Jack the Lucky Lad
Darwin teenager wants to emulate Hawks star cousin
| Megan Hustwaite
ON a warm autumn afternoon Jack Williams sat in his bedroom at his family’s Darwin home, daydreamingabout Melbourne. It was March 2010 and as the then 16-year-old Williams prepared for training with St Marys, he wondered what opportunity the bright lights and big city could offer. A passionate Essendon supporter, he dreamed of an AFL career like the blossoming one his second cousin, Cyril Rioli, was forging at Hawthorn.
‘‘I was just sitting and wishing I could go to Melbourne, I just wanted to go so bad,’’ Williams recalled. ‘‘Some of my friends got scholarships to private schools there for footy. Everyone was going and I felt like I needed to get out of Darwin.’’ Little did Williams know his wish was about to be granted.‘‘I went to training and my coach asked if I wanted to go to Melbourne because the Kajji Foundation exchange program wanted to bring me down there,’’ he said.
‘‘It was the best day of my life.’’ The foundation encourages and helps young indigenous talent explore their potential, in their chosen field, by providing a cultural exchange. Williams arrived in Melbourneand stayed with a host family, attending Christian Brothers College in St Kilda.
He joined St Kilda City Junior Football Club, made new friends and adjusted to the style of footy down south. ‘‘The bodies are bigger here and it’s more physical,’’ he said. "I thought Melbourne was really big and people were everywhere in the city.
‘‘It was also freezing in winter.’’ But he loved it so much he came back last year and returned again this year, moving in with a new host family in Ormond while he completes his VCE. Williams’s football has boomed since moving south.
After winning his way on to the Oakleigh Chargers’ 60-player list in the pre-season, the skilful leftfooter made his TAC Cup debut last round, impressing with four goals against the Geelong Falcons.
Father Mark flew from Darwin to watch him in action at Kardinia Park. Curiosity played a part in Williams hooking up with the Chargers.
While he enjoyed playing for St Kilda City, Williams was ready to challenge himself at a higher level. ‘‘But I didn’t know about the TAC Cup or its regions. I didn’t know where those areas were,’’ he said.
‘‘One day at school, my maths teacher, Eddie Cavolo, was wearing a jumper with a TAC Cup logo on it and I asked him about them and how I could get involved. ‘‘It turned out he used to work there. He watched me play school footy and said he was impressed so he wrote a letter to the club about me.’’
Officials snapped up Williams and, a few months later, he arrived at Warrawee Park for pre-season training. ‘‘It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,’’ he said. ‘‘I’d never really done a pre-season and the running was tough. I don’t like the running, I just want to play footy.’’
Chargers regional manager Mark Smart said Williams oozed potential and would continue to thrive and improve in the club’s pathway program. ‘‘Jack’s good on the lead and is strong in a contested marking situation, a skilful left-footer who also tackles well and applies good defensive pressure,’’ he said.
‘‘There is still a lot of improvement, particularly his fitness levels, to come, which will allow him to run out games better and play more through the midfield. ‘‘He’s a terrific prospect.’’
Williams will represent the Northern Territory at the under- 18 national championships starting later this month, coming up against Chargers teammates playing for Vic Metro.
Rioli, who arrived in Melbourne from Darwin as a 14-year-old to board at Scotch College, has been a calming influence on Williams on and off the field. Both battled homesickness as they adjusted to the huge cultural change on arrival
in Melbourne and Rioli has drawn on his experience to support Williams. ‘‘Having him here makes it easier because it’s like having a mate as well as a relative. Some weekends I just go over to his house to hang out,’’ Williams said. ‘‘We’ve become closer since I came down. He’s just a freakish player and so good with his feet and fast when he’s chasing guys down. I like to tackle like that, too.’’
Williams credits the Kajji Foundation and its exchange program with helping him tap into his football potential and encouraged other young indigenous people to chase their goals.
‘‘The program’s had a big impact on my life because without it I’d be back home in Darwin. And, I dont know what I'd be doing."
Last Modified on 08/05/2012 12:40