Pre-game speech ‘absolutely brilliant’

Inspiring: Bomber’s skipper Dyson Heppell player address before the club’s round 13 match with Carlton had pundits lauding the motivational speech. Photo: ROB PREZIOSO/ AAP IMAGE

ESSENDON legend Tim Watson has labelled Dyson Heppell’s pre-game speech against Carlton in round 13 as “absolutely brilliant,” revealing details on what was said in the iconic huddle.

With the Bombers celebrating their 150th anniversary against the Blues, Essendon wheeled out legends of the club to reunite with fans in what has been received as a brilliant gesture.

Matthew Lloyd, James Hird and Neale Daniher were just three of almost a dozen former players to greet the crowd.

Following the players running through the banner, Heppell, the club’s skipper, gathered current and past players in a huddle in front of the Essendon cheer squad.

The speech, with Heppell in the middle, wasn’t broadcast but provided an impressive spectacle to the footy community.

“It was incredible, it was unbelievable,” Watson told SEN Breakfast. “Can I just say this? Dyson Heppell’s speech was brilliant, it was absolutely brilliant.

“For him to be able to gather himself like he did and speak the way that he did, and he touched on these really important things about the history of the Essendon football club and what it meant to the guys.”

Watson added that the speech was so inspiring that it left him wanting to take to the field for the first time since his retirement in 1994.

“In all honesty, at the end of it I wanted to run [and play]… I was so uplifted by what he had to say, I was so moved by what he said, the occasion, being out there on the MCG, I just wanted to run off and play,” Watson said.

“And then I took one step and my dicky knees folded underneath me and I thought, ‘no, you won’t be able to do that’.

“Everybody else that was around me, Lloydy [Matthew Lloyd] and Scotty Lucas… everybody felt the same way. I’ve never felt like I wanted to play again until Friday night.”

Watson lamented the call not to broadcast the speech given the inspiration it could have provided to Bombers fans, however Breakfast co-host Garry Lyon, who called the game for Fox Footy, said the spectacle was impressive enough.

“It was one of the moments of the year and going forward for Essendon people it will be one of the moments they remember,” Lyon said.

– BY SEB MOTTRAM/ SEN