WE WILL have to wait until March next year to see his next show, but in the space of eight days this September, a 170cm small forward has shown why he might be the most watchable player in the game for the next decade.
You know his name and his iconic nickname by now. But two minutes was all it took for Nick Watson to rip apart a second September Friday night in a row.
After kicking four goals in his first final in front of nearly 98,000 people in the elimination final, the ‘Wizard’ weaved his magic early in the second half of Friday night's semi-final to change the game.
Up until that point, Port Adelaide had been in control for most of the first half, but the month that matters most is all about the moments that matter most.
The 19-year-old snapped his first goal from deep in the pocket after being collected high, before drop punting a set shot from the opposite side of the ground in front of the scoreboard after plucking a strong contested grab in front of Miles Bergman. Two in two minutes.
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The 2023 No.5 draft pick then kicked the first goal of the final quarter, just when the Hawks needed it most, sweeping through at full pace to kick the goal of the night to live up to his moniker.
It wasn’t enough in the end.
James Sicily hit the post at the 35th minute mark of the last quarter; Port Adelaide progressed through to another preliminary final under Ken Hinkley by just three points in a flip of the margin in the 2014 preliminary final at the MCG.
“It is a heartbreaker. All the season, all the work we’ve done, it just falls that short. We tried our best. We will set our eyes on next year. We’ve got a positive group coming through. We’re going to be damaging for the next decade, I reckon,” Watson told AFL.com.au inside the Hawthorn rooms at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
“This stings, but we’re building something really special. I couldn’t be happier at Hawthorn under Sam [Mitchell]. He has done so much for this group and I love what we’re achieving – and what we can achieve going forward.”
After starting his AFL career with 6.19 next to his name – plus seven other shots that didn’t register a score – Watson finishes his debut season with 25.27 on the board in a campaign that showed exactly why Hawthorn was prepared to pick a goalsneak so high last November.
Watson was born for the big stage. The bigger the occasion, the better the performances. He ends the season with 13 goals in his final four games and the threat of many more in a preliminary final or Grand Final stage.
“I obviously started pretty slowly this season with the accuracy on goals. It has been a bit of an overwhelming first year. I like the big games, the big crowds, the big moments,” Watson said.
“I felt like I could make a big impact in September. The bigger the crowd, I feel like the better I play. Hopefully I can impact more Septembers in the future.”
Wizard hats were scattered across Adelaide Oval on Friday night, as well as concentrated in Bay 131, after a full bay in the pocket off the MCG sent the football public into a frenzy last Friday night.
Watson is determined to put his head down over the pre-season to ensure he can build on a brilliant finish to his first season and continue his emergence as one of the most exciting forwards in the game.
“I’ll put the head down over summer ahead of year two. We know where we’re heading as a group. I’m all-in with this group. I can’t wait to see what’s for the future.”
The emotions were raw inside Hawthorn’s rooms late on Friday night. The coach expressed his pain and pride in his press conference. Watson and these Hawks will be back on this stage.
