Watson: Melbourne’s innovation will be copied - and so it should

Tim Watson believes Melbourne’s innovation in wearing casual clothes to Sunday’s game against Carlton will be followed by others.

The Demons turned heads when players rocked up to the MCG in casual wear rather than regular club gear.

Watson, who has been advocating for this for some time, loves what the Dees did and reckons others will now follow suit.

“We live in a copycat league,” said Watson on SEN Breakfast.

“It just takes one brave, creative individual or a group to buck the system, innovate and adore for a long-held belief to be shattered.

“Melbourne allowing its players to wear clothes they choose to a game will be followed by a stampede of other clubs.

“For years, I've heard, ‘No, the club sponsors won't like this’. Well, guess what? The partners of Melbourne loved it.

“Shots were plastered everywhere on social media and commercial partners were in the background. Exposure went through the roof.

“These pics will become part of the expanded coverage, and beyond that, the social media coverage will see clubs and players exposed to parts of the country and homes never before reached.

“It’s a brilliant way to market our game with fit, healthy, good-looking young men effectively walking the cat walk each week.

“Just wait for how the players across the AFL embrace this.

“100 per cent they’ll all start to follow this. We’ll be looking back in about 12 months’ time and be thinking remember the good ol’ days when players actually used to wear a uniform to the ground.

“No longer.”

Co-host Garry Lyon added: “I know this has been your hobby horse for a long time, you've been championing this for at least five or six years.

“You said that we've become far too scripted as an organisation and everyone has to conform and that you wanted to be able to express their individuality.

“The Melbourne Footy Club have listened to you Tim, you have driven this single-handedly and now we wait to see whether the rest of the competition follows.”

The Demons next host Gold Coast at the MCG on Sunday.