The Nick Watson moment came on Dustin Martin’s day. It was Dusty’s 300th, complete with pop-up barbers, the opening goal of the game and the final significant act of his career, when he walked to all four corners of the centre square and acknowledged his crowd. Michael Willson’s photo of Martin exiting the MCG perfectly captured the man, the moment and the mood.
It had been a rocky debut season for Watson until that day in June 2024, with injuries, tardy goalkicking and stints in the VFL. Halfway through the first quarter, he anticipated a spilling ball, collected it at full speed, took a bounce, absconded around the boundary line and hit up Dylan Moore with a perfectly weighted kick. It was one of those moments where you were left in absolutely no doubt that the person you were watching was going to be a great footballer.
