A dynamic forward blessed with quick reflexes and an intuitive feel for the game. In the state league season of 1978 Burnside’s Sue Watkins led all goal scorers with 37 goals. The next closest was 14.
There was a quiet reserve about Sue Watkins off the field which was never evident on the pitch.
Rather, she was an attacking aggressor who would throw her body around in play with a bewildering ability to score freaky goals.
A dynamic forward blessed with quick reflexes and an intuitive ability to read the play, Sue Watkins was part of the formidable Burnside club in the 1970s and 1980s that dominated the SA women’s competition.
For example, in the season of 1978 Burnside’s Sue Watkins led all goal scorers with 37 goals. The next closest was 14.
She was fortunate that quick healing from ankle surgery allowed her to be selected for the Australian women’s team’s first appearance at an Olympic Games in 1984 in L.A.
That 1984 Olympic Australian women’s hockey team was reputed to be the most powerful women’s team Australia had sent overseas. However, the eventual result fell short of matching that reputation.
Sue was a quietly confident and strong personality, playing an important role in LA, where the Hockeyroos finished fourth. Watkins played in every game and scored one goal against Canada in Australia’s 1-2 loss.
In a devastating way to determine the bronze medal, Australia and the US took part in a penalty shootout after both teams finished the tournament on equal numbers of wins and goals scored. Australia lost 5-10.
Watkins turned her attention to coaching on retirement. In 1986, she was awarded the McKenzie Hockey Coaching Award in which she was voted by her fellow coaches as the Outstanding Coach of Women’s Teams.
After marrying, she became Sue Carlson-Jones and became an Australian selector for several years.
