Zac Williams (Australian footballer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zac Williams |
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Williams playing for Greater Western Sydney in June 2017
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Zachary Williams | ||
| Date of birth | 20 September 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Narrandera, New South Wales | ||
| Original team | Narrandera (Riverina Football League)/GWS Giants Academy | ||
| Draft | No. 54, 2013 rookie draft | ||
| Debut | Round 5, 2013, Greater Western Sydney v. Gold Coast, at Manuka Oval |
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| Position(s) | Defender / midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Carlton | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Zachary Williams (born 20 September 1994) is a professional Australian rules football player. He plays for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Zac is a versatile player, meaning he can play in different positions. He is known as a defender and a midfielder.
Zac played 113 games for the Greater Western Sydney Football Club from 2013 to 2020. He was chosen by the Giants as the 54th pick in the 2012 AFL Rookie Draft. He made his first AFL appearance in 2013. Zac was nominated for the 2013 AFL Rising Star award, which celebrates young, talented players. In 2020, he joined the Carlton Football Club.
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Zac's Early Life and Family
Zac Williams was born and grew up in Narrandera, New South Wales. His parents are Steven Williams and Joy O'Hara. Zac is from an Aboriginal Australian background on his father's side. His family belongs to the Wiradjuri people. His mother has Irish heritage.
Zac's father passed away when Zac was six years old. His mother raised him and his older sister, Samantha. His father had a big impact on Zac and his connection to his Indigenous background.
Zac went to Narrandera High School. He played many sports when he was young. These included basketball, rugby league, and AFL. His father played rugby league, but he signed Zac up for Auskick when he was very young. His father thought AFL suited Zac better.
When Zac was 15, his mother asked him to pick just one sport because of money. Zac chose AFL over basketball and rugby league. He actually liked basketball more at the time. But he felt he was not tall enough to play basketball professionally. His heroes in AFL were Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin.
Zac's Junior Football Journey
As Zac grew up, Australian Rules Football became his main focus. He played junior football for the Narrandera Eagles. This team was part of the Riverina Football Netball League.
When he was 15, Zac joined the Greater Western Sydney's academy program. This program helped him become a better footballer. It also showed him what professional football would be like. At 17, Zac played for New South Wales in the AFL Under 18 Championships. In 2012, he played in the Riverina Football League grand final. He was named the best player on the field in that game.
Zac was not chosen in the main 2012 National draft. But later, the Greater Western Sydney Giants picked him. They chose him as pick 55 in the 2012 Rookie Draft.
Zac's AFL Career Highlights
Starting in 2013
In April 2013, Zac was moved from the rookie list to the main team list. He was the first player from the GWS academy to join their senior team. In May 2013, Zac made his AFL debut at 18 years old. He played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants against the Gold Coast Suns. This game was at Manuka Oval.
Zac played 11 games in his first season. He was nominated for the 2013 AFL Rising Star award in round 19. This award recognizes the best young players in the league.
Playing in 2014 and 2015
Before the 2014 season, Zac changed his guernsey number. He went from number 51 to number 29.
In 2015, the Greater Western Sydney Giants wore special Indigenous-themed guernseys. This was for the Indigenous Round game against the Western Bulldogs. Zac was one of six Indigenous players on the team that day. In the second half of 2015, Zac started playing as an attacking backman.
Strong Performance in 2016
Zac was part of the 22 Under 22 team in 2016. This team features the best players under 22 years old. He was also unofficially named the "Most Underrated Player" by Champion Data. He finished seventh in the best and fairest award for the Giants that year.
Zac received his first two Brownlow Medal votes in 2016. This was in a game against the Gold Coast Suns. He had a great game with 31 disposals and 20 kicks. Zac had his best season yet in 2016, averaging 22 possessions per game.
2017 Season and New Roles
On 24 May 2017, Zac wore number 67 on his guernsey. This was instead of his usual 29. He did this for the Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round game against West Coast. The number 67 honored the 1967 referendum. This referendum allowed Indigenous Australians to be counted in the national census.
Earlier in 2017, Zac signed a new contract with the Giants. This contract kept him with the team until the end of the 2020 season. Many Giants players got injured in 2017. This meant Zac played as a midfielder for a while. He had 28 possessions and six clearances in one game. After more injuries, Zac even played as a forward. He kicked three goals against Essendon. Towards the end of the season, he returned to his usual defender role. He played very well against the Western Bulldogs.
Injury and Return in 2018
Zac missed most of the 2018 season. He tore his Achilles tendon during a training session. This injury needed surgery. Zac returned to play in the 2018 elimination-final against the Sydney Swans. He had 23 disposals and 20 kicks in that game.
2019: A Strong Comeback
Zac played 21 games in the 2019 season. He only missed two games because of a hamstring problem. His 100th game was the 2019 semi-final against the Brisbane Lions. He averaged a career-high 24 disposals per game that season. He was also fifth in line for the Giants' best and fairest award.
Zac played in the Greater Western Sydney Club's first ever grand final. This was against the Richmond team. He had 21 disposals in that important game.
Moving to Carlton in 2020
At the end of the 2020 season, Zac's contract with the Giants ended. He decided not to sign a new contract with them. After playing eight seasons for the Giants, Zac became a "restricted free agent." This meant the Giants could try to match any contract offers from other clubs.
On 30 September 2020, Zac accepted a six-year contract from the Carlton Football Club. The Giants chose not to match Carlton's offer. Zac planned to play as a midfielder for Carlton. He had shown great potential in that role during the 2019 preliminary final against Collingwood.
Starting at Carlton in 2021
On 20 January 2021, Zac received his new guernsey number at Carlton: number 6. This number was previously worn by Kade Simpson. Zac missed the first game of the 2021 season against Richmond. He received a one-match ban for rough conduct after an incident in a preseason game.
Zac's Career Statistics
These statistics are up to the end of Round 23, 2022.
| G | Goals | B | Behinds | K | Kicks | H | Handballs | D | Disposals | M | Marks | T | Tackles |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2013 | Greater Western Sydney | 51 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 78 | 149 | 28 | 33 | 0.18 | 0.1 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 13.6 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 63 | 52 | 115 | 28 | 21 | 0.25 | 0.4 | 7.9 | 6.5 | 14.4 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 0 |
| 2015 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 104 | 83 | 187 | 51 | 31 | 0.42 | 0.3 | 8.7 | 6.9 | 15.6 | 4.3 | 2.3 | 0 |
| 2016 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 289 | 167 | 456 | 96 | 67 | 0.18 | 0.2 | 13.1 | 7.6 | 20.7 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 2 |
| 2017 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 302 | 208 | 510 | 75 | 89 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 13.1 | 9.0 | 22.2 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 6 |
| 2018 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 9 | 42 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16.5 | 4.5 | 21.0 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 0 |
| 2019 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 416 | 152 | 568 | 123 | 75 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 17.3 | 6.3 | 23.7 | 5.1 | 3.1 | 5 |
| 2020 | Greater Western Sydney | 29 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 136 | 50 | 186 | 38 | 25 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 12.4 | 4.6 | 16.9 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1 |
| 2021 | Carlton | 6 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 201 | 63 | 264 | 55 | 26 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 14.4 | 4.5 | 18.9 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 0 |
| 2022 | Carlton | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 40 | 176 | 37 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 15.1 | 4.4 | 19.6 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 1 |
| Career | 136 | 32 | 28 | 1751 | 902 | 2653 | 542 | 385 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 12.9 | 6.6 | 19.5 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 15 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Individual Awards
- AFL Rising Star nominee: 2013
- Indigenous All-Stars team: 2013
- 22under22 team: 2016
Zac's Personal Life
Zac Williams married his partner, Rachel Lucas, on 4 January 2024. They have a daughter together.
