Lancefield’s Tom Waters calls time after decorated local footy career

One of local footy’s best ruckmen for a decade, Lancefield great Tom Waters reflects on a storied career laden with personal and club honours.

Tom Waters in action for Lancefield. Picture: George Sal

It’s 300 and out for Tom Waters.

One of the best ruckmen in local footy for a decade, the 37-year-old officially hung up the boots after Lancefield’s final match of the Riddell District league season on Saturday.

The resume is imposing, two-time Bowen Medallist, two-time premiership player, Bendigo league Team of the Decade, numerous Team of the Year honours and Vic Country, BFNL and RDFNL representative.

And it’s likely far more than 300 senior games as Waters debuted in 2005, two years before he says games records started in 2007.

Whatever the number, he’s grateful to have had the opportunity.

“The body, or the knee, is finished,” Waters said.

“I didn’t think I’d get there in the end.

“With a young family, I’m looking forward to spending some more time with them.”

The promising big man was on Oakleigh Chargers’ TAC Cup list in 2005 and made his senior debut for VAFA club Bulleen-Templestowe.

After a season at VFL power Port Melbourne and a summer with NTFL club Nightcliff, he joined Lancefield.

He became the second youngster player to win the Bowen Medal in 2008, led the Tigers to a premiership in 2009 and claimed his second league medal in 2010.

A stint at Gisborne was followed by a return to the RDFNL with Macedon, where he won a second flag in 2017.

Waters returned to Lancefield in 2020 as captain-coach, hoping to help turn the club around.

Tom Waters in action for Gisborne.

Tom Waters in action for Macedon.

While he no doubt would have been an in-demand player in metro footy, country footy was his calling.

“This is where I live, for footy I could have gone to lots of different places, but I wanted to be somewhere where I could get to training,” he said.

“I always wanted to get to train three nights a week, I wasn’t good enough to just rock up and play on the weekend.

“I wanted to be somewhere where I could always be around the club, be involved, help out with the juniors or coaching.

“I knew I was never going to get drafted so I went and played country footy, I’d always wanted to.

“Aussie Jones tried to get me to Bendigo Gold when I was at Gisborne, I ummed and aahed about it, but it never happened.”

Announcing his retirement before Saturday’s match, Waters was overwhelmed by the messages from current and former teammates and rivals.

The week had given him time to reflect on his achievements.

Tom Waters in action for Lancefield. Picture: George Sal

He was Lancefield’s last Bowen Medal winner and was part of the Tigers and Macedon’s last premierships.

He said Australian Football Hall of Famer Peter Knights presenting him with a Vic Country guernsey was a career highlight among the personal and club accolades.

“In the last week, my wife pulled out the Team of the Decade award, the league medals, Vic Country and inter-league jumpers, all the different trophies and medals,” he said.

“There was a fair collection, I was showing the kids and they were impressed at least.

“The main thing to come out of it was phone calls and messages, even from guys I hadn’t played with in 10 years.

“At the end of the day that’s what footy is all about, the people, the playing part might be over but it’s the people you meet along the way and we’ll always be involved or have premiership reunions.”

A number of those relationships have stood the test of time with teammates joining Waters on the ride, moving clubs with him.

“Casey Summerfield and Matt Knox, we were at Gisborne together and left to go to Macedon together, they were great to play with,” he said.

“This time at Lancefield, Lukas Fellows and Alex Simpson came across when I started coaching, came across to play with me, and stayed until the end.”

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For now? a year off.

Waters said he was looking forward to having his weekends back for the first time in nearly 20 years but would still be heading out to watch football somewhere regularly.

What’s next? A return to coaching.

Having led Lancefield as playing coach for four years, two seasons wiped out by COVID, he doesn’t expect to be out of footy for long.