IF THERE is a poster boy for Queen's Birthday footy it is Jack Watts.
We all remember his debut for Melbourne in 2009. Selected by the Demons as the No.1 pick at the previous year's NAB AFL Draft, the Demons waited until the Queen's Birthday clash against Collingwood to pick him for his debut.
Make no mistake it was an unveiling by the Demons, a selection based around marketing requirements as much as team balance. As was Melbourne's wont back in the day, he was hailed as the team savior, despite the fact he was still completing his year 12 studies at Brighton Grammar.
It was a terrible day for Watts and his team, kept to five touches by the unsociable Magpies, who frankly, bullied him and the Demons from the opening minute. Collingwood won by 66 points that day and Watts would have his card marked for years.
Fast forward eight years. This time with 70,000 people in the house at the MCG and with the Demons hanging on by barely a kick, someone was needed to drive a dagger into Collingwood's heart at the end of a magnificent, white-knuckle game of football.
Enter Watts, who gathered the ball on the outer half-forward flank, took two bounces, ignored teammates in better position to run to within 15 metres of goal and kick the sealer.
It was revenge, redemption, vindication … call it what you like. And it was served cold.
And Watts wasn't quite done. Collingwood still had time to snatch an unlikely win when Scott Pendlebury had a shot for goal that was touched on the line. By guess who?
Watts had 13 touches for the game and it was by no means one of the best he has played. Christian Petracca was the undisputed star of this one. But as the Demons won their sixth game and marched into sixth place, Watts' fingerprints were all over their four most precious premiership points of the season to date.