It is a big achievement for any player.
But few would have overcome as many setbacks as the former St Kevin’s College pupil, who also spent three years with the Southern Steel.
Watson (30), who now plays for the Mainland Tactix, co-captained the Silver Ferns alongside Gina Crampton in the absence of Ameliaranne Ekenasio on Wednesday.
You would be hard-pressed to find a more resilient competitor.
Just watch her on the court.
She will fly after passes and bring all the grit and athleticism that make her so good at the defensive end.
But even when the ball is at the other end she is yelling at the attackers, keeping the energy high and the desire strong.
It not something you will see on the television — but there are very few other players in New Zealand bringing that level of intensity.
Indeed it is an attitude that has helped her overcome more than most off the court as well.
Last year she revealed some significant challenges she faced growing up.
In her last year at St Kevin’s she was diagnosed with a heart problem and wore a pacemaker for three years.
She also dealt with the death of her partner in 2010 and after escorting his body back to Samoa, caught diphtheria — a serious illness which left her in hospital.
But that did not stop her.
In 2012, she was called into the Mainland Tactix and a year later received her first full contract.
That was a time when the Tactix struggled and its defence leaked more goals than anyone in the competition.
In 2015 she moved south to the Steel and her star began to shine.
Her form in 2016 catapulted her into the Silver Ferns and she quickly made an impression in the black dress.
A year later she was named the ANZ Premiership player of the year, as she anchored the Steel in an undefeated season.
Yet somehow she found herself on the outer of the national team at the end of 2017.
An obsession with height had begun to kick-in as the Silver Ferns defenders struggled to cope with Australia’s Caitlin Bassett.
Netball New Zealand even launched a Hunt for Height campaign among teenagers.
At 1.81m Watson was well-below the 1.90m-players NNZ was searching for.
She remained out of the team which ultimately failed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
But she returned to the Tactix and was influential in lifting them to their first playoff appearance.
Her performance ended up being too good to ignore.
She was reinstated to the Silver Ferns and that is where she has stayed.
Watson was part of the team that won the World Cup in 2019 and has since taken the vice-captain role alongside Gina Crampton.
She will be back in action as the Silver Ferns face Australia in two more tests in Christchurch this weekend.
