After a brief stint at Fitzroy, Watson was signed by SANFL club West Adelaide in 1981. He played 66 games and kicked 19 goals for the Bloods until the end of 1984, often playing as a half back flanker and was a member of their 1983 premiership team.[3] The Watson brothers played in Grand Finals in different Australian states in 1983. Larry in West Adelaide's 34 point win over Sturt at Football Park in front of 47,129 fans and Tim in Essendon's 83 point loss to Hawthorn in the VFL Grand Final at the 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.[4]