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Greg "Diesel" Williams (born September 30 , 1963 ) was a former champion Australian Rules Football er with the Sydney Swans , Geelong Football Club and the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian/Australian Football League . Nicknamed "Diesel" for his hard working, slow but effective playing, Williams holds the record for disposals in an AFL match with 51 (23 kicks and 28 handballs). HONORS Williams is a dual Brownlow Medal winner as the Best And Fairest player in the league. He won his first Brownlow with the Sydney Swans in 1986 with 17 votes (a record low for the winner) and the second with Carlton in 1994 with 30 votes (close to the highest ever). He is also a dual VFL/AFL Players Association Most Valuable Player award winner (with Carlton in 1994), and a Norm Smith Medal winner with Carlton in 1995 as best on ground during the Grand Final . He is also a 6 time All-Australian Team member. He was not selected in the AFL's Indigenous Team Of The Century , although this is more than likely due to the fact that he has never publicly admitted having Aboriginal ancestry rather than not warranting selection due to his achievements on the football field {Link without Title} . In 2001 Williams was inducted into the Australian Football Hall Of Fame . CONTROVERSY Greg Willaims was a noted offender in the VFL/AFL, being found guilty by the tribunal on ten occasions and suspended for a total of 30 matches. The bulk of these penalties were for striking. The most controversial moment of his career came in 1997, his final season. In Round 1 immediately after the final siren of the Easter Monday Carlton vs Essendon game, Williams was involved in some verbal absue with longtime rival player was suspended for sixteen matches for headbutting an umpire. Carlton appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court where it was overturned, allowing Williams to continue playing through the season. The decision handed down by Justice Hedigan included many recommendations for improving the AFL tribunal process and led in part to the establishment of an appeals process. {Link without Title} The AFL decided to pursue Williams' case further through the Australian legal system to try to get Williams' nine week suspension reinstated. Such a move had rarely, if ever, been made before in the VFL/AFL (outside of charges which were punishable under assault laws.) The AFL eventually won the case in the Victorian Court of Appeal with a split decision, four months after the incident had occurred. Carlton then went to High Court Of Australia is a bid for a stay of the ruling by the court of appeal, but this was not granted and Williams' season, and playing career, was over as he retired at the end of the 1997 season. In total, the appeals process cost Carlton over $400,000. {Link without Title} EXTERNAL LINKS |
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