Greg Williams
Carlton, Sydney and Geelong · “Diesel”
AFL career
250 games217 goals
- Debut
- R1 1984 v FIT31 Mar 1984
- Most recent
- R16 1997 v ESS19 July 1997
Stats
1997 | CAR | 13 | 13.2 | 10.4 | 23.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 84 |
1996 | CAR | 18 | 9.4 | 8.9 | 18.3 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 60 |
1995 | CAR | 17 | 10.9 | 10.5 | 21.4 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 79 |
1994 | CAR | 22 | 12.6 | 16.5 | 29.2 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 90 |
1993 | CAR | 23 | 12.9 | 16.0 | 28.9 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 92 |
1992 | CAR | 16 | 12.8 | 11.6 | 24.3 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 78 |
1991 | SYD | 15 | 10.9 | 16.6 | 27.5 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 85 |
1990 | SYD | 11 | 14.9 | 16.8 | 31.7 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 105 |
1989 | SYD | 17 | 12.6 | 15.2 | 27.8 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 91 |
1988 | SYD | 18 | 15.6 | 13.8 | 29.4 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 99 |
1987 | SYD | 22 | 11.6 | 15.1 | 26.7 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 85 |
1986 | SYD | 24 | 13.0 | 15.8 | 28.8 | 3.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 | - | 1.2 | 0.9 | - |
1985 | GEE | 22 | 12.5 | 18.1 | 30.7 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 2.3 | - | 0.3 | 0.4 | - |
1984 | GEE | 12 | 12.8 | 13.2 | 26.0 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.8 | - | 0.3 | 0.4 | - |
ESS | MCG | R16 | 19 | 9 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.1 | 108 |
MEL | MCG | R15 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 | 98 |
FSC | OO | R14 | 18 | 9 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 | 90 |
WCE | SUB | R13 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.1 | 104 |
STK | WP | R12 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 | 57 |
BRL | OO | R11 | 20 | 6 | 26 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.2 | 115 |
PAD | FP | R10 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 62 |
FRE | OO | R9 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 86 |
HAW | OO | R8 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 75 |
RCH | MCG | R7 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.1 | 88 |
SYD | SCG | R6 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2.2 | 77 |
NTH | MCG | R2 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 41 |
ESS | MCG | R1 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 | 89 |
Bio
Greg "Diesel" Williams overcame early rejection from Carlton, where he was initially dismissed for a lack of leg speed, to forge a reputation as the most prolific handballer of his generation. After receiving a lifeline from Geelong, he immediately silenced critics by dominating stoppages with elite vision and creative distribution, proving that quick thinking could outmanoeuvre athletic opponents. His ability to control the tempo saw him rapidly become the competition's premier centreman, winning a best and fairest in his second season before a high-profile transfer to the Sydney Swans during the club's tumultuous private ownership era. It was in Sydney that he captured his first Brownlow Medal in 1986, establishing himself as a contested ball magnet who could accumulate possessions at will.
A trade to Carlton in 1992 marked the final and most successful chapter of his career, as he became the architect of the Blues' midfield dominance under David Parkin. While his brilliance was unquestioned, Williams played with a combative, sometimes ill-disciplined edge that led to frequent tribunal dates and controversy. Despite these interruptions, he secured a second Brownlow Medal in 1994 and delivered a crowning performance in the 1995 Grand Final, winning the Norm Smith Medal in a premiership victory. He retired as a member of the AFL Team of the Century, celebrated not for his athleticism, but for revolutionising the use of the handball as an attacking weapon.
Profile
- Born
- 30 Sept 1963 (age 63y 21d)
- Birthplace
- Victoria
- Height
- 176 cm
- Weight
- 86 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership1995
- Brownlow Medal(2×) 1986, 1994
- 2nd
- 1993
- Top 10
- 1985
- Norm Smith Medal1995
- Hall of Fame2001
- All-Australian(2×) 1993, 1994
- Leigh Matthews Trophy(2×) 1985, 1994
- Carlton B&F1994
- 3rd
- 1993
- Top 10
- 1992, 1997
- Geelong B&F1985
Bio
1 revisionGreg "Diesel" Williams overcame early rejection from Carlton, where he was initially dismissed for a lack of leg speed, to forge a reputation as the most prolific handballer of his generation. After receiving a lifeline from Geelong, he immediately silenced critics by dominating stoppages with elite vision and creative distribution, proving that quick thinking could outmanoeuvre athletic opponents. His ability to control the tempo saw him rapidly become the competition's premier centreman, winning a best and fairest in his second season before a high-profile transfer to the Sydney Swans during the club's tumultuous private ownership era. It was in Sydney that he captured his first Brownlow Medal in 1986, establishing himself as a contested ball magnet who could accumulate possessions at will.
A trade to Carlton in 1992 marked the final and most successful chapter of his career, as he became the architect of the Blues' midfield dominance under David Parkin. While his brilliance was unquestioned, Williams played with a combative, sometimes ill-disciplined edge that led to frequent tribunal dates and controversy. Despite these interruptions, he secured a second Brownlow Medal in 1994 and delivered a crowning performance in the 1995 Grand Final, winning the Norm Smith Medal in a premiership victory. He retired as a member of the AFL Team of the Century, celebrated not for his athleticism, but for revolutionising the use of the handball as an attacking weapon.