“Sometimes you do need to just take a risk and be prepared to fail at things.”

So said Jobe Watson when reflecting on his transformation from underperforming father-son recruit to becoming one of the AFL’s elite midfielders.

Speaking from Windy Hill for the fifth episode of historical podcast Fabric of the Essendon Football Club, Watson discussed his childhood spent in the Essendon dressing rooms and how a conversation with his father, club Legend Tim Watson, after the 2005 season helped set him on the path to greatness.

Between 1977-91, and again from 1993-94, Tim Watson was one of the Bombers’ finest ever players. He played 307 games in red and black, won three premierships (1984-85, 1993), four Crichton Medals (1980, '85, '88-89) and also captained the club (1989-91). During the latter years of Tim’s remarkable career, son Jobe practically lived in the Essendon dressing room, a period he looks back on fondly.

“I remember I’d be in tears at games if we were losing, and unbearable if we’d won [because] I was a really passionate fan growing up.”

From the age of five, young Jobe was part of the fabric at Windy Hill.

“I remember the only one I really wanted to get on the right side of was ‘Bettsy’ (Ken Betts). He was the property steward and he was the one who handed out Coke and pies after the games. So, he was the only one I was really trying to curry favour with. Then it was just about getting in and out of trouble and running around. You can imagine what a football club looks like to a five or six-year-old boy - it’s just paradise.”

Before the 1993 Grand Final, Tim promised Jobe that, should the ‘Baby Bombers’ defeat Carlton, he would collect him from the stands and take him on the victory lap. But a moment of joy for a young boy was quashed when his jubilant 32-year-old father forgot his promise in the heat of the moment.

“He’d said to me on the morning of the game, ‘If we win the game, I’m going to come down to the side of the race, I’ll find you and I’ll take you on a lap of the MCG with me and the players.’ It was a fait accompli in the last quarter there, so I went down to the race, they were doing the lap and Dad looked at me…then he kept running! He did the lap with the players and then brought me [down] into the race afterwards.”

Despite growing up at the football club and knowing many of the faces at Windy Hill, when Jobe was selected under the father-son rule (pick No.40 overall) in the 2002 national draft, arriving at training for the first time as a new recruit was a daunting experience.

“Very intimidating as a youngster. Whether or not you’re a father-son [recruit] or not, I think that you go through the same emotions as a first-year draftee. You’re terrified of everyone. Everything’s new and everything’s intimidating. You’re standing next to these people who you’ve seen and watched on TV that you’ve idolised. I just remember feeling like that and being tired. They were the only two things I remember of my first year.

“I think I was just really naïve, and I’d lived in a pretty sheltered lifestyle and existence. School footy had been just about fun. I played footy because I loved it, and I had so much fun playing with school mates. I was just really raw when I first arrived and, consequently, you get injuries and you’re not up to the standard and the level of everybody else. And that’s frustrating, and people are getting frustrated with you.

“It’s a brutal game and it’s a great leveller, and it will tell you exactly where you’re at - the game doesn’t lie to you. If you wanted feedback, just walk into a sporting club, and that’s where I was at. It took me longer and, luckily enough, there was probably more patience back then with draftees than perhaps what there is now; the expectations weren’t as high on immediately being successful or impacting the game.”

After just 13 games in his first three seasons, it appeared that Jobe, having failed to meet the lofty expectations of many, was in danger of being delisted and failing to fulfil his potential.

Enter Tim. Father told son he needed to improve his fitness and become more professional, or consider giving football away and following a different pursuit. That was all the motivation Jobe needed to change his attitude and approach to the game he loved.

“It was total commitment to one goal, and that was to be a better athlete and to work harder. That was all it was. I became a very solely focused athlete and that was all I worried about. It was total dedication to that and, luckily enough, I had incredible guidance through Ray Giles and what he was able to do, and the time and effort that he put in and the mentoring that he gave me. And also John Quinn, who was at the football club as well … the freedom that he gave me to go out and source [other methods] … A lot of other coaches would have been more protective of themselves and their programs, but he was very encouraging of it.

“I just knew that things were totally different. I wasn’t tired all the time. I was having more of an impact in training sessions, so I could see the benefits straight away. I always had a self-belief that I was good enough to play, but once I started to get my fitness to this kind of level, then I could see almost immediately [how much better I could perform]. It’s like self-fulfilment. All of a sudden, things that you’re doing you’re seeing the impact [of] straight away and you think, ‘Okay, well, let’s just keep doing it, this is working.’”

From there, Jobe never looked back. He went on to win three Crichton Medals (2009-10, 2012), was twice All Australian (2012-13), won the 2012 Brownlow Medal, captained the club he grew up idolising (2010-15) and, after 220 games in red and black, retired as one of the most popular players in club history.

“Maybe, if I hadn’t had the discussions with Dad, I may never have got it. You look back and think, ‘I’m glad that I had someone guiding me, or pushing me, who gave me the push that I needed'. And then he also sourced the person for me to go and see, and that person was [then] willing to be the guide. I just look back and think, I’m really lucky that I was able to find these people who were willing to give up their time and energy for me, and that [then] provided such guidance and encouragement for me at the right times.”

Like Tim, Jobe proved an outstanding leader, one whose status was elevated during difficult times for the club and its people.

“I just look back on it and I’m really thankful for the strengths of the relationships that I had with my teammates especially. That helped me get through what was a challenging period. And I also look back on the lessons that I learnt and how valuable that is to looking forward.”

Fabric of the Essendon Football Club is a weekly 20-episode series powered by Liberty, featuring in-depth chats between club historian Dan Eddy and 20 of the club’s most adored names across multiple decades. You can listen via Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.