Williams stays in town

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Former Magpie keen for another fl ag with the Seagulls.

Several football greats like Bobby Skilton, Garry Ablett, Robbie Flower and Kevin Murray never tasted premiership success. Andrew Williams, however, is one of the more fortunate, playing in a premiership in his first game for Williamstown.

Williams, then a Collingwood listed player, was dropped from the Magpies’ preliminary final team that played on the weekend of the 2003 TRUenergy VFL Grand Final.

It was a roller coaster ride of emotions for Williams, as he had played exclusively for Collingwood that season. “At the time, I probably didn’t give it the respect I should have,” Williams admitted. “It was a mixture of a little bit of disappointment, but then, it’s not every day you get to play in a
winning Grand Final. It would be nice to play in another one.”

This was one of the motivating factors that kept Williams at Point Gellibrand when Collingwood delisted him last year, ending a 116-game AFL career that started with West Coast before he crossed to Collingwood. Over the past three years, Williams has racked up 37 games with the Seagulls, spending more time playing in the TRUenergy VFL than the AFL. While he had hoped for the reverse, Williams found the Williamstown players and officials most welcoming.

Williams is a realist. He realised his time at Collingwood was drawing to a close, and that it was time to move on to the next stage of his life.

Not surprisingly, the demand was strong for Williams’ services. The key component for the 27-year old was continuing to play at the highest possible level, and feeling comfortable in such an environment.

The latter requirement was made easy, with Brad Gotch staying on as Williamstown’s coach. “He’s been great for me, he’s been my main source of feedback over the last couple of years, and he was really positive,” said Williams.

Although he only lives a couple of torpedos away from the Casey Scorpions’ new venue, Williams signed on for two years with the Seagulls.

In the end, it was an easy choice. “I felt like it would be nice to play in another premiership with the same club. I love the club, and I see big a improvement in the team this year”

One of the crucial ingredients of an alignment is the AFL-listed players fitting into the culture of their aligned TRUenergy VFL club, and VFL-listed players learning to deal with occasional frustration associated with selection.

Williams can understand both situations, but he’s encouraged by the attitude of all concerned.

“It’s a really enthusiastic group,” Williams said. “Collingwood players are coming back with a great attitude, and the Williamstown players are keen to be part of a successful club. It’s probably the first time in a while that I have rolled up to training and enjoyed it. It is a good place to be.”

Come September, this new enthusiasm may translate into another premiership for Williams, and this time around, one that he can really savour.