Ray Watts
Essendon
AFL career
59 games149 goals
- Debut
- R11 1937 v NTH3 July 1937
- Most recent
- R6 1941 v SME7 June 1941
Stats
Bio
Recruited from the Essendon Stars, Ray Watts was the half-brother of champion rover Keith Shea and established himself as a potent spearhead for the Bombers during the late 1930s. A natural full-forward with a keen eye for goal, Watts quickly became the focal point of the Essendon attack, topping the club's goalkicking table in both 1939 and 1940. His most productive campaign saw him boot 66 goals in the 1940 season, cementing his status as one of the league's dangerous sharpshooters despite the team's mixed fortunes. His promising career was prematurely ended by the onset of World War II, with Watts playing his final match in the 1941 semi-final before enlisting in the AIF. Tragically, after being captured by Japanese forces in Singapore, Watts died in 1944 when the prisoner transport ship Rakuyo Maru was torpedoed, cutting short the life of a player who had significant potential left in the game.
Profile
- Born
- 13 Aug 1917
- Died
- 17 Jan 2008 (aged 90y 157d)
- Birthplace
- Launceston, TAS
- Deathplace
- Melbourne, VIC
- Height
- 188 cm
- Weight
- 86 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from the Essendon Stars, Ray Watts was the half-brother of champion rover Keith Shea and established himself as a potent spearhead for the Bombers during the late 1930s. A natural full-forward with a keen eye for goal, Watts quickly became the focal point of the Essendon attack, topping the club's goalkicking table in both 1939 and 1940. His most productive campaign saw him boot 66 goals in the 1940 season, cementing his status as one of the league's dangerous sharpshooters despite the team's mixed fortunes. His promising career was prematurely ended by the onset of World War II, with Watts playing his final match in the 1941 semi-final before enlisting in the AIF. Tragically, after being captured by Japanese forces in Singapore, Watts died in 1944 when the prisoner transport ship Rakuyo Maru was torpedoed, cutting short the life of a player who had significant potential left in the game.