West Coast Eagles forward Jake Waterman back in Round 1 contention after losing 12 kilograms due to rare illness
Jake Waterman describes it as an “unknown condition”. And for a time last year, it was feared it might cost him his career, writes MARK DUFFIELD.
From a distance, Jake Waterman is in the same position he has occupied for much of his AFL career: one of three or four mid-sized forward options at West Coast competing for one or two spots.
But perspective is a wonderful tool for a footballer. And for Waterman, aged 25 and 84 games into a career that started six seasons ago, life experiences have provided him with a unique view of the world.
Waterman had played 11 of West Coast’s first 12 games in 2023 when, after heading to Adelaide for the round 13 clash with the Crows, he fell ill.
He was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
He lost 12 kilograms and, for a time, wondered if he would ever feel normal again, let alone play AFL football.
“You go through some pretty grim thoughts,” Waterman said. “It is a pretty unknown condition that I have got. I had never heard of it. When you are in the thick of it, it was pretty doom and gloom. But once I had turned the corner and started feeling normal it was how can I get back and play footy. I was pretty set on getting back.”
What followed is as good a pre-season as Waterman has ever undertaken. He started training when the rest of the team finished playing, got a head start and was a training track stand out for much of the summer.
“It was a bit of a reset,” he said. “I have come from nothing. As soon as the boys finished their season I was starting again. I probably got a few weeks head start running-wise and was able to build a pretty good foundation to just jump in with the boys and then I just kept going. Mentally and physically it all adds to one.
“You don’t get too caught up in how you are going out on the track, you are just sort of flowing out there. I am in pretty good nick at the moment and not taking this for granted.
“It has been a ball really, the feeling of being around the boys.”
Waterman said he would “like to say” that the illness is behind him but there are still medications he must take and other things to keep an eye on.
“I have got some really good specialists that look after me and I have got full trust in them,” he said.
The great summer still adds up to uncertainty around round one selection.
Waterman, Jack Darling and youngster Ryan Maric all play a similar role and the selection queue could get longer if, as expected, the Eagles add Bailey Williams to their attack as a forward/ruckman.
“It is the same as it has always been for me. My versatility has got me plenty of games and it is going to continue to be that way. We have got a pretty competitive forward line at the moment,” he said.
“I have just got to keep putting my best foot forward whether I am out there or not. Just keep conducting myself in the same way, trying to get better.
“If Round 1 comes around and I am in the side that would be great. But I have missed out on Round 1 a few times before and ended up playing a lot of footy that year. I think my experiences in the past will hold me in good stead with how the next few weeks unfold.”
And that versatility may prove an asset. At one point, Waterman has found himself playing the second ruck role for the Eagles. He has also regularly been sent behind the ball late in quarters as a player with nous, knowing where to position himself to make it tougher for the opposition to attack.
“I like playing deep forward, I like playing higher, push up on the wing, go behind the footy a little bit,” he said. “I will go where they tell me to go, keep being available. Hopefully things pan out.”
Even before the character-building experience of the past 12 months, Waterman was never far from playing AFL football, even when out of the team. He played 16 games in 2018, the year he made his debut. In the years since, he has never played more than 20, but also never less than 10 games in a season.
More Coverage
He is as unlikely to be affected by missing out on being picked as he is likely to be affected by the buzz about his summer training, which had him labelled a stand out on the track.
“I know how much work I have put in. You hear all this stuff about winning time trails and that sort of stuff. I have never put myself in that bracket. I have just come back in the best shape I could come back in,” he said.
“The boys know how much work I have put in and how committed I am to being a professional athlete.”
Stephenson wins praise at Port as new Eagle pushes for early debut
SSP watch: VFL star, ex-Docker battle for Hawks spot
Luxurious draft hands piles pressure on battling Eagles
‘He’s looking over us’: Selwood’s integral role in finals rise
How Eagles’ 1988 inaugural finals side is inspiring Eagles’ W debut
