Greg Williams (Australian footballer)

Greg Williams
Personal information
Full name	Gregory Donald Williams
Nickname(s)	Diesel
Date of birth	(1963-09-30) 30 September 1963 (age 53)
Place of birth	Victoria, Australia
Original team(s)	Golden Square
Height / weight	176 cm / 88 kg
Playing career¹
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1984–1985	Geelong	034 0(10)
1986–1991	Sydney	107 (118)
1992–1997	Carlton	109 0(89)
Total		250 (217)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
	Victoria	9 (8)
¹ Playing statistics correct to the end of 1997.
Career highlights
Club 2× Brownlow Medal: 1986, 1994 2× AFLPA MVP: 1985, 1994 2× All-Australian team: 1993, 1994 Geelong Best & Fairest: 1985 Carlton Best & Fairest: 1994 Norm Smith Medal: 1995 AFL Premiership: 1995 All Australian captain 1994 Carlton Vice Captain: 1993 AFL Team of the Century - Interchange Australian Football Hall of Fame Carlton Team of the Century - Centre Sydney Team of the Century -Centre Carlton Hall of Fame Sydney/South Melbourne Hall of Fame Representative E. J. Whitten Medal: 1987 Victoria Captain: 1989 2× All-Australian team: 1986, 1987
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Club

Representative

Gregory Donald "Greg" Williams (born 30 September 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who represented Geelong, the Sydney Swans and Carlton in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. A midfielder, he is a dual Brownlow Medal winner and at his peak was the highest-paid player in the history of the sport. He was also a very controversial player throughout his career, and was involved in a variety of scandals throughout the 1990s.

Williams made his name as one of the best centres in the history of the game. He was particularly skilful at handpassing, and was the most prolific user of the skill during his era. The hallmark of Williams' play was his ability to win ground contests, and almost immediately free the ball to nearby team-mates via quick, accurate handpassing. To that end, Williams' other strengths included his vision and awareness of the team-mates around him; he is said to have been heavily involved in midfield tactics at ball-ups. His kicking and ball winning skills were also strong.

Williams strengths outweighed several negative physical characteristics which could have hindered his career as a footballer. Most notably, he was a slow runner; he had been knock-kneed as a child and his pace was not helped by five knee surgeries throughout his career. He was also short, stocky and carried extra weight early in his career.

Williams earned the nickname "Diesel", because his playing style was characterised as "slow, but reliable", much like a diesel engine. The name was given to him after his first Victorian Football League (VFL) match by Geelong captain Michael Turner, and remains widely used.

The third of eight children, Williams spent his early life in Melbourne, before moving to Bendigo at the age of 10. There, he played football for the Golden Square Football Club in the Bendigo Football League, earning strong acclaim at junior levels, representing Victoria in the Teal Cup in 1980.

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