Richmond has appointed respected, experienced coach, former Carlton and Footscray player, Mark Williams, to its coaching panel.

Williams, 47, brings nearly 30 years of playing and coaching experience to his role as an assistant coach at Tigerland.

The highlight of his coaching career so far has been guiding VFL club Sandringham to a hat-trick of premierships, from 2004-06. 

He also coached the VFL representative side to a 20-goal win against WA in 2007.  During his time at Sandringham, Williams enjoyed a 75% winning strike-rate. 

Previous to that, Williams coached VFA club Preston Knights (before they evolved into the Northern Bullants in the VFL), leading them into the finals in 1998.

From 2008-11, Williams worked in a full-time capacity at AFL club Melbourne, firstly as a development coach, and then as midfield coach.

“We are delighted to have secured the services of Mark, who has such a wealth of football experience and know-how,” said Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.

“With his professionalism, strong work ethic, and multi-skills, he is an excellent fit for our group.”

Williams started his league career at Carlton in 1983 and went on to play 19 senior games with the club under premiership coaches David Parkin and Robert Walls. 

He was awarded the Blues’ Best First Year Player award in ‘83, was a member of their Foster’s Cup night premiership team that year, and played in the reserves back-to-back premiership sides of 1984-85.

He left Carlton at the end of the 1988 season and joined Footscray, playing 14 senior games for the Bulldogs from 1989-90, under coaches Mick Malthouse and Terry Wheeler.

From there, Williams moved to then VFA club Coburg, spending the 1991 season playing under premiership coach Phil Cleary.

The following year, Williams’ highly-successful association with Sandringham began. 

He spent two seasons playing with Sandy under St Kilda great, the late Trevor Barker, and was a member of the Club’s 1992 premiership side.blog comments powered by Disqus