Scott Watters (born 25 January 1969) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. As a player, he was drafted from the South Fremantle Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) to the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1988. He later played for the Sydney Swans and Fremantle. He was a member of the 1985 Teal Cup winning side, the first year that Western Australia had won the national championships. As a coach, he started his career in 2006 with WAFL team Subiaco, followed by a stint as an assistant coach with the Collingwood Football Club from 2010 to 2011. Watters then became the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club, following Ross Lyon's departure, for two seasons from 2012 to 2013.[1]

Scott Watters
Personal information
Full name Scott Watters
Date of birth (1969-01-25) 25 January 1969 (age 55)
Original team(s) South Fremantle (WAFL)
Draft No. 5, 1988 pre-draft selection
Height 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1989–1992 West Coast 046 (13)
1993–1994 Sydney 037 (11)
1995–1996 Fremantle 026 0(6)
Total 109 (30)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1988–1993 Western Australia 6 (3)
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2007–2009 Subiaco 68 (53–15–0)
2008–2009 Western Australia 2 (2–0–0)
2012–2013 St Kilda 44 (17–27–0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1996.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 1993.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2013.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

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Watters attended All Saints' College. He later helped coach the College's football teams.[2]

Playing career

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West Coast Eagles

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Watters was selected as a pre-draft selection in the 1988 VFL Draft by West Coast Eagles after he won the fairest and best award for South Fremantle in 1987. He played 46 games for the Eagles over the next four seasons, including their first ever grand final appearance in 1991. However, when he was not selected in the 1992 premiership team, he was traded to Sydney Swans as part of a deal which gave the Eagles the Number 1 draft pick, which they used to select Drew Banfield.[3]

Watters played for West Coast Eagles from 1989 until 1992 for a total of 46 games and kicked a total of 13 goals.[4]

Sydney Swans

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After Watters was traded to Sydney Swans, The reduction in public pressure in a non-AFL city and an injury free period saw Watters play some of his best football in the 37 games for the Swans. His good form in his first season was recognised with being runner-up in the Swans' best and fairest award.[5]

Watters played for Sydney Swans from 1993 until 1994 for a total of 37 games and kicked a total of 11 goals.[6]

Fremantle

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With the entry of the second Western Australian team in 1995, Watters joined the Fremantle Dockers and was the first vice-captain of the club. Injuries, however, would take their toll and at the end of the 1996 season he retired from AFL football.[7]

Watters played for Fremantle from 1995 until 1996 for a total of 26 games and kicked a total of 6 goals. [8]

South Fremantle (WAFL)

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He continued to play for South Fremantle until the 1998 season, when he retired with a total of 207 senior games, 109 in the AFL, 92 in the WAFL and six for Western Australia. He is a member of the West Australian Football Two Hundred Club.[9]

Commentating career

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After retiring as a player, Watters spent time as a radio commentator with Perth radio station 6PR.

Coaching career

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Early coaching career

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In 2006, Watters was appointed the coach of the Subiaco Football Club colts team. In November 2006 he was appointed the league coach, after Peter German accepted an assistant coaching position with the Fremantle Football Club.[10]

Collingwood Football Club assistant coach (2010-2011)

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In late 2009, Watters signed with the Collingwood Football Club as an assistant coach under senior coach Mick Malthouse for seasons 2010 and 2011 and was part of the clubs 2010 premiership coaching panel.[11]

St Kilda Football Club senior coach (2012-2013)

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At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Watters was appointed the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club, following the resignation of Ross Lyon.[12][13][14][15][16] In Watters's first season as senior coach of the St Kilda Football club, in the 2012 season, The Saints under Watters finished ninth with twelve wins and ten losses, but they just missed out of the finals. But the Saints under Watters endured a miserable 2013 season to finish in sixteenth (third-last) place on the ladder with only five wins.[17] Watters was sacked as St Kilda Football Club senior coach on 1 November 2013, at the end of the 2013 season.[1][18][19][20][21][22] Watters was then replaced by Alan Richardson as St Kilda Football Club senior coach.[23]

St Kilda Football Club President Peter Summers attributed that the club came to the decision to sack Watters, after a club review conducted by board member Andrew Thompson.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Scott Watters sacked" by Sam Edmund, Herald Sun, 1 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Scott Watters Special Guest at College". All Saints College Quarterly. All Saints' College. October 1991. p. 8. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  3. ^ "SCOTT WATTERS". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  4. ^ "SCOTT WATTERS". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  5. ^ "The day a pitch-invading porker made Plugger feel pig sick - AFL - Sport". Smh.com.au. 15 July 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  6. ^ "SCOTT WATTERS". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  7. ^ "SCOTT WATTERS". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  8. ^ "SCOTT WATTERS". Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  9. ^ WAFL - West Australian Football League
  10. ^ "Subiaco Football Club Official Website".
  11. ^ "Pies welcome Watters". 13 October 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Watters to coach St Kilda". 15 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Watters signals 'new dawn' for Saints". 16 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Watters to steer Saints". 15 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Scott Watters to coach AFL's Saints". 15 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  16. ^ "Scott Watters officially named new St Kilda Coach". 15 October 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Scott Watters claims he didn't have control over the St Kilda list". 4 July 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  18. ^ "St Kilda coach Scott Watters sacked". 1 November 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Scott Watters sacked as St Kilda head coach ahead of 2014 AFL season". 31 October 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Sacked St Kilda coach Scott Watters was delusional about his power". 1 November 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Sacked St Kilda coach Scott Watters was doomed after extension was denied". 1 November 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  22. ^ "St Kilda is a club in crisis following the shock sacking of senior coach Scott Watters". 1 November 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  23. ^ "Alan Richardson named St Kilda head coach to replace Scott Watters". 14 November 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Scott Watters' sacking as St Kilda coach not driven by players, says Saints". 1 November 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
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