By: Daniel Cencic
Twitter: @DC_EFL
Marc Williams is synonymous with the Scoresby Football Club.
In an association which extends over 30 years, the 36-year-old runs out for game 300 today, adding yet another accolade to a career which has become one of the club’s most respected in its 92-year history.
Long-time friend of over 30 years, Larry Hall, remembers the raw talent on display at Saturday morning footy clinics through to junior footy at Knoxfield/Scoresby Junior Football Club, and knew it was to be the start of something special.
“He grew up with my boys in Scoresby (and) I first noticed his footy ability when we ran the Saturday morning footy clinics at Scoresby Primary School, and his ability at Little Athletics,” Hall said.
“I was team manager for the seniors at Scoresby for seven years and saw ‘Willo’ play some great games in those years.”
2000 saw the start of Williams’ senior career, where he remembers coming through the junior ranks into the seniors with great mates.
Little did Williams know at the time, he’d be running out for a 300th time 18 seasons later, having played 266 matches with Scoresby and 33 with Boronia leading into another finals campaign.
“It was hard at the start but you don’t know how many games you are going to play (and) when I played my first senior game (against Bayswater) it was pretty special, and I kicked a goal with my first kick,” Williams said.
“Myself, (Matt) Krawczyk and (Scott) Goldsworthy had been doing Little Athletics together since we were six years old, so we’ve known each other a fair while.
“We’re still best mates and I don’t think too many blokes could say they’ve played 30 years of footy with their mates.”
But it was in 2006 when Williams’ career would reach its pinnacle.
Scoresby finished the season in second position behind Wantirna South, with Norwood in third. A stellar finals campaign by the Magpies saw a grand final berth against the Norsemen, after knocking over the minor premiers by over 10 goals in the semi-final.
In an even contest for three quarters, Williams’ Magpies would go into three-quarter-time four points behind, before a final quarter blitz of six goals would deliver the club its first flag in almost three decades.
Leading the charge in the 19-point win was Williams, named best on ground, in an honour he remembers fondly over 10 years later – followed by a runner-up finish in the season’s Division 2 best and fairest.
Williams celebrates a goal in the 2006 Division 2 grand final. PICTURE: Steve Tanner
“It was definitely a good year that year – I was at an age probably where you do hit your peak at 26 years old,” Williams said.
“Everything fell into place that year – no injuries, had a good team around me and we went all the way and hopefully we can do it again this year.
“After the game, seeing a few of the older blokes with tears in their eyes just made me realise how important it was to the club.
“I didn’t realise beforehand but once you see that sort of stuff happening, you realise how important it is to the club.”
It was also Williams’ best on ground performance in the ’06 decider which still earns him a ribbing off team-mates on a weekly basis, but the 300-gamer admits it is an honour he will always remember.
“We do fines every week and they always give me a $2 fine saying I’ve brought it up!,” he said.
“(But) you want to play well in big games and to stand up and play a good game and reach that pinnacle, it’s a special moment and I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.
“At the end of the day, you’re only as good as your team and we had pretty good team those years which made it a lot easier.”
The jump up to Division 1 is often said to separate the men from the boys, where Williams handled the club’s rise with aplomb, being named in the SEN Team of the Year on three occasions from 2008 to 2010, also running second in the comp goal-kicking three times.
The Magpies returned to the big dance in 2010 and 2011, taking on the Noble Park juggernaut in the Division 1 grand final in back-to-back years.
After finishing minor premiers in 2010, Scoresby would be beaten by the Bulls by 42 points that year, followed by 70 points a year later.
2011 presented as one of the toughest challenges of Williams’ career, who would miss the grand final through injury, with the mood being as flat in the aftermath as the 36-year-old can remember in 30 years of involvement at the club.
“In Round 14 (2011) I broke my ankle against Balwyn in the last contest of the day and tried my hardest to get myself up but didn’t quite get there,” Williams said.
“It was hard speaking to the boys before they ran out – it was pretty emotional.
“They (Noble Park) were the best – just too good that year.”
“(The mood after the grand final) was just really flat – everyone was pretty disappointed.
“They’d won by 70 points but we had beaten them through the year and we really thought we could push them.
“At the end of the day, to get there two years in a row was pretty good for a team that doesn’t really have a high budget compared to some of the others.”
Having played in an era which included but was nowhere near limited to star names such as Matt Greig, Kris Barlow and Dan Donati, Williams remembers cutting his teeth on some of the League’s toughest opponents in the early stages of his career.
“The first year Dan Donati came to Noble Park, ‘Greigy’ (coach Dean Greig) called me on the Tuesday and said he was going to play me on him and said give it your best shot,” Williams said.
“I’ve always wanted to challenge myself in footy so what better way than against a guy that had won the Liston Medal the year before and I played a pretty good game.
“After that I had the belief that I could compete with these blokes on a weekly basis, and I’ve always been pretty determined and I thrive on those challenges – I’ve been touched up a few times by them, but I’ve beaten them a few times as well.
“It’s been a great journey being able to play against blokes like that.”
At the Magpies however, none more stand out as the best Williams has played with than current team-mate, Matt Krawczyk – a four-time best and fairest winner at the club, and former captain.
“It’s just the way he goes about it – he’s so tough at the contest and I’ve never seen anyone who can tackle as good as him,” Williams said.
“He puts his heart and soul on the park every week and he’s just a great bloke and a great clubman.”
And as for coaches, two stand out as having had great influence on a career which few can lay claim to matching.
“Kristian Bardsley was pretty hard on me and knew what he had to do to get the best out of me (and) Dale Bower’s professionalism he brought to the club coming from VFL level really showed what sort of professionalism is needed to succeed,” he said.
18 seasons since first donning the black and white guernsey in the senior ranks, and Williams will be embarking on yet another finals campaign today when the Magpies take on Heathmont.
Scoresby has ridden a wave of momentum this season having won nine-straight in its run into the finals, in which the 36-year-old has enjoyed being part of the journey in mentoring the younger players.
Despite the 2006 flag’s pride of place, Williams believes glory this year could rival his current finest footy moment after he, along with the Magpies’ family, have rallied together in recent times to climb out of the doldrums and into contention once again.
“It’d definitely be right up there given everything that’s happened.”
