EARLY in 2023, amid a trade that included five different clubs and the reigning AFLW leading goalkicker Jesse Wardlaw, Serene Watson quietly made her way to St Kilda.
She was one of five experienced additions to the club in that off season, alongside Wardlaw, Jaimee Lambert, Steph Chiocci, and Natalie Plane, and arguably the least well-known. But she has gone on to make a significant impact at the Saints in her two seasons to date.
Now, Watson is the club's vice-captain, was one of two Saints in the 2024 All-Australian squad, and has established a life as a Melburnian on and off the field.
"I kind of liked flying under the radar, it was nice to not have a limelight on me," Watson told AFL.com.au.
"I just really wanted to give back to the club, they opened up an opportunity for me to come to Melbourne, so I find it so rewarding and so humbling that they were able to do that."
Selected with pick No.18 in the 2019 Telstra AFLW Draft, Watson was the very first player drafted to Gold Coast as it built its inaugural list for the 2020 season. She came via the Gold Coast Academy, and was a star junior in Queensland's state team. She was bred for that Suns list.
After 33 games in the red and yellow, playing across both the midfield and backline, it was time for something new.
"I was pretty lucky when I was 18 to get drafted by the Suns, and I owe my life to that club. I think they did so much for me as a young kid, and I was a little but annoying when I was a bit younger, so a lot of people do bring that up, but I think the way they shaped me as a person, I'll never forget," Watson said.
"I never left on bad terms. I have a really good relationship with the list manager Craig Cameron… also Fiona Sessarago (Gold Coast head of women's football), so I've been lucky enough to experience some really great people there.
"We did have really honest conversations about my career, and I think the offer (from Gold Coast) was still there, but evidently I was looking at moving, getting out of my comfort zone, and finding a different way to find who I was as a footballer, but also who I was outside of footy."
Finding who she was as a footballer meant bedding down her role as a defender. No more midfield minutes, instead Watson focused on becoming one of the premier mid-sized defenders of the AFLW.
Alongside experienced defenders like Bianca Jakobsson and Nicola Stevens, Watson helped St Kilda to its second-fewest average points against last season, while also helping to lead the line from an organisational standpoint.
"As a junior I played everywhere, as everyone would, so I think it was really exciting to just figure out who I was as a footballer. And as I said, the Suns were great to me and figuring out where that kind of fit," Watson said.
"And I think when I was leaving the club, we had a really honest conversation, I wanted their feedback to see where they saw me as a player. And when I spoke to the Saints, they saw the exact same thing. I love playing as a defender, I know not many people do, but I absolutely love it."
The official title of vice-captain is one Watson relishes, but isn't something that will change her leadership style. She has always aimed to lead in her own way.
"It's been pretty important to be a leader (for me). The title hasn't worried me, and I've never wanted to be part of a leadership group – as that being the end goal. I think I've always wanted to create an authentic and comfortable environment for people to feel like themselves, and I really pride myself on that and really making people feel like they can be at home when they come to the club," Watson said.
"That has made me the leader I am today, and really nourishing those younger connections that I do find, but also the deeper connections that I have with some of the players. But yeah, at the end of the day, the title doesn't change the way (I lead) or change who I am at all."
