Tom Williamson (born 12 December 1998) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). Hailing from Ararat, Williamson played TAC Cup football with

North Ballarat North Ballarat Football & Netball Club, nicknamed ''The Roosters'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based at Mars Stadium in Ballarat. The club currently fields senior, reserve and Under 19 sides in the Ballarat Football Lea ...

until 2016. 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, and he was drafted to the AFL by with the club's fifth selection and the sixty-first overall in the 2016 national draft. Williamson quickly made his AFL debut, in round 3 of the 2017 season in the fifteen point victory against at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

. He recorded fifteen disposals and five tackles for the match. 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. Williamson saw little football over the following two seasons, with back injuries limiting him to only two senior matches in 2018 and 2019. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

-shortened season, 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. Through his career, Williamson played primarily as a dashing and rebounding half-back and occasional wingman, noted for a long and accurate field kick. After his departure from Carlton, Williamson signed a deal to play with North Melbourne's reserves for the rest of the 2022 season.

References

External links

Tom Williamson's AFL Stats page on AFL.com.au
* * 1998 births Living people Carlton Football Club players Preston Football Club (VFA) players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Greater Western Victoria Rebels players {{AFL-bio-1990s-stub