Greg Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greg "Diesel" Williams (born September 30, 1963) was a former champion Australian rules footballer with the Sydney Swans, Geelong Football Club and the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian/Australian football League. A brilliant ball-winner who was a big possession winner with three AFL clubs, he overcame many setbacks to become a star.

Nicknamed "Diesel" for his hard working, slow but effective playing style, he was one of the finest midfielders the game has ever seen. Often controversial, but always brilliant, Williams mastered the skill of the handball and turned it into a lethal attacking weapon, and his football brain was as good as anyone's in the history of the game. Williams holds the record for disposals in an AFL match with 51 (23 kicks and 28 handballs).

Contents 1 Honors 2 Controversy 3 Career highlights 4 External links

[edit] Honors

Williams is a dual Brownlow Medal winner as the best and fairest player in the league. He won his first Brownlow with the Sydney Swans in 1986 with 17 votes (a record low for the winner) and the second with Carlton in 1994 with 30 votes (close to the highest ever). He is also a dual VFL/AFL Players Association Most Valuable Player award winner (with Carlton in 1994), and a Norm Smith Medal winner with Carlton in 1995 as best on ground during the Grand Final. He is also a 6 time All-Australian Team member.

In 2001 Williams was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

[edit] Controversy

The most controversial moment of his career came in his final season. In Round 1 after the Carlton vs Essendon game, following a scuffle with longtime rival player Sean Denham, Williams was confronted by the umpire while being taunted by Denham. When the umpire went to step in, from the side, and out of Williams' view, he pushed the umpire in the chest/shoulder area to get the intruder out of his line of sight, unaware that it was an umpire. The push was not very forceful, the umpire merely needing a backward step to steady himself. The umpire did not see the incident as sufficient for a report. The AFL match reviewers saw it differently, and forced Williams to front the tribunal. The tribunal then proceeded to suspend Williams for nine games - bearing in mind that Phil Carmen was suspended for sixteen matches for headbutting an umpire. Carlton appealed the verdict, and it was overturned, allowing Williams to continue playing through the season.

The AFL decided to pursue Williams' case further through the Australian Legal System to try to get Williams' nine week suspension reinstated. Such a move had rarely, if ever, been made before in the VFL/AFL (outside of charges which were punishable under assault laws.) The matter continued long through the season, until the AFL had taken the matter before the High Court of Australia, the highest legal authority in Australia. The AFL eventually won the case after Round 16, four months after the incident had occurred, putting a sour end to Williams' 250-game career.

[edit] Career highlights

Playing career:

• 1984-1997 Games: 250 Goals: 217
• Geelong 1984-1985 (Games: 34 Goals: 10)
• Sydney 1986-1991 (Games: 107 Goals: 118)
• Carlton 1992-1997) (Games: 109 Goals: 89)

Player honors:

• Brownlow Medal Sydney 1986, Carlton 1994
• Runner-up Brownlow Medal 1993, 3rd Brownlow Medal 1989 (equal)
• Geelong Best & Fairest 1984
• Carlton Best & Fairest 1994
• Norm Smith Medal 1995
• Carlton premiership 1995
• All-Australian Team 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994
• South Melbourne/Sydney Swans Team of the Century
• Carlton Team of the Century
• Victorian representative (9 games, 8 goals).

[edit] External links

• Greg Williams Profile in Blueseum
• AFL: Hall of Fame
• Full Points Footy Bio

Preceded by Gary Ablett	Geelong Best and Fairest winner 1985	Succeeded by Paul Couch
Preceded by Russell Greene	Leigh Matthews Trophy 1985	Succeeded by Paul Roos
Preceded by Brad Hardie	Brownlow Medallist 1986	Succeeded by Tony Lockett, John Platten
Preceded by Gavin Wanganeen	Brownlow Medallist 1994	Succeeded by Paul Kelly
Preceded by Gary Ablett	Leigh Matthews Trophy 1994	Succeeded by Wayne Carey
Preceded by Dean Kemp	Norm Smith Medallist 1995	Succeeded by Glenn Archer