Tony Williams (rugby league)

Tony Williams
Personal information
Nickname T-Rex[1]
Born (1988-12-12) 12 December 1988
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height 193 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 120 kg (18 st 13 lb)
Playing information
Position Second-row, Wing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008 Parramatta Eels 11 4 0 0 16
2009–12 Manly Sea Eagles 73 35 0 0 140
2013–16 Canterbury Bulldogs 80 10 0 0 40
2017 Cronulla Sharks 0 0 0 0 0
Total 164 49 0 0 196
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2008–16 Tonga 4 1 10 0 24
2011–12 Australia 3 2 0 0 8
2012–14 New South Wales 3 0 0 0 0
2013 NSW City 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [2]

Tony Williams (born 12 December 1988) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Cronulla Sharks of the National Rugby League. An Australian, Tongan, New South Wales State of Origin and NSW City Origin representative, Williams primarily plays as a second-rower, but can also fill in at wing and five-eighth and centre. Williams previously played for the Parramatta Eels in 2008, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles between 2009 and 2012, where he won the 2011 NRL premiership and Canterbury Bulldogs between 2013 and 2016.

Background

Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Williams is of Tongan descent and attended Liverpool Boys High School and Westfields Sports High School, while playing his junior rugby league for the Cabramatta Two Blues. He was then signed by the Parramatta Eels.

Playing career

Williams playing for Parramatta in 2008

2008

Williams started the 2008 season playing in the Parramatta Eels NYC team and signed with Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles on 27 May 2008, a week before making his NRL debut.[3] In Round 13 against the Canberra Raiders, Williams made his NRL debut for the Eels on the wing in the Eels 30-12 win at Parramatta Stadium.[4][5] In Round 15 against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Williams scored his first NRL career try in the Eels 16-14 loss at Remondis Stadium.[6] On 3 September 2008, Williams was named at centre in the 2008 NYC Team of the Year.[7] Williams finished his debut year in the NRL with him playing in 10 matches and scoring 4 tries for the Parramatta Eels in the 2008 NRL season. Williams was named in the Tongan squad for the 2008 World Cup where he not only played lock but also took on the responsibility of being the Tongan goal kicker with success.[8] Williams played in 3 matches, scored 1 try and kicked 10 goals.

2009

In Round 5 of the 2009 NRL season, Williams made his club debut for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles against the Wests Tigers at centre in the Sea Eagles 23-10 win at Brookvale Oval.[9] In Round 11 against the Gold Coast Titans, Williams scored his first club try for the Sea Eagles in the 18-17 loss at Cbus Super Stadium.[10] Williams played some of the year in the Queensland Cup playing for the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles being awarded the Duncan Hall Medal after being judged the grand final's best-and-fairest player, scoring a try in the Sea Eagles 32-18 win over Northern Pride.[11] Williams finished the 2009 NRL season with him playing in 12 matches and scoring 9 tries in his first year with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

2010

Williams finished the 2010 NRL season with him being the top-scorer for the Sea Eagles with 16 tries in all of their 25 matches. Williams was selected in the New Zealand Kiwis squad for the 2010 Four Nations.[12][13] However, Williams declared his desire to play for both Australia and New South Wales. Williams was selected to play for the Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea on the wing in the 30-18 win in Port Moresby.[14]

2011

Williams played in the centres for the first two games of the 2001 season and then missed the next 3 through injury. When he returned to the side, Manly coach Des Hasler permanently moved Williams from the wing to the second-row and his form blossomed. Over his next 18 games, Williams started from the interchange bench 12 times and in the second-row row 6 times, including starting in the Sea Eagles 2011 NRL Grand Final 24-10 win over the New Zealand Warriors on 2 October 2011.[15] Williams finished the 2011 NRL season with him playing in 20 matches and scoring 6 tries for the Sea Eagles. At the end of the 2011 season, Williams shoulder charge on North Queensland Cowboys forward Tariq Sims at Townsville's Dairy Farmers Stadium in Round 8 was featured on the NRL's official website as one of the "Best shoulder charges of 2011".[16] Following Manly's Grand Final win, Williams was named in Australia's 2011 Four Nations squad.[17] Williams made his test debut off the bench for Australia in a test against New Zealand in the Kangaroos 42-6 win at Hunter Stadium.[18] Williams scored his first international for Australia against New Zealand in the Kangaroos 26-12 win at Halliwell Jones Stadium.[19] Williams played in 4 matches and scored 2 tries, including playing off the interchange bench in the Four National final against England in the Kangaroos 30-8 win at Elland Road.[20]

2012

In Round 3 against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at Remondis Stadium, Williams was suspended for 7 matches for dangerous tackle on the Sharks hooker, Isaac De Gois, in the Sea Eagles 17-4 loss.[21] When Williams returned from suspension he was selected in the New South Wales State of Origin squad.[22] Williams made his origin debut in Game 1 off the interchange bench in the 18-10 loss at Etihad Stadium.[23] Williams missed selection with a back injury for Game 2 but selected in Game 3 off the interchange bench in the 21-20 loss at Suncorp Stadium,[24] resulting in Queensland winning the 2011 State of Origin series. On 4 June 2012, Williams confirmed he had signed with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a $650,000 a year, 4-year deal through to the end of the 2016 season.[25][26] Williams finished the 2012 NRL season with him played in 16 matches and scoring 4 tries in his final year with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Williams was selected for Australia in the October Trans-Tasman test against New Zealand, playing off the interchange bench in the 18-10 win at 1300SMILES Stadium.[27]

2013

In Round 1 of the 2013 NRL season, Williams made his club debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs against the North Queensland Cowboys at second-row in the Bulldogs 24-12 loss at Central Coast Stadium.[28] In Round 8 against the Wests Tigers, Williams scored his first club try for the Bulldogs in the 40-4 win at ANZ Stadium.[29] Williams was selected for NSW City at second-row in the 18-12 loss to NSW Country at Coffs Harbour.[30] In Round 20 against the Parramatta Eels, Williams played his 100th NRL career match in the Bulldogs 40-12 win at ANZ Stadium.[31][32] Williams was heavily criticized in 2013 with his form being branded lazy and not being worth $650,000 a year.[33][34][35] Williams finished his first year with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs with him playing in 23 matches and scoring 5 tries in the 2013 NRL season.

2014

In February 2014, Williams was selected in the Bulldogs 2014 Auckland Nines squad.[36] Williams was selected to play for NSW City in the City vs Country Origin at second-row in the 26-all draw at Dubbo.[37] Williams was selected on the interchange bench for New South Wales in Game 1 of the 2014 State of Origin series on the 100th State of Origin match in the Blues 12-8 win at Suncorp Stadium.[38] On 5 October 2014, in the Bulldogs 2014 NRL Grand Final match against the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Williams played at second-row and scored a try in the Bulldogs 6-30 loss.[39][40] Williams finished the 2014 NRL season with him playing in 27 matches and scoring 4 tries for the Bulldogs.

2015

On 23 January 2015, Williams was named in the Bulldogs 2015 Auckland Nines squad.[41] After the Bulldogs 41-34 win against the Canberra Raiders in Round 11, Williams suffered a season ending pectoral muscle injury at training, ruling him out for the rest of the season.[42] Williams finished the 2015 NRL season with him playing in 11 matches for the Bulldogs.

2016

On 1 February 2016, Williams was named in the Bulldogs 2016 Auckland Nines squad.[43] In Round 5 against the Canberra Raiders, Williams played his 150th NRL career match in the Bulldogs 22-8 loss at Belmore Sports Ground.[44] On 7 May 2016, Williams played his first game for Tonga in 8 years. Williams' Mate Ma'a Tonga team took on Samoa in the 2016 Polynesian Cup, where he played in the second row in the 18-6 loss at Parramatta Stadium.[45] In Round 10, he was dropped to the Bulldogs' Intrust Super Premiership NSW team.[46]

References

  1. ↑ Prentice, Andrew (14 September 2011). "T-Rex's switch into the Sea Eagles pack has seen the rise of a sleeping giant". The Manly Daily. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Tony Williams - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  3. ↑ "Manly Snatch Eels Junior". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  4. ↑ "Mateo sparks Eels to important win". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  5. ↑ "Meet the New Heavyweight". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  6. ↑ Archived 14 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Toyota Cup Team of the Year". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081013130431/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7658506.stm. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20090522014507/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=814777. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ↑ "Late Penalty Hands Gold Coast 18-17 Win Over Manly". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  11. ↑ "Tony Willikams Steers Coast Victory in Queensland". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  12. ↑ "New Zealand squad named for Four Nations". News.smh.com.au. 2010-09-06. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  13. ↑ "Kangaroos beat Kiwis to Tony 'T-Rex' Williams". Stuff.co.nz. 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  14. ↑ "Australian PMXIII team Beats Kumuls - NRL.com". M.nrl.com. 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  15. ↑ "2011 NRL Grand Final". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  16. ↑ "Best shoulder charges of 2011". NRL.com. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  17. ↑ "Cherry Evans and Tony Williams Selected in Australian Four Nations Squad After Manly's 2011 NRL Grand Final Win". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  18. ↑ "Kangaroos Beat New Zealand 42-6 in RL Test". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  19. ↑ "Johnathan Thurston Stars as Australia Beat New Zealand 26-12 in Four Nations Openerin Warrington". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  20. ↑ "Darren Lockyer Leads Australia to 30-8 Win in Four Nations Final". Couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  21. ↑ "Tony Williams Faces 10 Week Suspension for Dangerous Throw on Isaac De Gois". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  22. ↑ "NSW Rookies Jamie Buhrer Todd Carney James Tamou and Tony Williams Lack Experience and Scars". Heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  23. ↑ "State of Origin Game". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  24. ↑ "Queensland Take on NSW in Massive State of Origin Game". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  25. ↑ "Bulldogs to Confirm Tony Williams from Sea Eagles". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  26. ↑ "Bulldogs Finally Lure Reluctant New Buy Tony Williams Away From Manly Sea Eagles". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  27. ↑ "Australia Grind It Out in Second Half to Win 18-10 over New Zealand in Townsville Test Match". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  28. ↑ "Cowboys v Bulldogs Match". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  29. ↑ "Confident Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Thrash Injury Laden Wests Tigers". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  30. ↑ "Country Overcome City in Close Clash". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  31. ↑ "Bulldogs v Eels preview". NRL.com. 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  32. ↑ Michael Carayannis. "Plenty of points but patience missing for Bulldogs, says Hasler". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  33. ↑ "Tony Williams Axed from Australian Test Side". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  34. ↑ "Willie Mason and the Newcastle Knights are Wary of Threat Posed by Canterbury Bulldogs Big Man Tony Williams". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  35. ↑ Ritchie, Dean (2013-09-27). "The Daily Telegraph names its five biggest flops of NRL season 2013". News.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  36. ↑ "Squads For Auckland Nines". Rugby League Week. 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  37. ↑ "Hulking Centre Jamal Idris Stars in Thrilling City Country Draw in Dubbo". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  38. ↑ "NSW Beat Queensland Maroons 12-8". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  39. ↑ "Rabbitohs Win 2014 NRL Grand Final Defeating Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  40. ↑ "Bulldogs Grand Final Player Ratings". NRL.com. 2014-10-05. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  41. ↑ "Auckland Nines 2015 ; Josh Morris Headlines Strong Squad Named by Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs". Foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  42. ↑ "Tony Williams ruled out for the season with pec injury". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  43. ↑ "Bulldogs name 2016 Nines squad". Rugby League Week. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  44. ↑ April 4, 201610:22pm (2016-04-04). "John Reynolds touched Aidan Sezer's backside in Bulldogs vs Raider NRL match 2016". News.com.au. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  45. ↑ "Samoa holds on in pulsating Pacific Test". nrl.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  46. ↑ Adrian Proszenko. "Tony Williams dropped by Canterbury Bulldogs before Wests Tigers clash". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
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