Nicholas Watson (born 24 February 2005) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Early life Watson grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Croydon South and was educated at Rowville Sports Academy and Caulfield Grammar. A small forward, Watson in 2023 was the top goalscorer while playing for Caulfield Grammar in the APS competition. He also was the top goalkicker playing for VicMetro in the 2023 National championships. He played his junior football for Montrose and East Ringwood in the Eastern Football League.
AFL career Watson was the fifth selection in the 2023 AFL draft by . Nicknamed "the Wizard" for his exceptional ability in attack, he made his debut against at the MCG in the opening round of the 2024 AFL season.
He was awarded a 2024 AFL Rising Star nomination in round 19, collecting twelve disposals and kicking three goals during a 66-point defeat of .
In December 2025, after 43 games in the number 34, he was awarded the number 5 guernsey number, which was previously James Worpel's number before he was traded to Geelong.
Watson won Mark of the Year in 2026 for a horizontal mark in wet conditions.
Statistics Updated to the end of 2026.
| 2024 || || 34 | 18 || 25 || 27 || 118 || 77 || 195 || 55 || 45 || 1.4 || 1.5 || 6.6 || 4.3 || 10.8 || 3.1 || 2.5 || 0 |- | 2025 || || 34 | 25 || 36 || 18 || 145 || 127 || 272 || 51 || 51 || 1.4 || 0.7 || 5.8 || 5.1 || 10.9 || 2.0 || 2.0 || 0 |- | 2026 || || 5 | 23 || 63 || 26 || 194 || 120 || 314 || 53 || 50 || 2.7 || 1.1 || 8.4 || 5.2 || 13.7 || 2.3 || 2.2 || 9 |- class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 | Career ! 66 !! 124 !! 71 !! 457 !! 324 !! 781 !! 159 !! 146 !! 1.9 !! 1.1 !! 6.9 !! 4.9 !! 11.8 !! 2.4 !! 2.2 !! 9
Honours and achievements Team McClelland Trophy (): 2024
Individual All-Australian team: 2026 Peter Crimmins Medal: 2026 2× 22under22 team: 2025, 2026 Mark of the Year: 2026 AFL Rising Star nominee: 2024
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