Welcome To The Western Bulldogs Bailey Williams

[Torpedo]

Noticed in the club video of preseason training that the players are kicking with their non preferred leg as part of the drills. Great to see coaches concentrating on improving player skills with both sides when it comes to kicking and handballing. Still amazes me that players get to this level being one sided.

[Smads57]

Welcome to the club Bailey. Looking forward to T&T's further posts.

[KT31]

Welcome to the Doggies Bailey.

[Mofra]

Noticed in the club video of preseason training that the players are kicking with their non preferred leg as part of the drills. Great to see coaches concentrating on improving player skills with both sides when it comes to kicking and handballing. Still amazes me that players get to this level being one sided.

Bevo is big on dual sided skills apparently

[Throughandthrough]

Here's an older photo of Bailey.....


on the left

https://www.flickr.com/photos/346644...384386/sizes/l

https://www.flickr.com/photos/346644...7621853962077/

AND completely off topic, this player was in the same team

https://www.flickr.com/photos/346644...7621853962077/

[Throughandthrough]

Here's an older photo of Bailey.....


on the left

https://www.flickr.com/photos/346644...384386/sizes/l

https://www.flickr.com/photos/346644...7621853962077/

AND completely off topic, this player was in the same team

https://www.flickr.com/photos/346644...7621853962077/

And here's some from this decade

https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=932...%20Williams%22

[comrade]

And here's some from this decade

https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=932...%20Williams%22

Great pics T&T.

Certainly put on some size in the 2015 shots. Really looking forward to seeing him develop at Footscray and then getting his shot at the top level.

[The Doctor]

Nice article

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/af...9672cc8cf1c683


BAILEY Williams’ draft story happened in haste and was one of those that seemed to slip under the radar.

Williams, who was called by the Western Bulldogs at No. 48, had held such scant hopes of getting selected he didn’t even bother watching it or tuning in online when the draft was held in Adelaide on November 24.

He was hanging out at a mate’s house and was oblivious to the life-changing events that had transpired until his manager, former Crows 200-gamer Michael Doughty, was on the phone.

“Congrats,” Doughty said.

“Congratulations on what?’’ Williams asked. “You were just picked up at 48,” Doughty replied, laughing.

From then, his phone was buzzing constantly with mates calling to congratulate him, the club getting in touch with him and a raft of his new teammates sending welcoming text messages. When Williams recalled the night, he said he hadn’t known what to feel. He was just too surprised.

“It all just overwhelmed me,” Williams recalled. “I didn’t really have an emotion. I was just shocked.

“I thought I had no hope in the national (draft), and that maybe the Crows might rookie me.”

Williams came from a long way back compared to the other 10 South Australians who were snapped up in the AFL national draft.

He didn’t play any senior SANFL games, instead improving his game in Glenelg’s reserves, and he missed out on selection for the state’s most fertile recruiting ground, the SA under-18 team.

It goes to show how wide a net AFL clubs cast, because more than one showed a genuine interest in Williams.

There had been times this season when he had been impossible to miss for recruiters who bothered to watch the Bays’ reserves or under-18s. In one of the under-18 games, against Woodville-West Torrens in July, he racked up a whopping 56 disposals, a tally that is believed to be a record for the competition.

The Tigers reserves coach, Magarey Medallist Brett Backwell, spoke highly of Williams.

“Bailey’s a ripper,” Blackwell said leading up to the draft.

“He’s going to be a serious player because he just finds the footy, he’s a really calm, cool customer under pressure and he’s a good size for a midfielder.”

Here’s how his fairytale panned out.

Thursday, November 19

Williams first met with the Western Bulldogs’ recruiting men on the Thursday before the draft. The Bullies were the last club that had interviewed him, but not the only one.

The recruiting staff of AFL clubs are frequent travellers and conduct their business discreetly, which means you generally only hear about their interest second-hand.

Williams met with some clubs at the family home, taking part in long conversations in which the clubs did all the asking and gave little indication of the level of their interest.

Other times, they met at Doughty’s office, and one club even spoke to him during the halftime break of a Glenelg league game.

“The Crows was the first one,” Williams said. “Then North Melbourne, that was after the state combine (testing), we went back to Michael Doughty’s meeting room and had a big one (long meeting).

“Richmond came to my house the day before the combine. And I spoke to Sydney at halftime of a game. We went out to a park and just spoke there. And then the Western Bulldogs was the last one, at home as well.

“I’d had exams, so they had to call my mum to organise it.”

Tuesday, November 24


The Adelaide Convention Centre was packed on AFL National Draft night, full of football tragics, draft hopefuls and their families, broadcasters and press and delegations from each club.

Williams was a world away, unlike several South Australian hopefuls who were in the room, not knowing whether they’d be picked up or leave the city disappointed.

Then came that call ...

Wednesday, November 25

Williams woke up knowing he was an AFL player, but his world continued to tick along in the background.

The top 20 players who had been picked in the draft assembled at Elder Park on the banks of River Torrens the next day and took part in a photo shoot organised by the AFL, and were then interviewed by various news outlets about their exciting futures.

At the same time, Williams was having coffee with the Western Bulldogs’ recruiters, who gave him the basic outline of what would happen next.

A flight had already been booked for Williams, the red-eye early morning departure on Friday, and they would pick him up at the airport in Melbourne.

Thursday, November 26

As Williams came to grips with his impending departure, packing his bags and saying his goodbyes to family and friends, there was a bit more clarity on his itinerary.

The club called and told him he would stay with teammates, one of whom was Lin Yong and the other somebody who’s name had already escaped him, for the first two weeks in Melbourne.

Then he would be moved in with a host family until at least Christmas, and further arrangements would be made from there.

It would be up to Williams when he wanted to move out on his own, or live in a share house with other players.

Friday, November 27

Williams’ mother cried as he prepared to board a plane to Melbourne, but it was still a happy day in the Williams household.

Not only had Williams, 18, realised the first part of his dream in becoming an AFL player, he had also landed at a Melbourne club — making family reunions much easier than if he had landed in Queensland, New South Wales or Perth.

He was told he would receive eight flights a year from the club, and his mother was already looking at booking a flight for the following weekend.

Williams was picked up and taken to the club for a 9.30am appointment with player wellbeing and welfare manager Brent Prismall and the other new players: Josh Dunkley, Kieran Collins and Marcus Adamas.

They also met the coach Luke Beveridge, who welcomed them to the club.

“It’s good to have them all come in as a group,” Prismall said. “They’re a bit of a team within a team in some ways and we really try to sent that message, that they really have to look after each other.”

The first port of call was a tour of the club, and Williams was amazed by the redeveloped, first-class facilities at Western Oval.

Paperwork followed, and then a thorough physical from the club’s physiotherapists and conditioning staff. Williams was still at the club late in the afternoon, and still on a high.

But he was ready to call it a night early, because Saturday morning signalled his first training session as a Western Bulldog.

[LostDoggy]

Great article, thanks Doc.

Bit odd that he held interviews with 5 clubs including some at his home with his family, but he didn't bother following the draft because he thought he had no chance of being drafted.

[Throughandthrough]

Great article.

[azabob]

Great article.

Did you honestly believe he'd get picked? Or rookied at best?

Was the family crows supporters?

[GVGjr]

Bit odd that he held interviews with 5 clubs including some at his home with his family, but he didn't bother following the draft because he thought he had no chance of being drafted.

More than a bit odd. Even if his manager had told him that he was unlikely to be selected at the very least I'd expect him to be watching it or listening to it even if it was just to hear how other SA boys went especially his team mate in Redman. If you get invited to state testing it means you are on the radar so just a curious nature should have had him switched on to the night.

Nice article on how someones life can change so quickly.

[Throughandthrough]

Did you honestly believe he'd get picked? Or rookied at best?

Was the family crows supporters?

Yeah, I didn't think he would go in the main draft but thought he had very strong chance of being rookied

Mainly because his name didn't have much "heat" etc, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense


He was at a mates place watching home and away. His family was at his home watching it on the Internet


Funnily enough, his family are a bunch of Glenelg fans first and then Crows fans second.

During this season Bailey spent one or two matches working the scoreboard during Glenelg League games

[LostDoggy]

Anyone see Williams at training yesterday? I heard from somebody who attended and was glowing in his praise of Williams. Said his skills looked really sharp and that he looked in no way out of place. Also said he was quite vocal during some drills, a really good sign showing the kid feels comfortable and is fitting in straight away.

[GVGjr]

Anyone see Williams at training yesterday? I heard from somebody who attended and was glowing in his praise of Williams. Said his skills looked really sharp and that he looked in no way out of place. Also said he was quite vocal during some drills, a really good sign showing the kid feels comfortable and is fitting in straight away.

Quick reflexes and handled the pace and tempo of the drills. I'd sort of expect the draftees to handle training at the moment the test for them comes when the really heavy workload starts but yes some good signs especially given the rush to get him over here.