Claremont midfielder Marley Williams was able to capture the feeling of all 77 players who were a part of Tuesday’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft when he spoke to collingwoodfc.com.au this afternoon.
Spending his morning working as a fencer in Western Australia, Williams was both shocked and ecstatic to be drafted by the Magpies.
“I was at work and I got a phone call from my manager (who said) Collingwood at pick No. 35. I started getting goosebumps and shaking and my heart was pumping real fast.
Recap Tuesday's collingwoodfc.com.au live chat.
“I’m over the moon about this. I’m happy as”.
Williams, 18, still has one more day remaining building fences before he begins his new life in Melbourne. It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for Williams who made the move from Albany to Perth earlier this year.
“I started off playing my footy down south in Albany for the first few years of my life and then this year I moved to Perth in January and started playing for the Claremont Colts,” he said from his home in Western Australia.
“I worked my way through the State U18s and then found myself playing a couple of league games for Claremont and now I’ve been selected in the draft.
“I didn’t expect anything like this so soon, to be getting drafted or anything. I came up to play for Claremont and got drafted to Collingwood. I’m really excited about it”.
The midfielder who Collingwood’s National Recruiting Manager Derek Hine described as hard at both the man and the contest, credits his booming left foot as his greatest strength.
“I’ve got a really good long left foot kick and I am strong over the ball. I’ve got to work on my right side and I should be going well”.
Williams is a Maori, and has a strong New Zealand heritage. He says he is named after the Jamaican musician Bob Marley, meaning he should fit in well with Harry O’Brien (a self confessed fan of the reggae legend).
He is staying in a hotel in Melbourne for a week before he settles into his new living conditions, but doesn’t know anyone at Collingwood. Except for one man.
“I don’t really know anyone over there, so it will be good to get to know everyone as soon as I get there.
“Actually, I know one guy - Tarkyn Lockyer, I’ve heard of him. We played at the same footy club in Albany actually.”
As his new VFL head coach, you get the feeling Williams will get to know Lockyer quite well before too long.
