Tom Williamson (born 12 December 1998) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
| Tom Williamson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Williamson playing for Carlton in June 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 12 December 1998 | ||
| Original team(s) | North Ballarat Rebels (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 61, 2016 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 3, 2017, Carlton vs. Essendon, at Melbourne Cricket Ground | ||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2017–2022 | Carlton | 44 (4) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2022. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Hailing from Ararat, Williamson played TAC Cup football with North Ballarat until 2016.[1] At the draft combine that year he scored particularly well in fitness indicators including placing first in the agility test and finishing second in the 3 km time trial,[1] and he was drafted to the AFL by Carlton with the club's fifth selection and the sixty-first overall in the 2016 national draft.[1]
Williamson quickly made his AFL debut, in round 3 of the 2017 season in the fifteen point victory against Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[2] He recorded fifteen disposals and five tackles for the match.[3] He managed 15 games in his debut season, and finished the season with stat averages of 12 disposals, 3 marks, 2 tackles and 1 spoil.[4]
Williamson saw little football over the following two seasons, with back injuries limiting him to only two senior matches in 2018 and 2019.[5] Nevertheless, he earned a two-year contract extension, signifying him as one of Carlton's long-term prospects. He made a return to regular senior football in 2020, playing 15 of Carlton's 17 games in the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season,[6] then played 11 of 22 games in 2021.
After playing only one game as an unused medical substitute in early 2022, Williamson took a leave of absence from the club in June due to undisclosed personal reasons, before retiring altogether one month later.[7] Through his career, Williamson played primarily as a dashing and rebounding half-back and occasional wingman, noted for a long and accurate field kick.[8]
It was reported in October 2023 that his leave of absence was amid a criminal investigation into his behaviour outside of his career. Williamson plead guilty in Melbourne Magistrates Court to a series of charges including “stalking a woman with the intention of causing her harm or fear.”
After his departure from Carlton, Williamson signed a deal to play with North Melbourne's reserves for the rest of the 2022 season.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Pick 61: Tom Williamson". Carlton Medi. Bigpond. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Final team: Williamson to debut". Carlton Media. Bigpond. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ Twomey, Cal (9 April 2017). "Carlton Vs Essendon". AFL Media. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Stats Pro". afl.com.au. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Tom's will unwavering". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ "Tom Williamson". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ "Blues defender to step away from football". Australian Football League. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ Cristian Filippo (15 February 2021). "One year on: Tom's time to shine". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ Keating, Mitch (15 July 2022). "Recently departed Carlton defender Tom Williamson links up with Roos' reserves". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
External links
edit- Tom Williamson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
