A man for others.
A nice piece on Jobe
(which has made me all the more madder/sadder, as where was the support for Jobe when it was required, it’s certainly not required now)
IN 2002, Jobe Watson stood in the top-deck Legends Bar at Windy Hill on the day he was taken father-son by Essendon, and his 17-year-old smile was as big as the grandstand.
Upon announcing his retirement, 32-year-old Watson sat at the new headquarters at Tullamarine and the smile was still evident — but different.
The youthful exuberance and the excitement of the unknown had been worn away by a career poisoned by the hands of others.
On Wednesday he laughed and sort of cried and cracked jokes, but there was a touch of sadness about it still.
In truth, Watson never got what he deserved from football.
We’re not talking about premierships, for they are earned and not given. We’re talking about getting a fair crack at his career and not having a drugs scandal engulf him for three years, suspend him for one year and curtail him in what we now know is his final year.
That’s five years which can never be corrected.
Those still accusing him of being a willing drug cheat best not read on, but Jobe Watson is not the kind of character to lie, or to deceive or even run the risk of taking a banned drug.
He spoke with class, integrity, care and honour, and it’s difficult to believe he would be any different in any other sphere of his life.
And it could’ve been so much different.
He could’ve whacked the lot of them, the club and people there for taking risks, and the club and the people there for folding under fierce AFL threat — and did it with a viciousness many people would say was deserved.
But that ain’t Jobe.
History can torment the future if you let it, or you don’t at least compartmentalise it, and the sense of relief on Wednesday came when Watson said: “You move on, life is too short.’’
If anything, it’s what he didn’t say which was perhaps important. He spoke of Kevin Sheedy, how scared he was of Bomber Thompson and, of course, the fitness guys who helped drive him from being a plumpish kid to professional athlete. But there was no mention of James Hird.
Asked if he was content or still carried demons from the drugs scandal and beyond and the return, Watson likened it to like breaking up with a cheating girlfriend and then getting back together.
“You might get back together, you probably don’t love her the same way,’’ he said. “That’s a little bit how I feel about it. I love the game but it doesn’t feel the same to me as what it did.”
Perhaps that’s how he feels about Hird. There was a footy love between the coach and the captain, but it will never be what it was.
Watson became more than a son of a legend at Essendon.
On that joyful day back in 2002, he was asked about wearing the famous No. 32, but he baulked at the suggestion.
He wanted to, and did, forge his own career.
In a true football sense, he will be remembered as an outstanding footballer, but not an all-time great footballer and perhaps his impact at the club may be recorded heavily in how Watson was an amazing presence and leader throughout the drugs scandal rather than what a player he was.
That warmth and integrity wasn’t lost on club officials who spoke of Watson.
He was and will remain, though, Essendon royalty.
He barracked for, played for and captained the cub, won three best and fairests, was a two-time All Australian and in 2012 won the AFLPA’s best captain award.
He was a warrior-type, who appeared more often than not battle-weary, and at his best he was an inspiring player.
Bombers fans idolised him because there was a trust and warmth towards him.
It’s strange to think he thought he was lost to Essendon if Sheedy stayed as coach, such was the disenchantment from both parties.
Instead, Watson knuckled down and people at Windy Hill back in 2007 still remember the period when Watson shaved his head and ran himself into the turf to achieve peak fitness.
Mostly always, Watson was about the team and his teammates.
Asked about the hurt of giving up his Brownlow Medal, Watson turned to his family and his teammates.
“The medal didn’t really matter to me. It wasn’t important. It was the people surrounding me, what they thought about it. The people whose opinion I value and know me the best, they haven’t changed because I had to hand back a Brownlow Medal.’’
The greatest hurt, he said, came on the day of the CAS decision.
“The most difficult time was certainly after the WADA finding, having to be with teammates and go through that,’’ he said.
He didn’t expand, but that day is remembered for extreme emotion and disappointment.
It didn’t get to that point on Wednesday at Essendon, nor did it get to what should’ve been said by club officials.
And that was sorry, Jobe.
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Comebacks.
Double Denim
Budgie Smugglers
Steven Bradbury !
Now I have got your attention.
Jobe, best wishes on your retirement from footy. I really enjoyed watching you play and appreciated the strength of character you showed as leader of the club over the years.
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According to Tim, Jobe still doesn’t believe they took any banned substance - and won’t believe it until there is proof that they did.
I don’t believe that Jobe was talking about James when he spoke of “being cheated on” as that article suggests… There are many other more obvious candidates.
It ■■■■■ me that many in the media are using Jobes words to once again have a go at James Hird. I believe that both have class and integrity in bucket loads.
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I think once, in the long long past, I actually attempted triple denim.
Yep…I’ve made some bad fashion choices.
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With you on that.
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He was referring to “the game”, not to any person. Pretty predictable that they would bring it back to Hird though, all under the guise of giving someone a go. ■■■■■■■ scum, these guys.
The “game”, for me would include journalist scum like Robbo, and the afl, amongst other things IMO.
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I have tried to compose this response a few times, but my emotions got the better of me. There have been so many beautiful responses in this thread that capture what an amazing person Jobe is. I won’t try to emulate them.
I will say, thank you for the wonderful memories Jobe and I wish you and your family all the best for the future.
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Was fine until it started speculating on what he might think of Hird. There is just not need.
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His retirement just makes the bile rise.
I was really hoping he’d get his mojo back in the 2nd half of the year & go on next year and be part of a real chance at a flag tilt.
Now I can only dream and throw everything into a huge wishing basket that we can somehow perform a Doggies type miracle GF and Cup win this year.
It’s the only thing that will ease the pain of all this.
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That’s the same impression that I got from Jobe when he mentioned “being cheated on”, that he just doesn’t love the game the same way anymore.
I don’t usually, and haven’t for a long time now, watched that utter tripe 360 on Fox Footy but made an exception last night just to catch up on the news on Jobes retirement that I missed during the day.
Fark me if I didn’t nearly destroy my tv when that fat, useless, mumbling pisshead Robbo try to speculate about Jobe’s and Hirdy’s relationship just because Jobe failed to mention Hird’s name during his press conference.
How the fark, honestly, would he know how Jobe feels about James Hird, seriously?
The hypocrisy of his article and his gushing over what a wonderful person that Jobe is just sickens me to the core, especially with the way he was treated by him and his media cronies throughout the worst of the saga.
He has been an embarrassment as a ‘journo’ during the past 5 years with the way he’s constantly contridicted himself to the point that a lot of us Essendon supporters can’t stand him and supporters of all the other clubs believe that he’s been the voice of Essendon in the media just because he’s an Essendon ‘person’.
Takes a special talent to be viewed the same way, as a big fat farking joke, by two groups of people with differing opinions on the same subject matter.
I apologise for bringing the tone down in this thread where a number of posters have mentioned that they wanted to keep it just as a celebration of a marvellous career and for an even better person, but I really couldn’t let it go and needed to highlight the hypocrisy of the slime media after yesterday’s announcement.
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One of my all time favourite players.
I felt all sorts of emotions after listening to the full 30min retirement press conference.
It was at times brutally honest heart, others light hearted and always heavy with emotion. He wears his heart on his sleeve.
I’ve tried to include the link to it from the efc website:
Also suggest you check out his retirement speech to the players.
I hope beyond hope the team can give him a few more football highs before he signs off at end of the year & that he can turn the clock back for 120mins on Sat nite.
I hope the fans give him an almighty roar on Saturday.
Go Bombers. SMASH Adelaide.
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Jobe reflecting on his career in a few years… poor guy.
I hope Jobe is incredibly successful in every element of his life post football. He deserves it, and the disgusting competition he was playing in is not deserving of him. This is demonstrated by the way he has carried himself through the last years.
All the best for the future.
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Hope jobe buys out hutchies apartment block in new york and demos it.
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But doesnt tell hutchy who is having a sleep in there
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Synchronicity time-
Jobe works well with cups. This year he is pushing (like Zach said) for a cup.
Jobe lost a medal with James. If Jobe helps get the cup, James might also give him a medal.
Look into my eyes, not around my eyes.
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I BELIEVE
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