Laurie “Toby” Watson played a hundred and thirty games for East Fremantle and was one of the best on ground in the premiership win of 1965, kicking four goals five from a half forward flank. Yet not only was he a West Perth supporter( legend Stan “Popsy” Heal was a distant relation) as a teenager, he absolutely hated East Fremantle. When Bolgart coach, former East Fremantle player and member of one of the club's most respected families, Harry Regan, originally attempted to sign him for the blue and whites, Watson's response was: “Play with those bloody wharfies who won't load sheep and wool? You're bloodywell joking!” In the 1960s, wharfies had banned shipments destined for the war in Vietnam.  Born at Northam, Laurie Watson was one of six sons of a Bolgart farmer, and played his junior football with Bolgart-Calingiri before completing his education at New Norcia. “I'm grateful for the grounding in life and it's values that I received at New Norcia,” Watson told us. “I was there for only two years, but they were the best two years of my school life. I owe those six Marist Brothers a huge thank you.” “Over- all the six Marist brothers looked after two hundred and forty kids and taught us the right directions in not only footy, but life and education. They were unbelievable people.”    “I recently caught up with a terrific mentor, Brother Oliver, at Darwin, and spent some very pleasurable time with the great man.”  It was probably where the seeds of his life's big project these days was born. A prolific worker for charity, Laurie is now president of Vincent de Paul in Subiaco, as well as deputy chairman of Charity Link, and was a dedicated helper with the late Father Brian Morrison, among the countless hours of work he does for the community. It was also where the seeds were sown for his other great interest these days: horseracing. “I kicked off my involvement in the sport of kings at the age of fifteen at New Norcia(without the knowledge of the Brothers of course; it would have meant expulsion if they'd had an inkling, I guess),” Laurie recalled. “I ran a book on the Kalgoorlie Cup, and the kids invested their tuck shop money with me. My brother, Peter, was an owner, and, reckoning his horse, Royal Fort, was a good thing, I kept winding out the prices of the other starters. I had Royal Fort as such a short priced favourite that the other kids didn't like the odds on him. They backed the longer odds of the others to win more.” “Dumb, silly boys!!”  “The Tuck Shop cash jumped into my pocket when Royal Fort duly won the Cup.” Peter  Watson later became a horse trainer.  Struggling as a footballer in junior ranks, Watson developed quickly, and played seniors at Bolgart under Regan at fifteen, losing a grand final in his first season in 1959,  but the side subsequently won the flag the following  year. In 1961, he was talked into playing two seconds matches at East Fremantle. “The buggers never told me that playing one game effectively tied me to the club,” he joked.    Watson continued with Bolgart, but he wasn't forgotten at East Fremantle.  East coach Bob Johnson accompanied Jack Clarke, who had a farm at Jennacubine, to Bolgart training one night, and persuaded Laurie to give Moss Street a go.  And that was the beginning of a long association with East Fremantle, with Watson's previous animosity toward the blue and whites quickly evaporating, and he became a loyal and long serving East Fremantle stalwart. After just one appearance in the seconds, Laurie was on the bench for the league. Playing his first full league match in a Derby at Fremantle Oval in 1962, he received some advice from head trainer, “Sub” Clarke. “Watch the bike track,” he warned. In those days, Fremantle Oval was ringed by an asphalt cycle track, that was used for  cycle racing. “A bit puzzled about the comment at first, I remembered the words when I got flung onto it early in the peace,” Watson recalled.  Roving on debut, the presence of “Trizzie” Lawrence and “Oscar” Howard in the side pushed Laurie onto a wing, the position he made his own until moving forward for the last five years of his career.   Laurie Watson wore a couple of numbers before being allocated the number five. “I was a rawboned kid at the time, and pretty impressionable, so how do you reckon I felt about wearing the numbers of a couple of legends, number nine(Ray Sorrell) and number eleven(Norm Rogers, who were both injured) in my first half dozen games. ”  Watson played in his first league grand final in 1962, a game East Fremantle lost to Swan Districts. He was to play in two more losing grand finals, against Swans and Claremont, before realising his premiership dream in 1965, when they had revenge over Swan Districts. One of his side's best on the day, his four goals were invaluable. It was in that year that he played for Western Australia against the Victorian Football Association. After a solid debut for the State, his mind was on the big one coming up a fortnight later, against Victoria.  Playing against South Fremantle on the week leading up to the interstate clash, Watson was reported for hitting and suspended for two weeks, effectively ruling him out of the Western Australian side, and ultimately finishing his interstate career after one game. “I was at half forward in the Derby,” he said. “The ball came forward towards myself and South defender, Stan Badham. Big Bob(Johnson) yelled: “if you can't mark it, punch it to me,” I went for the punch, missed the ball, and connected with Stan. The ump, who was alongside me, said: “smart play,” so I had no idea I'd done anything wrong, until he informed me at half time that I was reported.  The bloody goal umpire reported me.  The field ump actually commented to me later that he could see nothing wrong in the incident.” “Despite vehemently denying it at the protests and disputes meeting, I was suspended. It was the only time I was reported during the length of my career.”  After Watson's exhilarating 1965, he received a letter from Hawthorn Football Club, asking if he was interested in transferring to the Hawks. “I had just bought a farm at Bolgart,”he said, “so it wasn't an option.”     Johnson left after the 1966 season, heralding four seasons of instability at East Fremantle, before Alan Joyce's arrival in 1970 saw an upheaval at the club, and Watson was a casualty of the new regime. Laurie had received a broken jaw the previous season, and acquired a jaw guard. On turning up for training with the guard, he got the edict from Joyce: “You're not wearing that,” which elicited the retort from Laurie: “That's OK, I won't be playing then.”   A call from South Fremantle enquiring about the possibility of him moving to Fremantle Oval received short shrift as well. “I wouldn't play for you, you're worse than the bloody wharfies,” was the response to the hated rivals.  Watson had undergone summer training in anticipation of a big year in 1970, so he lined up with Bolgart for the next two seasons, before accepting the Toodyay coaching job in 1972. “There was hell to pay about that” he said. “I had five brothers and three brothers in law playing at Bolgart, and they couldn't believe that I would dare play with Toodyay.” After missing the first eight games of the season because of a clearance wrangle, which was only settled by the payment of a transfer fee(“unheard of at the time up there”) the long awaited Bolgart- Toodyay clash occurred. “There were fights everywhere, it was the most antagonistic game I've played in and I was in a few Fremantle Derbies,”he laughed.  After going through the home and home games undefeated, Toodyay lost the second semi final by three points and the grand final by two, but made amends in 1973, in another undefeated year, this time carrying the run through the finals. Swan Districts player Max Viskovich took over from Watson  in 1974 and they won another one. Laurie had become a committeeman at East Fremantle in 1973, and added the position of selector to his chores in 1974, before standing down from the committee in 1976.  He then went to Super Rules for a decade, playing for the State several times.  These days he is a golfer(“it's a struggle with a crook back, hacker would be a more appropriate term”), and is still involved with another love of his life, horseracing.  Discussing his football career, he admitted his skill level wasn't great. The will to win, not accepting the inevitability of defeat, chasing, listening to the coach, reading the play, and practice were the main attributes of Laurie Watson. “We used to practice kicking at trees and  telephone posts, and we'd take the footy with us when we were rounding sheep,” he said.  He told us about a lesson he learnt during his career. “It was the Foundation Day Derby of 1966, and it was also the day that Toddy came back to the playing arena in an inspirational display for the South side, who were having a horror season, after a twenty two month absence from the game. He was playing on Len Fode, and had three goals at half time off a half forward flank. I went onto him and tried to clean him up, but he swerved neatly and slammed a droppy onto Gerovich's chest. Gero proceeded to put it through the middle, and as the boundary ump ran the ball to the field ump, Todd called out: “can I have a look at the ball, I think it's a bit flat.” On receiving the ball he walked over to me and said: “ok, now this is what we play with, try going after that and not the man.” As for hardest opponents, he regarded another country star, Claremont wingman Vern Orr as hardest to beat, along with fellow Claremont player, Keren Guard(“they both had too much pace”), plus Derek Chadwick(East Perth) and Perth champ, Barry Cable. “Cable took me aside at State training one night and said: “I'm gonna show you how to kick..”  That session with him was about the hardest I ever trained.” He rated John Todd or Sorrell as the best player he'd seen in WA, declaring John Gerovich as the most freakish player he'd seen, but had no hesitation in labelling Leigh Matthews as the best allround footballer. “In and under, he'd get the ball out, work hard, and kick goals,”he said. Gary Ablett snr is also on his best ever list, as is the younger Ablett, who Laurie regards as better than his Dad.   Laurie Watson spends most of his time these days helping others. The charities he is heavily involved with, such as St Vincent de Paul and Charity Link, help fifteen thousand under privileged children, in the country, outback, and aboriginal settlements by providing toys, winter blankets, hampers, and vouchers. There are a hundred and ten(and growing) agencies relying on  these organisations for help. Along with people such as Harry Neesham, he assists in kids education and back to school programmes.  He is still a keen East Fremantle follower, and derives great pleasure when they win, always finding time to organise a function at the club. His boys both played juniors before moving in different directions, but David followed in his father's footsteps and coached Toodyay.   Laurie “Toby” Watson, although almost dragged screaming and kicking to East Fremantle, became a leading player over nine years and a  committeeman and selector for three. His work since then for charity organisations has been immeasurable. The pleasure he gave to East Fremantle supporters on the field is now being replaced tenfold by the aid he is helping provide for the underprivileged over the length and breadth of the State. We salute you, Laurie.