Delisted Cat Zane Williams has called on the AFL to offer longer-term deals for players snapped up in the Mid-Season Draft, after lasting less than four months at Geelong.
Williams was taken from the SANFL to join Geelong in June, but wasn’t able to “prove himself” in such a short period of time before being delisted days after the Cats’ grand final success.
“Three months isn’t long enough to prove yourself, I think I had eight games to prove myself, ” he said on SEN SA.
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“I’m still a kid developing, I’m not where near a fully finished product. You’d like a pre-season just to prove yourself and get used to a new system.
“I had to learn 60 different names and a different game style and had to move away from home, that all adds up and I think I understand that, but it must have been a tricky spot with list spots … you understand that.
“When you’re a young kid – and I still classify myself as a young kid – you’ve got to be given time to develop your body and all that. Unfortunately I wasn’t given that.
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Williams was one of 17 players picked up in the 2022 Mid-Season Draft – and is now one of three already delisted.
While 18 of the 22 players taken in 2021 stayed on an AFL list for this season, just four players snapped up in the 2019 Mid-Season Draft are still at their club.
One of those being West Aussie Marlion Pickett, who despite being sidelined by a finger injury, was snapped up by Richmond mid-season before going on to debut in the 2019 Grand Final win after strong VFL form – where the Tigers and Pickett also claimed the flag.
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“(The coaches) just said go out and play because obviously they wanted to see what I had/what I could bring, ” Williams added.
“I got told I was doing a lot of things right and I guess I didn’t really get told until the exit meeting what I was doing wrong.
“My main thing was to put on a little bit of strength. It was a bit of a surprise, but it is what it is.”
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Williams, who moved in with a host family after the Cats didn’t have a player for him to live with, said he was grateful to have “balance” outside of the game.
Williams said he was focused on returning to the SANFL with an AFL club yet to express interest for the 2023 season.
“(The coaches) just said go out and play because obviously they wanted to see what I had/what I could bring, ” Williams added.
“I got told I was doing a lot of things right and I guess I didn’t really get told until the exit meeting what I was doing wrong.
“My main thing was to put on a little bit of strength. It was a bit of a surprise, but it is what it is.”
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Williams, who moved in with a host family after the Cats didn’t have a player for him to live with, said he was grateful to have “balance” outside of the game.
Williams said he was focused on returning to the SANFL with an AFL club yet to express interest for the 2023 season.