Mark Williams Biography

Mark Williams has been named as a Collingwood life member at the club's Annual General Meeting.

"The first club that recruits you over to the AFL and gives you the opportunity is the one you hold very dearly," Williams said.

"We had some great times. We had some great wins and played in KB's (Kevin Bartlett) 400th game, played in the game where there was the biggest crowd at Waverley Park

"All those sorts of things. That's only because it's Collingwood and as Eddie (McGuire) said 'It's the biggest game in town.'"

A degenerative knee injury has forced Essendon forward and former Hawk Mark Williams into immediate retirement.

"I am grateful for the career I have had at Essendon and Hawthorn and the opportunities that football has given me," Williams said.

"I would have loved to have been able to keep playing and while my injuries have not allowed me to do that, the experiences that I have had - including a premiership at Hawthorn - far outweigh that."

Essendon sends former Hawk Mark Williams in for season-ending ankle surgery.

"We have reached the conclusion that the time is right for Mark to have surgery and that will happen next week," Bombers football manager Paul Hamilton said.

"He will have his ankle operated on and will then undergo a period of rehabilitation. Having surgery now will allow him to be fit and firing and ready to go on day one of pre-season training."

Port Adelaide onballer Shaun Burgoyne will join Hawthorn next season as part of a four-club trade.

The deal will also sees Hawk forward Mark Williams sign a three-year deal with Essendon while Bomber Jay Nash moves to Port Adelaide.

Port Adelaide also receive two first-round draft picks: No.9 (from Hawthorn) and 16 (from Essendon, on-traded by Hawthorn).

Geelong, the fourth club involved in the trade, will swap draft pick 33 in exchange for three additional picks. The Cats took draft selections 40 and 56 from Port Adelaide, and 42 from Essendon.

Essendon coach Matthew Knights says the club is extremely happy to secure Mark Williams from Hawthorn.

"We wanted an x-factor forward who could fill a number of roles and Mark Williams is just that player. He kicked three goals in the 2008 grand final and five goals in the preliminary final so he can deliver on the big stage," Knights said.

"He is a great kick at goal and has recovered from the knee injury that hampered him this year. He will be a very exciting addition to our forward line and, importantly, he was very keen to come to Windy Hill."

Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams is expected to sign his contract in the next few days and stay at his beloved club.

"In between trying to negotiate contracts, what we are doing is focusing on the footy," Williams said.

"The club have got a lot of things on, I've obviously got the footy on, so next week (I'm looking to finalise the contract)."

Hawthorn forward Mark Williams says his teammates need to care for each other more in their run to the finals after a slow start to the season in 2009.

"In the first 12 games we've played it has been like a rollercoaster if someone is not chasing in the forward line or bringing the ball to the ground," he said.

"It puts our defence under a lot of pressure and hopefully we can address that.

"With 10 games to go hopefully we can get on a winning streak. We're only one game away from third and fourth position. They are still up for grabs."

Hawthorn forward Mark Williams is admonished by his coach, Alastair Clarkson, after making a choking gesture towards the end of Hawthorn's clash against Port Adelaide.

Williams' gesture resembled that made by his namesake, the coach of Port Adelaide, after the Power won the grand final in 2004 and was directed towards the coaching box after he had kicked a crucial goal late in the match.

An angry Clarkson issued an apology in the after-match press conference to his Port Adelaide counterpart.

"The gesture that our Mark Williams made at the end of the game was not in line with the way that we like to go about our footy; he knows that, our players know that," Clarkson said.

"We like to be humble and gracious in victory and certainly not put on performances like that. It's the quickest way to find the exit door at our footy club, so could I make an apology to Mark Williams of Port Adelaide and the Port Adelaide footy club because we don't accept that sort of behaviour at our club.

"I'll be expecting that our Mark Williams gives Mark Williams from the Port side a call throughout the course of this week if he'll indeed accept the call because if I was Choco Williams from Port Adelaide I don't even know if I'd want a call; we look at it pretty dimly, that sort of behaviour."

Williams later makes an attempt to contact many of the Port Adelaide players and staff to apologize for his actions.

Port Adelaide captain Warren Tredrea said it was time to move on.

"Guys who know him personally told him they thought it wasn't appropriate, but it's done now, move on," Tredrea said.

"I dare say he's probably sitting there regretting it, considering he's tried to call half of my teammates to apologise."

Mark Williams returns to football after missing most of 2007 with a knee injury.

Williams will play in the pre-season match against Sydney at Launceston.

"He adds a bit of a different dimension too, with his speed and agility he's very hard to match up on," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"If you play a guy who's tall on him he's probably too quick for them, if you play a guy with equal pace he's probably too strong in the air."