Essendon coach James Hird has heralded captain Jobe Watson’s Brownlow Medal win as a morale-boosting postscript to their disappointing AFL season.

Watson became Essendon’s first winner of the Brownlow since Hird shared the award with Brisbane’s Michael Voss in 1996.

The Bombers captain polled 30 votes on Monday night to finish four clear of Hawthorn’s Sam Mitchell and Richmond’s Trent Cotchin.

Watson is also the first player since Hawthorn’s Shane Crawford in 1999 to win the Brownlow despite his team finishing outside the finals.

By round 14, Watson had polled in all but two games and was a runaway leader on 26.

But his votes dried up in the second half of the season – just as Essendon’s fortunes went into freefall.

The Bombers lost the last seven games and plummeted to 11th with an 11-11 record.

“It was a disappointing end to our season, but this is a massive highlight for our club and Jobe personally,” Hird said.

“I don’t think there could be anything better in our season than Jobe winning the Brownlow right now.

“We obviously want to go on and be great as a team, but for our captain to do what he did tonight is incredible and we’re so proud of him.”

Hird and Watson swapped playful jibes as they fronted the media after Monday night’s count in Melbourne.

“Unfortunately I don’t have the tartan to match the previous winner from the footy club, or the black eye,” Watson said of Hird’s attire and appearance at the ’96 count.

Hird later remembered that when Watson joined Essendon a decade ago, his fitness was so poor that his team-mates could give him a two-and-half lap in a five-lap race – and still beat him.

Watson arrived at Essendon under the father-son rule – his Dad Tim being one of the club’s all-time greats.

Like Jobe, Tim captained the club and the elder Watson also played in three premierships.

Tim and wife Susie were at the count to see their son’s triumph.

“It was a fairly stressful night for the whole family to be honest, sitting there watching him, but it was just a wonderful result.,” Tim said.

Jobe’s career was stagnating in 2007 and Tim famously told him that he had to improve if he was to succeed as an AFL player.

Jobe did not speak to him for three days, but the message stuck.

“Sometimes you bite your tongue, bite your tongue and then there comes a time when you think as a parent ‘okay, now’s the time I probably need to actually say to him there’s a fork in the road and you can choose which direction you want to go in’,” Tim said.

Jobe later joked that he now has done something that his father was unable to achieve during his great playing career.

“Not that we’re very competitive, Dad and I, but it will be something I always just keep up my sleeve,” he said with a grin.

Watson admitted to nerves as his votes dried up and players such as Mitchell and Cotchin kept polling.

But he was guaranteed the win with two rounds of games left.

AAP r