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LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
Seventeen-year-old Jobe Watson has been starring this week for the Victorian Metro side in the Australian Football under-18 Championships. There is already talk of the on-baller being drafted to Essendon later this year under the AFL's father-son rule. Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy was tight lipped about the youngster coming to Windy Hill and said it is unfair to compare him to his father, Tim, who played 307 games for the Bombers. ""Jobe is a big, goosey kid who rolls around the ground. I watched him yesterday and I thought he was a really good, solid contributor,"" Sheedy said.
Seventeen-year-old Jobe Watson has been starring this week for the Victorian Metro side in the Australian Football under-18 Championships. There is already talk of the on-baller being drafted to Essendon later this year under the AFL's father-son rule. Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy was tight lipped about the youngster coming to Windy Hill and said it is unfair to compare him to his father, Tim, who played 307 games for the Bombers. ""Jobe is a big, goosey kid who rolls around the ground. I watched him yesterday and I thought he was a really good, solid contributor. It would be so unfair to liken him to his father who was in the five youngest players in the history of the game to play - I wouldn't like to do that to Jobe. He is a good honest young kid and he is playing in the Victorian state side and if he makes it, we would love him to because he is a really good kid,” Sheedy said.
Q. On the rules of drafting, do you think there should be a rule like the father-son rule where younger brothers can go to the club where their older brother is? A. I doubt if that would come in because in the end the hardest decision this club ever had to make - and everyone forgets it - was that we gave up our U19s for an uncomprised draft which has always been compromised. That was bascially 16 years ago. I don't think there will be that many changes in drafting and I doubt if brother to brother will come in. I am quite happy with the father and son rule because that is probably about right.
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Essendon chief executive Peter Jackson believes football clubs and their star players should be able to take a joint approach to marketing for the financial benefit of each other. Jackson believes that under current AFL rules players are being forced to go it alone to the financial detriment of both themselves and the their clubs. ""What we are saying is, rather than these guys going out to earn money marketing their own image, come back to the club and let the club and yourself earn money in a joint venture arrangement,"" Jackson said.
