LIAM PHILLIPS
DAKOTA Williams has been at Willaston since the beginning of its women’s program, and at 16, she already has a senior flag under her belt and the crown of Player of the Tournament at this month’s SA Country Championships.
Williams has always been a multi-sport athlete, but said she knew she had stumbled onto something when she was convinced to play in a school football carnival in 2017.
“My PE teacher Matty Bradley asked me to join for a school carnival, and I really enjoyed it,” she said.
“Growing up I didn’t play any contact sports – I did dance, netball and horse-riding – so when I got my first taste of footy it was really different, and I enjoyed the physicality of it.
“At the time (Bradley) was coaching for the Gawler Central team, and he was trying to recruit as many girls as possible, but I was already playing netball for Willaston, and when I saw we
were getting a football team I decided to stay.”
Williams took to football like a duck to water, becoming one of the senior league’s most ferocious tacklers and contested ball winners, and with a massive influx of SANFL talent into the
BL&G this season, she has had the opportunity to learn and develop alongside some incredible talent.
“Having the SANFL girls at the club has been really good because they have so much knowledge from where they’ve been and what they’ve done,” she said.
“Someone like (Katelyn Rosenzweig) has been around everywhere, and has been coached by so many different people, so there are all these different views and inputs on how to do things –
I’m learning off more than one person.
“Lauren Smith was our runner in the Country Championships and she was teaching us set plays and different ways we can get the ball out of the middle – junior girls footy can be so chaotic and
there’s not a lot of structure, so getting to learn the mental side of the game from someone like Lauren is so valuable.”
The talented midfielder turned heads at the Country Championships playing for Central zone, being named co-Best Young Player of the Tournament, and co-Player of the Tournament along with Murray South East’s Ella Little.
Williams said she wasn’t sure what to expect going into the carnival, but realised pretty quickly that she was at the level required.
“I went out there to have fun, honestly,” she said.
“I felt like it was some of the best games I’ve played this season, but I didn’t have the mentality that I needed to be the best player or anything.
“It was exciting to just get out there and play with different people – I’ve been at Willaston for so long that I’ve played with most of my teammates for years now, so getting a chance to learn how other people play and make new friends was a great experience on its own.
“Because I didn’t know how they would play, I figured I’d go out there with a bang. I believe my tackle pressure was really good in the first game, and once I realised they weren’t as advanced
as I thought they’d be I was a lot more comfortable.”
Not currently on an SANFL list, Williams is hoping that will soon change, with plans to take her footy as far as she can.
“I’m planning on going out to the Central District preseason later this year, and hopefully I can make the side and actually get my debut game as well,” she said.
“I’d like to make the state team, and I hope to become part of the draft as well… but a lot of what I’ve learned this year has been mental, and knowing that my best
is enough, so we’ll see what happens.”
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