Delisted Reuben William (2015-2017)

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We have to ride the good with the bad. Johannison is 24, Reuben is 5 years behind him. Great speed and endeavour, loves the contest.
 
Don't understand why people doubted his debut, 18 year old in his first game. Thought he showed good awareness with disposals apart from the Rich killer. Few times he got us out of defence and carried it out.
 

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Reserves Wrap - Sydney - 06/08/16 (Shane Woewodin’s comments)

He had a job more so as a defender this week to play on a really important player for the Swans named Rose. He got two kicked on him pretty early, we’ve seen some improvement with his HIT and his ability to play on small forwards. There is still some work in that area to go. He was on limited game time at about 70% coming back from injury (groins). We’re just looking for him now to build some continuity in his footy heading into the end of the season.
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Player Reviews: No. 41 - 47

One of the genuine feel good stories from the 2016 AFL season was the debut of South Sudanese Reuben William, who fled Sudan in the midst of a civil war at the age of four and found himself putting on the Lions guernsey 14 years later. William made his debut against Gold Coast in round 16, and wasn’t overawed by the AFL experience as he finished with 13 disposals, three tackles and two defensive rebounds across half-back.

The young defender displayed great pace and attack on the ball in his three senior games and will look to build his aerobic capacity and disposal efficiency as he looks toward the pre-season and more senior games in 2017.

Coach’s comments

Rookie listed player in 2016 who was upgraded and was able to play three games at AFL level as a running defender. Reuben has good pace and ability to run and carry the football. Suffered an injury after his three AFL games and will need to strengthen up his body and have a bigger pre-season on the running track and take his game to another level in 2017.
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rwilliam2016rev.jpg
 
acuguy Mentioned in another thread that William will be a big winner out of Fagan's appointment and I have to agree with him. Reuben William has multiple AFL levels traits and if developed properly I can see him growing into a handy player at AFL level. I reckon Fagan, Littlejohn and Henriksen will see the potential in him and work with him closely to improve his game.
 
lionshine said:
acuguy Mentioned in another thread that William will be a big winner out of Fagan's appointment and I have to agree with him. Reuben William has multiple AFL levels traits and if developed properly I can see him growing into a handy player at AFL level. I reckon Fagan, Littlejohn and Henriksen will see the potential in him and work with him closely to improve his game.
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Composure is probably the issue. One of his strengths was supposed to be reading the play from half back but we didn't really see that.

You really didn't see any Hawthorn players in the senior team with poor composure. I think we'll need to invest a couple more years of reserves footy into Reuben.
 
jackess said:
Composure is probably the issue. One of his strengths was supposed to be reading the play from half back but we didn't really see that.

You really didn't see any Hawthorn players in the senior team with poor composure. I think we'll need to invest a couple more years of reserves footy into Reuben.
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No doubt. I'm not suggesting he'll be in the Round 1 side next year. He still has a long way to go. I just think in the right environment, and from all reports Fagan/Littlejohn/Henriksen will help build a terrific development environment, William could really grow and succeed.
 
lionshine said:
No doubt. I'm not suggesting he'll be in the Round 1 side next year. He still has a long way to go. I just think in the right environment, and from all reports Fagan/Littlejohn/Henriksen will help build a terrific development environment, William could really grow and succeed.
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From the sounds of things his attitude might be his best asset.
 

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Reuben's journey towards his dream

Young Brisbane Lions footballer Reuben William and his family are the focus of the second of a series of three short films celebrating cultural diversity in Australian Football.

Reuben’s story, produced by Australian Islander filmmaker Amie Batalibasi, explores the 18-year-old’s journey through footy, which started via junior football at the Zillmere Football Club.

The William family is of South Sudanese heritage and migrated to Australia from Kenya as refugees in 2003. Reuben’s mother, Veronica, said her son became curious about AFL immediately after seeing the game played on television. Soon after, at age five, Reuben and his younger brother Isaac joined the Zillmere Football Club in Brisbane’s north.

Veronica said it was the Zillmere Football Club that made the William family feel a sense of community in Australia.

“When we came to Australia in 2003 they saw footy on TV and that is where the game began for them. So I took them to Under-8s at Zillmere Football Club. It’s a very good club and a very good community,” Veronica said.

Reuben quickly impressed at Zillmere but he was a late bloomer on the national scene. It wasn’t until 2014 that he pulled on the maroon jumper, representing Queensland at the AFL National Diversity Championships in Coffs Harbour.

In that same year, Reuben was picked as a bottom age player in the Queensland State Academy and his journey with the Brisbane Lions Academy began.

His rapid progression saw him gain attention on the national stage before being drafted to the Brisbane Lions as a rookie in the 2015 NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

Amie Batalibasi said the central theme to this film is dreams.

“The thing that struck me about Reuben is how dedicated he is to the sport of AFL and that he started playing at such a young age. It was a pleasure to meet him and his family for this film as they so generously shared their stories.

“It is clear that ambition and drive is something that runs in the family with Reuben's brothers also having aspirations to play footy too,” Ms Batalibasi said.

AFL General Manager Inclusion and Social Policy, Tanya Hosch, said Rueben’s story is one of realising your dream.

“Reuben is an example of new Australians embracing our game and aspiring to greatness,” Ms Hosch said.

“What we see in this film is a young man whose life is dedicated to the game. Reuben is an inspiration to his family and his community.

“Like many young Australians, as a teenager, Reuben’s hopes and dreams centered around playing AFL. His hunger and determination has led him on a path to success and he is now seen as a role model for others.

“As we lead into this week’s NAB AFL Draft, Reuben’s story stands as a reminder to celebrate the many journeys the newly drafted players have been on to reach the elite level of Australian Football,” she said.

The three part series has been produced as a joint project between the AFL and Australia Post, the AFL’s official community inclusion partner, to highlight the cultural diversity within Australian Football from grassroots to the elite game.

The first film in the series was released during the 2016 Toyota AFL Multicultural Round and focused on young Melbourne footballer Asma Kassem and her Yemeni family. The 11-year old Asma’s connection to Australian Football started through North Melbourne’s The Huddle program and has continued through to junior football.
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Recovery Report: Christensen's next steps

Reuben William is expected to be available for the Lions’ Round 6 NEAFL match against the Swans. William would have been considered to play this weekend had of the Lions not had a bye round.

“Reuben is tracking really well. He’s had a good couple of weeks in rehab.”
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Rookie watch: Who's burning and who's still learning
The Lions have generally gone for some slightly more mature bodies to fill out their list in the past year or two. In Barrett they got a player ready to contribute at AFL level, while Grewar and McInerney were both proven at lower levels. The rest are a mix of size and pace, with some difficult decisions come the end of the season.

Reuben William
Possessed with blistering speed, William has been hampered by injury. He's played as a small forward as well as a running defender and needs to work on his disposal to become a regular senior player.
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acuguy said:
Bit stiff on the bloke, he must've had the few the night before and still blew over, not .05 over, but .03. Bit stiff !
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Agree, unless there are underlying issues I hope it doesn't affect us giving him an extension. It's not as though he went out got pissed and drove home that night.
 
Young Lion Reuben William caught drink driving
BRISBANE Lions rookie Reuben William has been caught drink driving, failing a random breath test on Monday morning. The 19-year-old, driving on a probationary license, recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.031. Queensland law requires a reading of 0.00 for probationary license holders.

Williams was on a scheduled day off and informed Lions general manager of football David Noble shortly after the incident. William will appear in court in the coming weeks. The rebounding defender has played three senior games, all last year, and been hampered by a number of injuries in 2017.
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