NICK Watson pops around the corner of a quiet laneway in Richmond.

It's 10am and in the hustle and bustle of inner-city Melbourne, the Hawthorn superstar pulls out his iPhone headphones (the wired variety – everything old is new again), pauses the DJ Sportchuh SoundCloud set and settles into one of his favourite cafés, 345 Richmond.

"How ya goin'?"

This is a near daily visit to the hidden hole-in-the-wall just out of the way of Swan Street's busyness. Two years of living in Richmond has one of football's most recognisable and distinguishable players able to comfortably go about his life without a fuss.

"There's a fair few AFL players who live around here and there's an even spread, so everyone minds their own business. I like Richmond because everyone's a bit reserved. When I go back to Croydon I get much more attention, but I enjoy it here. Everyone's pretty chill," Watson says.  

345 Richmond was his suggestion for our catch-up and is a 15-minute walk to the MCG – where Watson is hoping to light up in this year's finals series. But today, over an hour on his day off, Watson only catches some glancing looks from passersby. This is the Wizard without the hat and magic, just a black hoody and baggy pants (more on the fashion later).

He talks about how he has found his routine: of going to the local P3 Recovery centre, of grabbing a coffee at 345 or Richmond institutions Cheeky Monkey and Touchwood, of the hidden Mexican bar down the road where he's a regular ("You open up a vending machine and there's always a DJ there, which is good," he says), of steak night at the Spread Eagle Hotel, of occasionally sharing the 25-minute trip to and 40-minute return drive to Dingley with near neighbour and Hawks teammate Jack Ginnivan.

He even laughs how he was caught on a viral video parking his car on Swan Street just as a Snoop Dogg impersonator went into the local bottle shop in Grand Final week last year.

"That was embarrassing, I thought it was him for a second," Watson says.

This is the duality of Watson's life now – recognisable everywhere as one of footy's rockstars while also just another 21-year-old in a Push Pull jumper.

The explosion in fame came two years ago, when Watson had a breakout finals series for the Hawks in 2024.

It had come at the end of a wayward debut season in front of goal where coach Sam Mitchell had taken control of his set shot plan and cut out all the other voices telling the club's prized No.5 pick what to do. He kicked four goals against the Western Bulldogs in the elimination final in front of a full bay of Hawks fans sporting black wizard hats – he put one on for a post-game interview – and backed it up with three goals the following week in the tense semi-final loss to Port Adelaide. Star status activated.

"It's something I'll cherish forever, that night against the Doggies, with everyone wearing the wizard hats. Everyone was writing us off, we had 14 finals debutants, and I ended up kicking a few snags as well, which was nice," he says.

"I have those photos with the crowd in the hats. They're around the club these days and there's good memories winning our first final together in front of 95,000 at the 'G. It doesn't get much better than that."

Except it has – for the Hawks and Watson. He kicked 36 goals last year from 25 games as the Hawks took a step closer and made the preliminary final, and this year he has become the game's best small forward in just his third year. They've also just landed a top-four berth for the first time since 2018.

Last week, Watson was named an All Australian after kicking 55 goals this year and he donned the green blazer for the first time – he smirks at the comments saying it was sized XS.

It was no fluke Watson got to this level. He had targeted an All Australian spot at the start of the season.

"I definitely had confidence this year could go well. I sat down with Adrian Hickmott, our forwards coach, at the start of the year and said All Australian was something I wanted. I wanted to be the highest-rated small forward in the comp," he says.

"We knew it was there. It was just about putting the work into progress but it was one of the main goals for me.

"At the start of our chat I said I wanted to make the All Australian squad. I didn't want to get ahead of myself. But he said 'No, we're going for the team'. I watch Kozzy Pickett and I look up to him and you always think, 'Oh I want to be there one day in there' and that finally comes true. It's amazing."

Watson knew he was prepared because he knew he had done the work. Mitchell earlier this season spoke of Watson's body transformation in his three years at Hawthorn, and that's been by finding what works for him in the gym and on the track to finely tune his unique mix of power, speed and skill.

"For me it's not so much about heavy lifting in the gym. It's more my plyometrics, getting my body right 100 per cent because I need my speed. I'm going to need my jump," he says.

"My first two years I was going through the motions at training. But last year I really clicked into gear and I was getting sick of playing mediocre footy and I knuckled down and wanted to be consistent. I didn't miss a drill over the pre-season."

He knows the drill now. Before a hamstring strain midway through the loss to the Western Bulldogs ruled him out for two games, Watson was right in contention for the Coleman Medal. The thought crossed his mind.

"Everyone was into me about it and then I came back and kicked five, three and five and I was like 'I'm not that far behind now'. Luke Breust would always text me saying, 'you've got to beat 'Gunners' (Jack Gunston)', so it was good banter. I knew I probably wasn't ever a chance," he says.

Practice has made near perfect. At training he doesn't hone in on his 'touch' like teammate Josh Ward, a renowned extras trainer at Hawthorn, but he instead focuses on his crumbing and ground ball takes. The small tattoo on his left hand that reads 'DO YOUR JOB' is a reminder on every front.

"I don't go to the backline and try and do kicks because I'm not going to be there. And even the forward 50 kicks, I'm not really going to worry about them because I'm the one on the end of that," he says. "So I focus on my crumbing and try to get better and make me the best at that. One of the things I took out of the early stages of my career was I'd try and get better at everything. I've toned that down a bit and now get better at what I'm actually good at."

This year's goal tally has included some rippers – his favourite was the one against Gold Coast where he bolted past four players and scooped up the ball at top speed to dribble it through – and he has raced past his 100-goal career tally. To celebrate that milestone, AFL.com.au produced a 28-minute video of all of his goals (and haircuts) at AFL level.

"I did watch that, it was good. It was nice to go back because sometimes you forget about things when you go so fast in your career, like everything flies. I had a few tips in the hair at the start, it was a bit different in my first year," he says.

"Mum enjoyed that video as well, she went back and watched it too."

A 'best marks' edition could be down the track. As a schoolboy at Caulfield Grammar, Watson used to fly for grabs every quarter. It drew crowds to his games and saw them switch ends at each term to be able to be closer to his movements.

At AFL level there have been glimpses of his high marking, including a pre-season hanger over teammate Seamus Mitchell captured by the Hawks where he was sideways when he marked, but Watson stepped things up with a Mark of the Year favourite in the final round against West Coast.

He channelled Gary Moorcroft to use Liam Baker as a stepladder and was horizontal mid-air when he grabbed the mark. Upon landing, he laughed to Baker, who he knows well having rented Baker's house when he first shifted to Richmond (with housemate Tyler Sonsie, who was drafted two years before Watson from the Eastern Ranges).

Later in the game he was calling Baker, his former landlord, "poster boy", suggesting his opponent would be on a poster in the future under his grab.

Days before that Eagles game, during this interview, Watson had predicted a return to the skies.

"In my first game, I went for a big mark and 'Cholly' (Mabior Chol) put staples in the back of my head, so I was a bit scarred from that. The marking has slowly crept out of my game, but I always say to my forward line coach that I'm trying to bring it back," he says.

"I want to start flying for more marks and recently I've been flying for more. I'll get a big one one day."

He wasn't wrong.  

These tricks have made Watson a footy fan favourite. The Hawks merchandise store sells more wizard hats than any item. Their CEO Ash Klein recently noted the club had found young kids were following Watson first and then becoming Hawks fans second, in a shift in the fan engagement model.

He has been on a Seek ad – you know the one; sounds magical – as well as another for Monster Energy. He has his own range of wizard-branded Sherrins available for kids and does a weekly spot of morning radio on NOVA as well.

Watson has grown comfortable in that radio spot with each appearance, but those who know him speak to his natural quietness and polite approach. The misconception is his on-field chatty persona matches with his real-life character, but Watson is known at the Hawks to be comfortable in his skin without being an out-there personality.

On social media he types in Wizard-tongue – his Instagram posts are usually accompanied by chopped, half-words so much so that a loyal fan even created an AI program to decode the meaning of words Watson attached to his uploads (true story).

His casual fashion sense might also be gaining followers. Alongside Ginnivan, the pair have brought 'op shop chic' to Hawthorn. There's beanies, hats and jumpers along with oversized pants and shorts, with the pair enjoying a rustle through Richmond's second-hand stores.

"I just try and be different. I look at the casual Melbourne guy my age and just want to wear different to that. I feel like everyone wants to wear the same stuff these days," he says.

"I like the cropped top with baggy shorts. The club always gets confused when I'm wearing small t-shirts but large shorts, they always get that wrong. I like my fashion. If footy ended tomorrow, I'd probably go into fashion.

"Everyone thinks I'm the same off the field as I am on it. I feel like I'm completely different. I'm just a laidback dude and a go-with-the-flow person. Living with your best mates that you grew up with, you do everything together and always chill out together. I'm not the same as on the field, that's for sure."

Things will tense up this weekend with Hawthorn's trip west to face top-placed Fremantle for Thursday night's qualifying final. Watson knows his importance to their hopes and is ready for the challenge. He also knows that this season's jump into the game's elite is only the beginning.

"I'm still maturing as a player. I've still got a long way to go. Sam knows that as well. I've got a coach who knows I'm still scratching the surface of where I can be," he says.

"I'm seeing all the wizard hats still and a lot of people tell me how much it affects little kids and I'm an inspiration to them, and it warms my heart a bit. I feel like I've come so far in a little amount of time and there's more achieving to go as well."

So there's more to come. But for now, Watson has finished his almond latte. The headphones are ready to be put back in for his short walk home. The Soundcloud set resumes; the Wizard slips back into the Richmond morning, his next show awaits.