Francis Watson (footballer)


Francis Watson is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League.

Early life

Watson grew up in the small East Kimberley community of Balgo, Western Australia. Watson started off at Claremont and played in the Colts WAFL premiership side in 2013. He made his West Australian Football League debut for Claremont in 2015, and played 19 senior games for Claremont over the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Due to his Indigenous background, the Fremantle Dockers sought permission to register him in the club's Next Generation Academy, but the application was rejected by the Australian Football League on the ground that he had not resided in the Kimberley during the relevant period. Watson was then eligible to sign with any club as a "Category B" rookie, and joined West Coast in November 2016.

AFL career

Nearly three years after joining West Coast, Watson made his AFL debut as a late inclusion in their 13-point victory over Melbourne in round 18 of the 2019 AFL seasonHe came in at the expense of premiership captain Shannon Hurn with a calf injury moments before the game.