This week’s local living legend of league football is Chris Waterson. Chris played Reserves for Fitzroy in 1988-1989 before playing Seniors.
How did you get discovered?
I had trained a few times with Geelong and was hoping to be recruited by them. However, this was the second year of the draft and so you had no say in where you were recruited to. They held a carnival at VFL Park in 1987, which was designed to bring young players to Melbourne to try out, and from there, I was drafted to Fitzroy. David Parkin travelled to Cohuna to meet me and my parents, which was a highlight for us in itself.
Why/what did you enjoy?
Like anyone at that age, just the opportunity to improve, play with and against great players and to test yourself. I was extremely fortunate to play at a time that allowed me to play in the same games as some legends of the game like Tony Locket, Jason Dunstall, Gary Ablett, and many others. It was hard to concentrate on playing your own game when these guys were on the field. Looking back now it’s hard to believe.
Any statistics we should know about?
Nothing worth mentioning. 13 games, 7 goals.
Are there any highlights?
First Senior game at Windy Hill in 1990 was a massive highlight. My first opponent was Bomber Thompson, who later captained Essendon and coached Geelong to AFL premierships.
Are there any lowlights?
Getting dropped from the Senior team.
Are there any interesting stories you can share?
Nothing that can be shared in a newspaper… This was a time before mobile phones with cameras, so a lot of fun was had off the field.
What differences do you see in the game from yesteryear?
The game has improved enormously since then; the grounds are perfect, the players’ skills are better, fitness levels are better, the level of professionalism is at a different level to back then. Along with this comes the pressure; the young fellas are under so much scrutiny and so much pressure to perform these days.
What has happened in your life since?
I moved back to Cohuna and had the honour of coaching Cohuna Football Club in my first year back from Melbourne. I had a year playing in Tasmania and after that, played football locally for another ten years or so. I currently own an accounting business in Kerang and Cohuna, which keeps me busy, and I play golf as much as I can.
Who do you barrack for?
I barracked for Fitzroy until they merged with Brisbane, and then after the merger, didn’t really follow them at all, until they won three flags in a row. I quickly jumped on the bandwagon!
Additional information:
Chris says that winning the VFL Reserves premiership in 1989 was amazing, winning by under a goal after being more than five goals down, and with a crowd close to 100,000. They finished fifth on the ladder and had to win four finals to win the premiership.
