AFL 2020: Marley Williams takes a swing at Kangaroos after being delisted

Delisted Kangaroo Marley Williams has accused the Kangaroos of ‘using’ former coach Rhyce Shaw in exit meetings that left some players in tears.

Former Roo Marley Williams has slammed the exit process at North Melbourne, declaring “it was handled in the wrong way” after what he labelled a “shambles” of a season.

Williams was one of 11 Roos who were delisted in a fell swoop as soon as the season ended, and said that he remained “not happy with the process”.

“I’m definitely not happy with the process, I think there could have been a lot more communication between the guys that weren’t going to get a contract,” he said on SEN.

“I can guarantee they would have known we weren’t going to be there earlier and it would have been nice if some of the boys would have been worded up a bit earlier … and not a two or three-minute chat.

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Williams played 128 AFL games, at Collingwood and then North Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

“Guys like Majak (Daw), who thought he was going to get another contract – give him 45 minutes and not a three-minute chat.

“I think it was handled in the wrong way. I think the communication could have been better. It was a tough time for the whole club.”

And it was emotional.

“There was a lot of tears after (the exit meetings),” Williams said.

“I think everyone just held it in until we were on the beers and the beers let it out of them.”

The ex-Pie and Kangaroo said it was “tough” looking back on the call now that then-senior coach Rhyce Shaw – who has since departed the club to deal with his mental health – was no longer at the helm, leaving players to wonder “what if” had they stayed on under new coach David Noble.

Williams accused North Melbourne of “using” former senior coach Rhyce Shaw as the messenger for bad news. Picture: Getty Images

And he accused the club hierarchy of “using” Shaw as the messenger of bad news.

“Shawy was going through a lot and I hope he’s doing a lot better now … it was tough knowing that he wasn’t in the right mental state, I don’t think he was, to make a call like that,” he said.

“I think it was higher up making the calls and they were just using him as the voice to cut people.”

Williams said he had preliminary interest from Greater Western Sydney after his delisting but had signed with Port Melbourne Colts in the Southern Football League for 2021.

He said he had “lost the fun” in football in 2020 which he hoped to recapture.

“One hundred per cent I lost the fun. This year killed me,” Williams said.

“There was 11 of us (who were cut). The fun went out of the game. It was tough for everyone.

“It’s hard to explain how hard it was unless you’re up there (in the hub). I guess it would have been a lot easier if we were winning and I was playing.

“We won three games, which I didn’t know … I guess the year was just a shambles. I’ve just sort of forgotten about AFL footy and I had no idea that we only won three games.”

Originally published as AFL 2020: Marley Williams takes a swing at Kangaroos after being delisted