Nick Watson


Nicholas Watson is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Early life

Watson grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Croydon South and was educated at Rowville Sports Academy and Caulfield [Grammar School|Caulfield Grammar]. A small forward, Watson in 2023 was the top goalscorer while playing for Caulfield Grammar in the APS competition. He also was the top goalkicker playing for VicMetro in the 2023 National championships. He played his junior football for Montrose and East Ringwood in the Eastern Football League.

AFL career

He was the fifth selection in the 2023 AFL draft by. Nicknamed "the Wizard" for his ability to do special things in attack, Watson is an exciting prospect. He made his debut against at the MCG in the opening round of the 2024 AFL season.
He was awarded a 2024 AFL Rising Star nomination in round 19, collecting 12 disposals and kicking 3 goals during a 66 point thrashing over.
In December 2025, after 43 games in the number 34, he was awarded the number 5 guernsey number, which was previously James Worpel's number before he was traded to Geelong.

Statistics

Updated to the end of 2025.
! colspan=3| Career
! 43 !! 61 !! 45 !! 263 !! 204 !! 467 !! 106 !! 96 !! 1.4 !! 1.1 !! 6.1 !! 4.7 !! 10.9 !! 2.5 !! 2.2

Honours and achievements

Team
Individual