Australian Football

John Watts was a solidly built and robust defender and occasional ruckman who added a certain energetic toughness to East Perth's ultra-talented 1950s and early 1960s combinations. He was at full back when the Royals won flags in 1956 and 1958-9, and while less conspicuous than the likes of Farmer, Kilmurray and Sheedy was arguably an equally important contributor to the wins.

Between 1954 and 1962 Watts played 166 league games. He also represented Western Australia on a dozen occasions. In 1963 he joined former East Perth team mate 'Polly' Farmer at Geelong, and his resolute style represented a critical addition to the mix in terms of the club's premiership credentials. Watts was a key contributor from a back pocket as the Cats won that season's Grand Final against Hawthorn, the team widely regarded as the toughest in the VFL.

John Watts spent three seasons with Geelong, playing a total of 52 VFL games, before captain-coaching TANFL side Hobart between 1966 and 1968. In his first season with the Tigers he steered them to a nerve-jangling one-point Grand Final win over Glenorchy. He was a key player throughout that year's finals series, with his performances epitomised by some noteworthy fingertip marks in defence, and prodigious clearing kicks. Watts played a total of 55 senior games while with Hobart, comprising 53 for his club, and two intra-state representative games for the TANFL. In 1966, he was selected in Tasmania's squad for the Hobart carnival, but was forced to withdraw owing to injury.

Author - John Devaney