The 31-year-old spent most of the year travelling overseas as he pondered his next move.

Retirement was an option for the veteran, but he ultimately decided he wanted to go around again.

“I’m just excited to be back and being part of the football world," he said.

“I never contemplated going anywhere else, it was certainly a driving force coming back and playing with these guys.

“I did a lot of training while I was over there (in the US) … I prepared myself to come back to play."

Teammate Brendon Goddard said he was ecstatic to have Watson back on deck.

"Over the moon. It's obviously a really personal decision for him to make and, obviously, he had to weigh up a lot. Obviously, the time is right now to announce it," he said.

"I couldn't be happier. Quality person, individual, footballer, captain, a good friend.

"It's (captaincy) up to him - well, not really up to him, to be honest. It will come down to a vote from the players. He might just want to come back and play footy."