Williams the brainchild behind Manly United’s success

Manly United has been a team that’s grown year after year, finally securing a Grand Final spot after years of just missing out.

Chris Williams is the man at the helm and he’s helped United come within touching distance of the Championship trophy.

Williams is through and through Manly, spending the last 14 years on and off with the club in both boys and girls football.

I’ve gone away to coach overseas and whenever I have returned to Australia, I have returned to Manly.

It’s a great club, our facilities are second to none in our league and my Technical Director, Sharon Egger, is in my opinion, one of the best in NSW if not Australia.

‘I think we’re building something great at Manly and the challenge for us now is to achieve sustained success in the future.’

United have had a fantastic season, finishing second in the league, just behind their finals opponent’s Macarthur Rams.

‘It’s been a great season for Manly, I’m very proud of what the players have achieved in such a tough league – a Grand Final place for the players is a deserved reward.

‘We’ve played some outstanding football at times but we have also shown that we can be resilient and grind out results when we need to as well.

‘We’ve shown continuous improvement over the past few years finishing fourth, then third last year and second this season and I think the approach that the club has taken over the past few years in taking a long-term view and trying to develop our own youth players is starting to pay off.’

And that long-term view, led by technical director Sharon Egger and her coaching staff at the club has seen some outstanding talents emerge from the youth ranks.

‘12 of the 16 in our squad for the Semi Final last weekend were Manly juniors – I’m very proud of that fact. We’re building a good environment where young, hungry players can come and enjoy their football while improving and developing as footballers.

‘We have a great mix of young players and some players who have been at the club for 10+ years and the players have bought into how we wanted them to play this year and have been superb all year.’

One name jumps out at most people when they see the team list is the super-talented teenager Remy Siemsen, who has made her way through the club’s youth production line to become a Westfield W-League star and current NAB Young Footballer of the Year.

‘I think everyone knows that Remy Siemsen is a fantastic player but I think our strength is that we are a good team, not just a bunch of good players.

‘We’ve got talent right through our 16-18 players first grade squad. The likes of Ally Green, Tash Prior, Chloe O’Brien, Nik Orgill, Sunny Franco and Sophie Nenadovic are all top quality while we have some older heads in Bella Walker, our captain, Alice Wilson and Jess Sekulich who have been at the club for years and are fantastic players.’

Williams has a great respect for the Macarthur Rams and acknowledges the talent and power they possess in their side.

‘The Rams are a great team. They have quality right through their team and we’ve always had good battles, not just this year, but over the past few years against them and they are a team that we respect very much.

‘Again, much like us, I think they have quality all over the park, the spine of their team in the Khamis sisters, Ledbrook, Polias, Maksuti, Harrison and the Ralstons are all at Matilda-level.

‘So we’ll have to be at our best to win.’

One of those quality players that will be missing from the Rams side is Kylie Ledbrook due to suspension, something the Manly coach does not agree with.

‘Any team would miss a player of her quality and it’s a shame for her to miss the Grand Final. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone after such a tough season – for me the two-yellow card rule in semi-final football is a ridiculous one.

‘However the one thing we know about Macarthur is that they have quality players throughout the park and I’m sure they’ll still be as good and as tough as ever to play.’

The Manly coach is confident the final will be a competitive and fantastic clash between two great on-field rivals.

‘I think it will be a great match. The two top teams all year in the Grand Final – so we’re really looking forward to it.

‘We’ll have a plan and if we continue to play and work hard like we have all year, we’ll be in with a shout.’

-By Nikola Pozder