Roosters coach Trent Robinson gifted his premiership ring to the luckless Connor Watson after the Tricolours’ 19-18 grand final win.
A head knock in the preliminary final ruled the utility out of the biggest game of his life, but Robinson made sure that the Roosters veteran left with a parting gift before he joins the Dragons next year.
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Watson shows off his ring in the Roosters sheds. Picture: Martin GaborSource: NewsWire
“It was after the song on the stage,” Watson revealed.
“He just came over to me and said ‘here’s your ring, mate’.
“You can see it right there. He gave me his ring after the game, which was very nice of him. He didn’t have to do it, but he wanted me to take it and said I had earned it. I am very grateful for being able to get one off him.”
Robinson’s selfless act speaks volumes of how much Watson means to the team having played 127 games across two stints for the Tricolours.
It took a while for the emotion of the past week to sink in for the former Origin representative, with Watson desperately wanting to get on the field.
“I think I did a good job in dealing with how I was feeling,” he said.
“Yesterday (Saturday) post-captain’s run, I took a good 20 minutes and just sat out on the field, thought about everything, and faced the reality of the situation.
Connor Watson flashes his premiership ring.Source: FOX SPORTS
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“You work for this your whole life and then unfortunately miss out because of a concussion. Once I did that, it was a bit of a weight lifted off my shoulders.
“I wanted to do it to make sure I really enjoyed the day today and the whole process of it. Obviously, I was still disappointed; when the boys were running out and I was walking behind, I thought I would love nothing more than to be sprinting out there.
“Even towards the back end, I was thinking surely it would be sweet just for a 15-minute stint where I wouldn’t get hit in the head. I am just so happy for those men.”
The Roosters had fought hard for Watson to play after his category 2 head knock was updated to a category 1 in the grand final qualifier, which meant he was unable to play under the NRL’s mandatory 11-day concussion stand-down policy.
They tried to argue the case with an independent neurologist but failed at the last hurdle.
“We essentially did everything we could. Me and the medical staff did over and above with the testing,” Watson said.
“In the end, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to tick two of the five exemption protocol boxes due to it being a category 1 concussion and having some slight symptoms the next day.
“We passed the rest of them with flying colours. In discussions with the independent doctor, it seemed as though I had made a full recovery from the concussion. The rules are the rules, and they are in place for a reason.
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“It was just more that it was a nine-day turnaround compared to 11. If it was a week, we wouldn’t have tried it, but it was only the fact that there was a two-day difference. We wanted to explore the options to just see if there were any.
“I met the independent doctor on Thursday and had a really good meeting with him, going through the different test results. I had some good test results, but he couldn’t give me an exemption because of the policy that is in place.
“That was the chat we had; he felt as though I had recovered and my head was in a good place, but he couldn’t give me an exemption because of the rule.
“We met with the NRL on Friday to go through all of that and see if there was anything else we could do, but unfortunately there wasn’t.”
Watson will now join the Dragons for a season before playing for PNG in 2028, but he will never forget his time at the Roosters.
“This club means a lot to me. It is my second stint here and I love the place, including all the people in and around it,” he said.
“The coach and the coaching staff have been great, as have all the boys.
“I always believed and put all my energy into the fact that I was going to play because that is where my head was at.
“When Friday happened, the reality of the situation hit me, alongside the fact that my last game for the Roosters was a minute-long cameo.
“Disappointing as it is, there is just so much positive stuff to take out of it. Life sometimes is cruel and you just have to get on with the job.
“Missing a grand final is very disappointing and it is everything I have dreamt of, but in reality, there are people going through way worse situations.”