AFL
  1. Home
  2. AFL
  3. News

Jobe Watson expected to announce he will return to Essendon in 2017 after playful tweet

Jobe Watson has given the strongest indication yet that he intends to pull on his footy boots again for Essendon ahead of a press conference at which he is expected to announce his return in 2017.

The Bombers captain, whose doping suspension finished on Wednesday, used Twitter to playfully hint at his intentions, after months of speculation about his playing future.

Up Next

Replay

Replay Video Icon
Player help icon

More Sport Videos

More videos

The greatest of finals heroes

Who are the greatest finals heroes of the past 50 years of AFL/VFL September action? Complete our poll and have your say.

A club spokesman told Channel Nine's The Footy Show on Thursday night that Watson would on Friday confirm that he would return to the Bombers.

Watson held a press conference at 9am on Friday where he confirmed his return, declaring he was "at peace" with his life.

Jobe Watson is set to return to Essendon
Jobe Watson is set to return to Essendon Photo: Penny Stephens

Earlier, he posted a photo of his dog with a pair of footy boots on social media, with the caption:

"He (sic) mate, I'm going to need to borrow these back off you."

Advertisement

Speculation over whether Watson, 31, would return has been rife over the last few months. He has spent time overseas during 2016, including in New York where he worked as a barista.

Watson's stand-in skipper Brendon Goddard welcomed the decision.

"Chuffed. Over the moon. It's obviously a really personal decision for him to make and, obviously, he had to weigh up a lot. Obviously, the time is right now to announce it. I couldn't be happier. Quality person, individual, footballer, captain, a good friend," he said on The Footy Show.

Asked if Watson would return as skipper, Goddard replied: "It's up to him - well, not really up to him, to be honest. It will come down to a vote from the players. He might just want to come back and play footy."

The Bombers will weigh up whether it's time to hand the captaincy to a younger generation, with support for Dyson Heppell - who had been Watson's deputy before he, too, was suspended for the season - to take the top role.

Heppell has already returned to the club and said on Thursday his body was "cherry ripe" to begin pre-season training.

He had his first kick since his suspension at the Bombers' training venue on Wednesday and several players had medical testing on Thursday.

"Back around the club again today - they had a good bunch of us in there, ticking boxes and the body is cherry ripe and ready to go," he told Fox Footy's AFL 360.

"I guess natural footballers, natural athletes, you have got to keep training, you have got to keep yourself in good nick I guess to keep your mind right."

Watson is the last of the 12 banned players still at Essendon to make a decision on his future. Cale Hooker, Michael Hurley, Ben Howlett, Brent Stanton, Tom Bellchambers, David Myers, Travis Colyer and Heath Hocking as well as Heppell have all recommitted to the club.

Tayte Pears has retired to begin his career as a fireman while Michael Hibberd confirmed on Tuesday that he wanted to leave the club to play under former Essendon assistant and incoming Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin.

The compensation claims of the banned players remain unresolved.

Watson could have the biggest claim, should he pursue full damages, particularly as he faces the prospect of being stripped of his 2012 Brownlow Medal as a result of the anti-doping ban.

AFL football operations chief Mark Evans said on Thursday that call would not be made until after the Swiss Federal Court rules on the players' appeal against the findings of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.