Greg Williams

[aflcliche]

How good was 'Diesel' and how would he go these days?

 

[DamianBis]

He'd be critcised for being slower than mclean.

 

[OnceWeWereKings]

He'd be critcised for being slower than mclean.

Whilst putting a lazy 45 touches to good use

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Diesel was a genius with vision and reading of the play second to none. He didn't need to be fast when he knew where the ball was going, and knew where his teammates were heading. In fact, Diesel almost hypnotised his teammates into going where he wanted them to go. His disposals were like that. He was brilliant at putting the ball into space for his teammates to run on to, and master at feeding the ball through a tangle of arms and legs to a teammate in the clear.

That sort of talent would survive in any era.

 

[Dramoth]

too many people turn around and say 'such and such wouldnt survive in todays game because it's evolved since they play' but I think that the out and out champions would always make a niche for themselves on the pitch and still excel at the game.

 

[Swampfox]

Diesel was a genius with vision and reading of the play second to none. He didn't need to be fast when he knew where the ball was going, and knew where his teammates were heading. In fact, Diesel almost hypnotised his teammates into going where he wanted them to go. His disposals were like that. They was brilliant and putting the ball into space for his teammates to run on to, and master at feeding the ball through a tangle of arms and legs to a teammate in the clear.

That sort of talent would survive in any era.

Agree

Although the most complete centreman i have seen is Ian Stewart i do think Williams had no peer in his ability to read the play

Had lightning hands just like Andrew Jarman

Very strong around the hips enabled him to either break tackles or stand up and handball to advantage

Extremely good under pressure

For a football purist he was a pleasure to watch

Probably the best player example of why a footballer wins in the footballer versus athlete debate

 

[Blue Warrior]

Diesel was a genius with vision and reading of the play second to none. He didn't need to be fast when he knew where the ball was going, and knew where his teammates were heading. In fact, Diesel almost hypnotised his teammates into going where he wanted them to go. His disposals were like that. They was brilliant and putting the ball into space for his teammates to run on to, and master at feeding the ball through a tangle of arms and legs to a teammate in the clear.

That sort of talent would survive in any era.

Once in a generation Centreman!

 

[The Toad]

too many people turn around and say 'such and such wouldnt survive in todays game because it's evolved since they play' but I think that the out and out champions would always make a niche for themselves on the pitch and still excel at the game.

You've been living in the land of warm piss for WAY too long, my friend.

 

[gbatman]

i have no idea how he would go these days, you would think quite well but not as near as good as he used to, just watching a game only 5 years old and the ammount of time a player inside had to dispose of the ball has significantly shrunk since then. The speed and intensite and has changed so much it's hard to say.

 

[Sin City]

He would still dominate. Brilliant football brain, brilliant skills and hard as nails.

 

[Monkey King]

One thing's for sure, he'd have to stop whacking the taggers. In the era of rolling zones and the like, I think Diesel in his prime would prove a hell of a weapon. Top clearance player with great vision and great disposal by hand and foot; read the play so well and strong in the contest with great endurance and workrate. Who knows, modern fitness coaches may even have got an extra yard of pace out of a pre-knee Diesel.

IMO if Sam Mitchell can be a decent player in today's game, Diesel would be a gun.

 

[True Bluebagger]

How good was 'Diesel' and how would he go these days?

I wouldn't get too carried away with how G. Williams would perform these days, as he would probably only average 20-25 contested possession with an 80% effiecency rate........but then again he is nearly 47 years old !!!

 

[Koutafidamedis]

Would still dominate while people on this board would be asking for him to be dropped

 

[agro]

Thread should be re-titled "Moral Triple Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams" - as it is a travesty of justice that a snivelling weazel of an umpire could fail to award him 3 brownlow medal votes (in fact any votes at all) for a 44 possession game in 1993.

 

[The Coach]

i have no idea how he would go these days, you would think quite well but not as near as good as he used to, just watching a game only 5 years old and the ammount of time a player inside had to dispose of the ball has significantly shrunk since then. The speed and intensite and has changed so much it's hard to say.

You can never have seen him

What we could really do with right now is a few players with his desire to be BOG every time he ran out there. Juddy might and Mitch is working on it but some of our other stars are light-years away from the intense desire to dominate that Diesel had - maybe they could do with a dose of arrogance

 

[BlueSnake]

I'm another who wasn't fortunate enough to see the great man play (I'm 20 but came to watching footy fairly late, 2000+ let's say).

Would anyone say he was actually slower than McLean? I like Brock, but that would be hard to imagine

Regardless for these smart genuine footballers, I still don't think pace is the be and all in the modern game, often how fast a side can move the actual ball is more important than just leg speed, though that can certainly be the difference at times.

But from what I've heard/read about him and his skills etc, just imagine Diesel and Judd put together...
That would be something to truly behold.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Judd's skills have nothing on Diesel. In fact they are terrible in comparison. However Judd is explosive and a clearance magician. With Diesel there, Judd would be 50/50 inside/outside and most of his contested possessions would come from 1 on 1 contests instead of heavy traffic, which would release Judd to dominate.

 

[BlueSnake]

Sorry, I didn't word that too well... I actually meant Diesel and Judd put together to make one perfect footballer

I was imagining Diesel with Judd's explosive athletic ability and height etc, but yes, I agree in any case.

 

[The Old Dark Navy's]

Sorry, I didn't word that too well... I actually meant Diesel and Judd put together to make one perfect footballer

I was imagining Diesel with Judd's explosive athletic ability and height etc, but yes, I agree in any case.

I'd mix Diesel and Kouta in that case.

Huge numbers at a high efficiency rate, can play anywhere on the ground and pluck contested marks at will.

 

[Dramoth]

You've been living in the land of warm piss for WAY too long, my friend.

*psst* dont tell anyone, but most of the football fields aussie rules are played on, could double as cricket pitches

 

[Dustyjackman]

He would be a gun today, as was yesteryear.

The added umpire/video protection and scrutiny from the scragging tactics of todays taggers would of benefited him no doubt.

Williams' creativity was incredible. In fact the finest.

And, Craig Bradley didn't mind the armchair ride either. Diesel helped him along to his three hundred plus games without him having getting his body smashed about too often. All Bradley had to do was scream down the wing and bang, there it was, the ball on his chest. Sometimes it happened when he wasn't even looking.

It's obvious the MC are trying to create this sort of magic with Hadley/McLean on to Judd/Gibbs/Murphy. Hope it comes together for us.

 

[Dramoth]

He would be a gun today, as was yesteryear.

The added umpire/video protection and scrutiny from the scragging tactics of todays taggers would of benefited him no doubt.

Williams' creativity was incredible. In fact the finest.

And, Craig Bradley didn't mind the armchair ride either. Diesel helped him along to his three hundred plus games without him having getting his body smashed about too often. All Bradley had to do was scream down the wing and bang, there it was, the ball on his chest. Sometimes it happened when he wasn't even looking.

It's obvious the MC are trying to create this sort of magic with Hadley/McLean on to Judd/Gibbs/Murphy. Hope it comes together for us.

I think that it will DJman... Diesel is down at the club helping out with the midfield and will be running those guys through all sorts of training drills to help them out.

 

[Blue and Silver]

Funny thing happened to me the other day. Women called up and asked for Greg Williams. Told her she had the wrong number

 

[Jock]

I think he would be suspended for most of the season with the amount of cameras around now.

He dealt with scraggers hanging on to his jumper at every contest the way they should be dealt with.

Lingy & Jones would not have made an impact on him like they do to the on ballers these days.

They would have copped elbows and broken noses very early on in the piece as he amassed his 30+ regulation games.

They would only hang on to his jumper around the contest once and learnt the hard way not to do it again.

I loved him.

 

[40yearBLUE]

Changed footy. Big call I know, but for me he changed the way I watched footy. I used to sit behind the goals as close to the fence as I could, started in the cheer squad and didnt move far from them when I moved on. But when Deisel came along, I switched to top deck of the southern and high in the Pratt stand so that I could watch the way Diesel moved, way ahead of the ball and then suddenly be where it was, sometimes early on wondering where the hell he was running to and why. Truly brilliant footballer. And for the doubters that think the game is too fast for him now, we told him that 3 times before we finally woke up to his sublime skill and mastery. And just so you dont think I am biased, despite his 5 goal 95 GF effort, I dont have him as my BOG, that goes to Kouta IMO.