Cherbourg’s Christine Watson on the cusp of AFLW with selection in Draft Combine for 2022
INDIGENOUS SPORTS MONTH: Cherbourg’s Christine Watson continues her meteoric rise in the AFL ranks, as the talented 17-year-old inches closer to becoming the latest local in the AFLW.
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AUSSIE RULES: Christine Watson picked up a football for the first time less than 18 months ago, and now she’s on the cusp of making the big time.
The 17-year-old who hails from Cherbourg and boards at Concordia Lutheran College was recently chosen as one of 10 Queenslanders invited to participate in the AFLW Draft Combine.
The combine aims to bring together the brightest young female aspiring talents ahead of the AFLW Draft, and Watson said it’s an honour to be a part of.
“It’s exciting and something new I can try out,” she said.
“I was surprised that I got into it. It’s very special (to be one of 10 Queenslanders).
“It’s taken a lot of work. I’ve been training and keeping fit.”
With a background in basketball, netball, volleyball and athletics, Watson has always displayed an incredible level of ability and whatever she has put her mind to.
First starting in the U17s girls competition with the Toowoomba Tigers, she slotted into the senior women’s team and played a key role in helping the side to it’s seventh straight flag.
She has since gone on to be part of the Brisbane Lions Academy, as well as representing Queensland.
While still finding her way in terms of her best spot on the field, the young gun is rising to whatever challenge is asked of her.
“For state they’ve put me in the forwards, and in the Lions Academy I’ve been in the ruck and forwards,” she said.
“I like the competition, jumping for the ball in the ruck and trying to beat the opposition.”
Watson has hopes of being drafted into the AFLW, following in the footsteps of fellow Concordia alumni Zimmorlei Farquharson.
“Zimm comes to visit boarding every once in a while and talks about how she started and what helped her get into AFLW,” she said.
“She has little chats with us and always tells us to try our best and go our hardest.”
Watson added her own bit of history when named as the inaugural recipient of the Goldman Lazarus Family Academy Scholarship, contributing football boots, shoes, a smart watch, gym membership and travel costs associated with travelling to Brisbane.
AFL Darling Downs competition manager Jana Anderson said Watson was bound to excel once getting a hold of a Sherrin.
“Christine is one of those naturally talented athletes,” Anderson said.
“You name it, she turns it to gold.
“She first participated in our U17 competition last year and that’s where she was picked up by the Brisbane Lions Academy.
“There was a coach out there that happened to see her and a few other girls in the competition, and asked them to attend training.”
PHIL DREISE
AUSSIE RULES: Phil Dreise will go down as one of the greatest ever Indigenous Aussie rules players on the Darling Downs.
Premierships, club best and fairest honours, and a prestigious Holman Medal all adorn his trophy cabinet.
He was also named as the only Indigenous player in the AFL Darling Downs team of the half century last year.
With all competitive junior and senior Coolaroo teams to wear a specially designed jersey over the next fortnight to commemorate Sir Doug Nicholls Round, Dreise said he hopes it inspires more Indigenous kids to pick up a Sherrin.
“We wanted to get the juniors involved as well, and we hope that seeing the jersey, it inspires other Indigenous kids on the Downs to play AFL,” Dreise said.
“It’s been more of a league town, and we want to get behind kids playing any sport, but AFL is growing in Toowoomba year by year.”
The chance to be involved in this round is one of special significance for Dreise, of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi tribes, with family a central part of its importance.
“Indigenous round is a big thing for myself and other Indigenous players,” he said.
“We get to represent our culture, play in front of our mob, and it acknowledges the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people to Australian football and the community as well.
“It’s a big thing for me. My dad inspired me to play football.
“Even though he played league and union, as a young age he was the one buying me boots and kicking the footy with me.
“He was proud of me for making the AFLDD team of the half century. My two sons mean the world to me, and I hope I can be a great father like my dad is.”
The Coolaroo guernsey was designed by Dreise’s uncle Gregg, and is called Bundar Wantima (Kangaroos Rise Up).
It tells the story of the club, with 22 kangaroo tracks representing each player and in the centre a meeting place
The kangaroo is representative of Coolaroo, with the track in the middle for coaching staff, supporters, and players past and future.
It wishes all team members can play the best they can.
Coolaroo plays host to Goondiwindi this weekend at Rockville Park, with the best and fairest on the day to receive the Phil Dreise Medal.
AFLDD FIXTURES
MEN: Coolaroo vs Goondiwindi at Rockville Park, South Burnett vs Uni at Lyle Vidler Oval, South Toowoomba vs Toowoomba at Southern Cross Reserve, Warwick vs Dalby at WCU Oval. Games at 2.30pm, Saturday
WOMEN: South Toowoomba vs Toowoomba at Southern Cross Reserve, South Burnett vs Goondiwindi at Lyle Vidler Oval. Games at 12.45pm, Saturday
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