Werribee coach Mark ‘Chocco’ Williams would love to see the most talented Victorian youngsters step up and play VFL in the future.
The Port Adelaide premiership coach has witnessed in the past when star 17-year-olds have played amongst grown men before going on to flourish at the elite level.
Williams admits he’d love to see the best kids from the NAB League play above their usual U18 level as is the case with young gun South Australians who find their way to the SANFL rather than play underage footy.
“The thing that people have omitted and hasn’t been highlighted is that in Adelaide, Shannon Hurn and Gavin Wanganeen and Nathan Buckley at 17, they were playing what would be VFL football,” he said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“They were not in the NAB League (or Under-18s).
“So what I’m saying, and it has to happen now, is the absolute best players coming through should actually play in the VFL. They don’t play NAB League.
“Which then makes everyone want to watch the best developing players come through. Just like Wanganeen, just like Buckley and just like Shannon Hurn.
“We all saw it in the SANFL, it works a treat.
“I’m not saying that every kid can, but the absolute best can.
“If they don’t it actually stifles some of their development. We have to keep thinking and keep evolving and finding a way to give the best kids the opportunity to reach the top as fast as they can.
“The others will find their own way.”
Asked by Dwayne Russell what he feels is the best set-up in relation to how AFL and VFL clubs would work together most effectively, Williams is all for the stand-alone system, but is well aware of the costs involved.
“I was in Adelaide where all our players got farmed out to nine different clubs and that was really damn hard to try and manage that,” he added.
“Then they tried to break it into two halves with Adelaide taking some and then Port Adelaide taking others (from) SANFL clubs. Then eventually they went to stand-alone with their own club because they thought that was the best.
“It probably gives you an indication that is the best but it costs a lot of money and right now that is one of the factors.”
A number of Werribee players are out and about playing around the country this year during the COVID-19 downturn in Victoria but Williams is confident they’ll be back with the Tigers in 2021 as he looks to have a few more players drafted after seeing Jake Riccardi successfully debut for GWS last weekend.
“I’m all about trying to give the players the best chance,” he said.
“We had Jake Riccardi play his first game. 15 possessions, 10 marks and two goals is a wonderful thing and a great highlight to the ability we have to try and develop players.
“He won the best young player (Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal in the VFL) last year and our players are delighted to see that happen.
“We’re about developing players. Anyone out there that wants to come, we’re certainly about doing that. Our players have only got a certain time in life to get drafted. They want to show what they can do so that’s why they are out playing.
“They know that coming back to Werribee is going to give them the best chance if they don’t get drafted.”
He also firmly believes that age should not deny talented players a chance to play in the AFL.
“I think there are three or four others at Werribee that are really ready to go right now,” he said further.
“I’ve watched other sides struggling about and I go, ‘Come on guys, just open your eyes a little bit’. Don’t be blindsided by the age.
“Jake’s two years older than the others, who cares? He can still play for another 10.
“I’m talking about players who can make an impact straight away. I’ve even been helping our players right now when they can’t play to make some highlight tapes and send them out to all the different player managers as well as the recruiters at different clubs.”
This week, it was announced that the VFL and NEAFL will merge for season 2021 in order to have just one second-tier competition on Australian’s eastern seaboard.