Hawthorn star Nick Watson has been captured on video making obscene gestures at footy fans after he was jeered by spectators during his team’s win over Richmond on Sunday.
A video uploaded to TikTok shows the Hawks forward giving spectators the middle finger twice and making a masturbation gesture with his hand as he was heckled by spectators during the 65-point win at the MCG.
Watson – who is nicknamed ‘The Wizard’ – also gestured for the fans to keep talking and pointed to the scoreboard in the clip, which has been liked almost 25,000 times.
It’s now likely the 20-year-old will become the third AFL star fined over similar offences this season.
Geelong’s Bailey Smith has been in trouble for ‘flipping the bird’ at fans on two occasions, first during the Cats’ win over Adelaide, then again after their Easter Monday victory over Hawthorn.
West Coast Eagles star Harley Reid was fined $1000 by the AFL for directing a middle-finger gesture at Brisbane fans in March.
Pictured: The moment Hawthorn star Nick Watson gave Richmond supporters the middle finger in an act that’s almost certain to see him get punished by the AFL
Watson (second from right) was in the thick of it against the Tigers on Sunday, kicking three goals and getting into the middle of a melee
Smith also sparked outrage on Saturday night when he appeared to repeatedly grab his genitalia as he posed for photos with a fan in the dressing room after Geelong’s win over Collingwood.
Footy fans slammed Watson’s display in comments they made about the TikTok video.
‘Imagine how good a player he will be when he hits puberty,’ one wrote.
‘Tough guy on the other side of the fence with security to save him,’ added another.
‘@afl should look into this,’ wrote a third.
‘This was his best highlight all game,’ another commented.
Watson kicked three goals and racked up 10 disposals in the win, which lifted the Hawks to third on the ladder.
The match also saw former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson publicly reunite with the team for the first time since leaving in 2021 and taking the reins at North Melbourne.
Geelong’s Bailey Smith has already been in trouble for flipping the middle finger at fans this year – on two separate occasions
‘The Wizard’ helped Hawthorn rise to third on the ladder on a huge occasion for the club
Ex-Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson (pictured third from left) reunited with the club for the first time since his messy split with the team in 2021
Clarkson was one of the dozens of club greats among the 62,321 spectators on hand to see fan favourite Jack Gunston kick his 500th career goal in the Hawks’ 16.13 (109) to 6.8 (44) triumph at the MCG on Sunday.
Clarkson figured prominently in the pre-match ceremony, back in brown-and-gold for the day after being estranged from the club since his 2021 exit.
The 57-year-old joined retired greats Luke Hodge and Jordan Lewis, among others, to present the spoils of last decade’s three-peat when the Hawks’ 13 premiership cups were paraded for the crowd.
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell, who took over from Clarkson in a messy handover, admitted it had been daunting to have so many greats around the club during the build-up, but welcomed back his former mentor.
‘He’s a four-time premiership coach of the club and hasn’t been around for a while, so it’s great that he was able to go out and spend some time with the guys that he coached from Hawthorn,’ Mitchell said.
‘Then on the other side he’s coaching an opposition team, so there’s always going to be some complexities around that side of things.’
Sunday’s scrappy win won’t be remembered as fondly as any of those grand final triumphs, but was another box ticked on the path to a possible 14th flag.
The Hawks are 6-2 ahead of a clash with Melbourne in round nine, while Richmond (2-6) will look to bounce back against winless West Coast.
Hawthorn’s superior class and dominance at the contest meant they proved far too strong for the Tigers, pulling away after halftime to post their biggest win of the season to date.
Jai Newcombe (27 disposals, five clearances), Massimo D’Ambrosio (30 touches, two goals), Josh Battle (33 disposals, 12 marks) and Tom Barrass all shone, though the Hawks had many contributors.
