EVERY father-son draftee experiences at least three things when they start forging their own football career: expectation, attention and comparison. In the case of Jobe Watson, however, being a 'son of' has led to something even he might not have anticipated at first.

Watson, Essendon's erudite captain who will play his 150th game on Sunday against Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, is one of the competition's premier players. Making him something of a rarity, he's also one of its most popular.

A dogged and determined competitor, the 27-year-old is tough and hard and just as brilliant. And he's also respected. This year there has been a hush at times during games when Watson moves towards the ball, the Essendon crowd in full confidence he will not only get it but do something good with it.

But it doesn't seem to be a feeling exclusive to Bombers fans, something Jobe, the son of Essendon legend Tim, puts down to the presence of his dad. Although reluctant to see himself in this way, Watson thinks the general goodwill afforded to him exists because of Tim.  

"Early in father-sons' careers they get compared to their fathers a lot, but then after that they create their own identity and I think people really enjoy seeing that," Watson told AFL.com.au.

"I know that when I watch Gary Ablett play, I'm really happy for him that he's been able to create such an identity of his own, and that's a common theme among the father-son kids.

"Supporters associate their own experiences with perhaps the ones they've seen you have. And I think generally when the fathers were great players, [the sons] tend to bring back happy memories."

Watson, however, has built a career trying to create his own memories. It's something he's still striving towards, but something that didn't appear at all likely early in his career.

The Watson story has been well told. After only 13 games in his first three years at the club, at the end of 2005 Watson took it upon himself to change his body shape and his behavior. He became more professional, refined his physique, changed his training habits, and his footy benefited. In 2006, he missed only one game and came second in the club's best and fairest.

It's the 2007 season that attracts most reflection as Watson's turning point. His then-coach Kevin Sheedy dropped him for the final three games of the season, forcing Watson to miss out on playing in James Hird and Sheedy's farewell game. Sheedy later went on to say teams struggle to carry "slow" players like Watson.

While Sheedy has said that he would have traded Watson had he have been coaching the club beyond 2007, Watson has remained dignified. Although Sheedy's treatment is generally viewed as laying somewhere between hard and harsh, Watson learned some things.

"It's been well documented the relationship that 'Sheeds' and I had. If he stayed he probably would have moved me on, and that was probably a fair assessment of the relationship between player and coach," he said.

"But through that period I really toughened up and came through it as a more resilient person. I think that was a real benefit from it."

It kick-started the Watson we know now. The hulking midfielder, prominent skipper and a favourite son.

He won the best and fairest in 2009, and then again in 2010 in his first year as captain. Last year he was on track for another best and fairest before succumbing to two hamstring injuries, while this year he's played every game, has averaged 29 disposals and is the Brownlow Medal favourite.

He feels like the challenging start to his career gives him a wider perspective as a captain. When young teammates make an error on or off the field, he can usually understand why.

"You can forget where you've come from a lot of the time and you get so focused on the here and now," he says.

"And sometimes you think back to what you were like or the decisions you made as a youngster, you can empathise with some of the decisions they get faced with.

"For me, it was really valuable to go through that period and to come out the other side and realise how fortunate and lucky I was that I made those decisions and changed my behaviours."

The transformation of Watson happened bit by bit. First was the fitness. Then came the kicking. When he started at the Bombers, Watson didn't have confidence or capacity to execute by foot. Gradually he became a longer and more accurate kick, and this year has shown his precise foot skills.

His hands and vision have always been top-class, but this year he's won more clearances than any other player in the competition, and only Josh Kennedy and Patrick Dangerfield have had more contested possessions. His overhead marking has improved, and he's still able to think through situations better than almost anyone, finding space where there isn't much.

It's been a philosophy of Watson to improve one area of his game every year, and this year he wanted to make more of an impact up forward. He's kicked a career-high tally of 16 goals so far.

At times, however, too much is left for Watson to do, particularly when the Bombers aren't firing. He and the club's leadership group don't feel burdened by that responsibility.

"We want to be the ones who are the catalysts for change. At the moment I feel as if it's the duty as the leadership group to drive that, and as other guys come in, it will be their duty to do the same," Watson said.

He knows, though, that for Essendon to move forward he needs more help. In his acceptance speech after winning the 2010 best and fairest, he commented that it wouldn't be good for the club if he was the winner again in 2011. Others had to progress. Midfielder David Zaharakis won it last year, although Watson was leading before his injuries.

Watson will need others to step up if Essendon is to taste finals action this year, and go deeper into September in the future.

Of Watson's 149 games for the Bombers, only four have been finals, and three were disappointing defeats. He will turn 28 before the start of next season, and admits he knows a new challenge in his leadership is connecting with those teammates almost 10 years his junior.
 
But what Watson's seen and done in his own career makes him believe that things will turn sharply for the club when it's ready.

"It's the eternal optimism of an athlete," Watson says. 

"You just constantly have that drive to get better, or that hope that things will change, or that you have the opportunity to change things. That's what drives me … that you can change things really quickly."

Callum Twomey is a reporter for the AFL website. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.