AFL Outer East: Monbulk signs AFL 116-gamer Andrew Williams as its new senior coach

Monbulk has taken a big step towards developing its promising young list and carving a place for itself in the new AFL Outer-East competition with the naming of AFL 116-gamer Andrew Williams as its senior coach.

Andrew Williams celebrates after kicking a goal for West Coast against St Kilda.

Monbulk has taken a big step towards developing its promising young list and carving a place for itself in the new AFL Outer-East competition with the naming of AFL 116-gamer Andrew Williams as its senior coach.

After finishing seventh in a hotly contested AFL Yarra Ranges Division 1 season this year, just a game and percentage outside the five, Monbulk will line-up in the second-tier Division 1 when the new league, which blends the AFL Yarra Ranges and the South-East Football Netball League, kicks off next season.

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New Monbulk coach Andrew Williams gets a handball away against Hawthorn’s Kris Barlow during his time with Collingwood.

But with an abundance of young talent — Monbulk’s under-16s dominated the competition and won the flag this year while some 11 under-18s and one under-16 had a run with the senior side — the club has plenty to look forward to and will be knocking on the Premier Division door.

The Hawks and Williams were meant to be.

“After three years in the VFL and learning the system and developing my coaching, I thought I was ready to see what was out there in the coaching world,” Williams said. “I took a phone call and it rolled on from there.

“It (the Monbulk job) seemed like a really good fit. They have a lot of young kids coming through who look like they are ready to develop.

Monbulk’s premiership winning under-16s Picture: Bethany Hutchison

“They are keen and they want to learn the game. It’s now about identifying parts of your game where you can take it to the next level, especially with the young guys, and then working on those individual parts.

“Plus Beaconsfield (home) is only 25 minutes up the hill and, with the two leagues coming together, it’s a pretty exciting time.”

Williams, originally hailing from Doveton and the Dandenong Stingrays, played 84 games for the West Coast Eagles between 1998-2002 and then another 32 at Collingwood from 2003-2005.

He then won a flag with Williamstown in the VFL and will bring some handy SEFNL knowledge with him to Monbulk after a playing stint at Beaconsfield.

More recently he has worked as head of development and senior assistant at VFL’s Northern Blues under Josh Fraser, who also has links to the league after playing for Seville this season.

“He still enjoys having a run around,” Williams said. “And I came out and saw him in the grand final and a few of the finals.

Andrew Williams flies for Beaconsfield

“He’s been enormous for me in my footy development. The learning and the development in my coaching in my early days, I can’t thank him enough.”

Williams is eager to be part of the blank canvass that is the newly-created AFL Outer-East.

“It will be interesting to see where the league is at,” he said. “It will be a good test of where the clubs are at at present.

“After just missing the finals last year and being so competitive gives us (Monbulk) such excitement about what next year will bring.

“The bigger grounds of the SEFNL clubs and the smaller tighter Yarra Ranges grounds with a real contested brand of footy.”