Former Fremantle Docker Tobe Watson will return to his original club and join his brother in the WAFL for the next two seasons.

The Donnybrook product has committed to Swan Districts for 2022 and 2023 in another boost to their finals hopes.

The defender was dumped by the Dockers, who said a surplus of players in his role was behind his delisting, after a two-year stint at the club which saw him play 14 games.

It also meant he spent time playing for the club’s WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder.

Coach Adam Pickering said while he hoped the club would be a launching pad for the rangy defender to find his way back to an AFL club, after being overlooked in November’s rookie draft, family ties drew him back to Bassendean.

“Tobe is one of those guys that hopefully is going to get an opportunity to train on with an AFL list over this summer period,” he said.

“Hopefully he gets another crack at league level, but we always felt we had an advantage to bring him back with his brother playing in the league team and one of the boys in the reserves dates his sister.

“We felt we had a leg up there and while we would still like to think he might get another crack in the AFL, but should that not happen we are delighted to welcome him back here to Swan Districts for next year and beyond.”

Watson played 22 games for the Swans in the league side between 2017 and 2018 and joins his brother Jak at the club, who made his league debut in 2019.

He could still find himself on an AFL list for next year, with clubs able to invite players to train with them through the supplementary selection period, which runs until just ahead of the 2022 season.