Former Eagle and father of Jake Waterman, Chris Waterman has put his son’s stellar season down to him being presented more opportunity to show his wares and ability throughout the season. 

The key forward was recognised for his breakout season last week with All Australian honours, earning the blazer for the first time in his career. 

Over 20 games, Waterman kicked 53 majors, finishing fifth in the Coleman Medal count and averaged an outstanding seven marks per game. 

He also made a name for himself and his elite ability to use his body effectively to take marks, particularly on opposition defenders. 

Speaking on Sports Breakfast, Waterman said he found out about Jake’s All Australian honours on prior to the ceremony and said it was ‘pretty exciting’ news.

“I could tell he was pretty chuffed. He was about to be in the squad and he rang me and said they’ve they’ve picked me in the team so it was pretty exciting,” he said.

“I mentioned it to the rest of the family and everyone was over the moon. We didn’t think that he would possibly get there with the likes of Hogan, Curnow and King and all those sorts of blokes, but to be acknowledged was a real thrill for him.

“Once you’ve got those things you can’t take them away. He’s been rewarded for for all the hard work he put in

“Once you get to that level, you’ve got to try and maintain it for your team’s benefit and yourself and maybe even try and get a little bit better.”

Throughout the season, Waterman was consistently in the frame for Coleman Medal honours, however a run of poor form from West Coast and a lack of supply up forward made it difficult. 

When supply was there Waterman pounced on the opportunities to score, kicking more than four goals in five games this season. 

However, the goal for Jake was to piece together a solid year and build confidence up, rather than aspire to any external awards. 

“It was a really good year, obviously the team still battled a bit, but there were some positive signs throughout the year,” said Waterman.

“Once he got his tail up early on and there was that purple patch where the team did put a few games together, he managed to hit the scoreboard quite well. It fell away a little bit towards the end in terms of getting a bag.

“It wasn’t about winning the Coleman medal, it was about just finishing off what was a solid year.”

The All Australian recognition is all the more sweeter for Waterman after he battled a severe season-ending stomach illness and had to rebuild his fitness base from scratch over the AFL pre-season. 

Waterman only played 11 games in 2023 before being ruled out due to his ongoing battle with ulcerative colitis, a condition which causes inflammation in the lower digestive system. 

However, a more confident, rejuvenated Waterman came out on the other side – a testament to his work in the off-season.

Additionally, Waterman found more opportunities to play his best football, according to his father.

“He started playing in the position he was drafted in last year early and started showing signs and then unfortunately got that horrible illness which finished his season,” said Waterman. 

“He did get the jump on pre-season, more so to get some weight back on. He lost a lot of weight, so he hit the gym a month or so before the boys all officially started. 

“Around February-March they started playing a bit and he was fit and strong and started feeling it and then Oscar dropped out and he was standing there just with him and Jack at one point.  

“He thought we’ll let him see how this goes and now he got a couple of early twos and threes and got his confidence top and went from there.”  

IMAGE: West Coast Eagles