Mark ‘Wilbur’ Williams back in the Sandringham box
Mark Williams coached the Zebras to three VFL premierships on the bounce. Now he’s returning to the club as part of a new role with St Kilda.
Victorian Football
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Pleasant memories came rushing back to Mark “Wilbur’’ Williams when the triple Sandringham premiership coach returned to the Trevor Barker Oval.
There was a familiar face to greet him too.
“Bruce Bowles, my team manager, is still the team manager and he even has a gym named after him now,’’ Williams said.
“He’s been a staple there for many years. Does a great job. He’s very loyal and parochial and part of the furniture really, so it was great to see him when I walked in the door.’’
Not much had changed, he said.
“The changerooms are the same, the coaches’ room is the same, there are a few more photos on the wall, the gym is better, the medical area is the same and the ground is just a little bit bigger,’’ Williams said.
“Great to go back there. (Coaching Sandringham) was a period of my life I hold very dear. We had great success. It’s a fantastic club and I was able to be a small part of the history.’’
Williams has returned to the Zebras as part of a development position with their VFL partner St Kilda.
He’s serving as a mentor to new Sandy coach Ben McGlynn and fellow Saints assistant Jake Batchelor, working with the St Kilda Academy and he’ll have a match-day role with Sandringham as forwards coach.
Williams will also act as a conduit between the clubs.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to have an influence on the relationship between the Saints and the Zebras,’’ he said.
“The alignments are still critical to the competition. It’s very important the clubs have aligned values and communicate well. It’s about working together. From all accounts they have a great relationship but from time to time issues will arise and there will be things that don’t align. Hopefully my experience in that space can help.’’
Williams spent time with new St Kilda coach Brett Ratten at Melbourne and Saints assistant Brendon Lade at Richmond.
When they were brainstorming for names to add to the coaching staff and bolster the development program, Williams’s name came up.
He was last in the AFL at Richmond, leaving at the end of 2016 after five years at Punt Rd, and was keen to join the Saints.
He has varied business interests “but the opportunity was too good to knock back’’.
“I love being involved in elite sport. Football is a passion of mine, and I was very grateful to be offered a role with the Saints and have an involvement again at Sandy,’’ Williams said.
The Zebras were aligned with Melbourne when Williams steered them to the 2004-05-06 premierships, powered by VFL players like Chad Liddell, Nick Sautner, David Gallagher, Peter Summer and Ezra Poyas.
His five years at Sandy came after a stint at Northern Bullants, where he scrapped away with stand-alone teams.
“I was very fortunate. I always say you can be a good coach if you’ve got good players, and we had fantastic players in my time,’’ he said.
“Hopefully we can make some Sandringham players great too through some solid development and success.’’
Like Williams, McGlynn, who replaces Aaron Hamill, has a good understanding of VFL alignments.
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Hawthorn drafted him from the Box Hill Hawks, and he went on to play 171 matches, 44 with the Hawks and 127 with Sydney. The 2016 AFL grand final was his last match for the Swans.
It’s early days but Williams likes what he sees in McGlynn.
“He’ll do a very good job, I think,’’ he said.
“He’s all over everything. He understands footy, he speaks well, his work ethic is fantastic, he has great relationships with the Sandy blokes and the St Kilda blokes,’’ he said.
“I really believe he’ll bring them together with his enthusiasm and his smarts. The club’s in really good hands.’’