David Watson (1920s rugby league)

David 'Dave' Watson (1900–1982) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s and 1930s. He was a multi premiership winner with South Sydney, and later a coach of the club.

Dave Watson
Personal information
Full nameDavid William Watson
Born(1900-03-25)25 March 1900
Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia
Died21 December 1982(1982-12-21) (aged 82)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
PositionSecond-row, Lock
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1923–31 South Sydney 82 9 1 0 29
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1929 New South Wales 4 1 0 0 3
1923 Metropolis 1 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club
Years Team Gms W D L W%
1935–36 South Sydney 29 16 0 13 55
1947–49 South Sydney 54 29 2 23 54
Total 83 45 2 36 54
Source: [1][2][3]

Playing career

Dave Watson, was a legendary South Sydney player from their golden era of the late 1920s. He played 9 seasons for South Sydney between 1923–31, playing a total of 153 grade games for Souths during his long career. Dave Watson played in six grand finals for Souths between 1923–29 and won four premierships with them in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1929. He was also selected to play for New South Wales on 2 occasions in 1929.[4]

Coaching career

He also coached South Sydney from 1935–36, and from 1947–49. He later went on to work for Souths and a Selector and committeeman, and later as a state and Kangaroo selector for the NSWRFL. As a national selector, Watson famously did not vote for Bob McCarthy to be selected on the 1967–68 Kangaroo Tour, after McCarthy had a stellar season – a grudge that Bob McCarthy still carries to this day.[5]

The South Sydney website states that Dave Watson was awarded Life Membership of the Rabbitohs in 1962, and that he died in 1982 aged 82[6]

References
  1. Rugby League Project
  2. Whiticker/Hudson
  3. Rugby League Project.org Coaches
  4. Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson:Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. 1995 (ISBN 1875169571)
  5. The Courier Mail/Daily Telegraph: 4 October 2014 "Bob McCarthy is a true Rabbitohs Hero and is reveling in their revival". by Peter Badel
  6. http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/about/tradition-home/club-records.html
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