Forward Dylan Williams excited to join “little pest” and former teammate Zak Butters at Port Adelaide
He describes himself as someone who likes “changing it up”, and the Power’s new draftee will be hoping to do just that when he arrives at Alberton.
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He is known for some “out there” haircuts, has battled a swag of injuries this year and is highly regarded for his X-factor.
Now Port Adelaide draftee Dylan Williams is heading to Alberton to reunite with “little pest” and former Vic Metro teammate Zak Butters after being selected at pick 23 on Thursday night.
Williams, a 186cm, 81kg medium forward, was considered a possible top-10 selection 12 months ago, only for stress fractures in his back to cut short his 2019 season in July.
He was linked to the Power a few hours before the draft’s second night kicked off and had some idea he might have been taken at that spot.
But some doubts lingered, particularly because of his injury-interrupted campaign, so was surprised when his name was called.
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“At the start of the year I think I was up there (in phantom drafts) then I had some poor form and then injuries as well, so I thought I’d slide back a bit,” Williams, 18, told The Advertise r.
“I was with family and friends (at the draft) and they were just really happy for me and I hugged them all straight away.
“We were all kind of stunned because I’ve been waiting for so long for this to happen, so it’s surreal.
“It’s just sinking in now.”
Williams caught the eye last year when he kicked 26 goals from 16 games for Oakleigh and four majors in one match for Vic Metro as a bottom-age player.
But this past season injury restricted him to just seven appearances for the Chargers and two in the national under-18 titles.
He battled a quad and groin complaint playing for Vic Metro, and missed the second half of the under-18 championships, then the stress fractures sidelined him.
New recruit Dylan Williams gets the call from Ken Hinkley ☎ï¸#weareportadelaide pic.twitter.com/WXYcPUh1Fd
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) November 28, 2019
“We were hoping I would come back for the prelim or granny … but I had bigger things ahead so they made a decision that I’d sit out,” Williams said.
When he has made it onto the field, Williams has also attracted attention for regularly switching hairstyles.
“I like getting a bit out there haircuts, weird haircuts, I guess,” he said.
“I like having different haircuts and changing it up a bit.
“At the start of the year, I had skinny sides and I’ve had a haircut very similar to (Collingwood’s) Brayden Maynard.
“It’s pretty tame – I’ve got shaved sides and it’s longer through the back and middle.”
Williams will aim to make an impression on his new teammates and coaches during pre-season when he hopes to get his fitness up and push for an AFL spot next year.
He said his back was feeling “97 or 95 per cent” and was doing gym work and running without issues.
“I’m very excited to move over.”