GWS set to unleash ‘Dash Brothers’ Zac Williams and Lachie Whitefield in dynamic combination
GWS are set to unleash the ‘Dash Brothers’, Zac Williams and Lachie Whitfield to combine as a double-act off the halfback line.
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GWS coach Leon Cameron will consider unleashing the most lethal breakaway halfback-line in the league against Essendon on Sunday.
Speed demons Zac Williams and Lachie Whitfield spent six years in Sydney as housemates where they would routinely jump out from behind doors trying to scare each other for laughs.
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But now the prank artists are set to join forces and it’s the Bombers who could be given the fright of their lives.
Dubbed ‘The Dash Brothers’, the elite skills and blinding pace of Williams and Whitfield off the halfback flanks shapes as the most devastating transition counterpunch combination in the AFL.
Williams’ absence for all but the final two matches of 2018, opened the door for Whitfield to play off halfback and catapult himself into the All-Australian team.
Evidence from the pre-season indicates Williams has lost none of his lightning footwork despite missing the best part of a year with an achilles rupture.
Rather than switching Whitfield back to the wing to accommodate Williams, Cameron is flirting with the idea of combining his dynamic duo in a strategy to send shivers up the spine.
“Obviously I wasn’t playing last year and it was an experiment Lachie going back to the halfback,” said Williams.
“But he dominated last year playing that role and I think Leon feels comfortable whether we’re both playing off halfback or if I’m halfback and Lachie is I the midfield.
“Lachie and I have lived together since we first moved to Sydney. We’re sort of like annoying brothers to each other, but in saying that when we’re on the field it’s like we don’t think about (our chemistry).
“It just happens and he always pops up when I get the footy and vice versa.”
The only risk with playing the duo off halfback might be their defending one-on-one.
But the AFL’s dramatic rule changes this year are designed to quicken up the game and the Giants’ — already renowned for their dynamic style — could become perilous to defend in transition up the middle of the field.
One of the most naturally gifted players in the competition, Williams admits he did initially feared some of his sharpness might be lost due to the achilles rupture. But is now confident he’s lost none of his potency.
“Yeah it was always in the back of my mind but I did all the work beforehand and got fit and did all the things I need to do in rehab,” he said.
“I guess in the back of my mind the thought was always there whether I was going to be the same player or whether something else was going to happen. But once I played that first NEAFL game I thought to myself, ‘Nope, I’ve got through this game, I’m going to be fine.’
“I feel great. I’m ready to go.”
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