After 6 years with Port Adelaide, Willem has already experienced his fair share of highs and lows of the game. Held back by injuries early in his career, Willem’s dedication and resilience has seen the midfielder emerge to the point where he is consistently part of the Power’s starting 18.
“I’m absolutely pumped.” He says of the re-signing. “Looking back on last year, I was able to play every game, and play in a preliminary final as well. While it’s something I’m really proud of, I still feel like I’ve got a lot to learn and a lot to improve on.”
Willem’s success has come off the back of a lot of hard work. He puts in his all, whether it be for preseason preparations, training or game day. “I’m definitely not the flashiest player or the most skilled. For me, I just try to focus on working as hard as I can, and doing the basic things well.”
Resilience, however, is a character strength that has carried him through his journey to date. His struggle with foot injuries through the early years of his career saw him frequently off the ground. While he admits that these times were tough, he remained confident that he would return throughout his rehabilitation by simply having a practical attitude.
“Obviously, it’s the last thing you want to do is be in rehab. Sometimes you’re in there by yourself, just grinding away, and it becomes a bit of a slog. Finding different ways to learn, so you can keep trying to improve even when you’re not running, makes it that much more rewarding when you get back to playing games.”
Winning is a massive one as well but being able to celebrate that wouldn’t be the same without the relationships you build along the way. Being able to compete and celebrate with your mates.
Willem also acknowledges the support around him, from his family and friends, and those right through the Port Adelaide Football Club. “I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without all those people.” He comments.
Instilling his work ethic and resilience, Willem attributes to his upbringing. “Dad’s been an extremely hard worker and so has Mum. So I definitely think they would be up there with the main ones. Also my older brother and older sister have taught me a lot. I’ve looked up to them all through my childhood. They’re two people I look up to and ask for advice on anything.”
Coaching wise, Willem also appreciated the influence of teachers Noel Mugavin and Ben Walsh; and his Koroit Football Club coach Chris McLaren. “They were always pushing you to get better and to keep working on different aspects of your game. But more just in life in general. How they were and how they treated people. You just latch onto and learn from that.”
His memories of representing Emmanuel College on the football field are filled with fun and mates.
“Looking back on the footy trips when you’d go to Melbourne. . . just the amount of fun we had playing. The best thing for me was just playing with your best mates.” He says. “My friendship group from Emmanuel, I’m really close with. They are still my best mates today.”
While football was certainly an early boyhood passion, Willem didn’t really consider it a career option until his final year of school. “I think I’d always dreamt of playing but, whether that was a reality was a bit of a stretch up until Year 12. I hadn’t made any Vic Country squads or anything until my top age year. So it all sort of happened pretty quickly.”
Since the National Draft in 2016, Willem has been a loyal member of the Port Adelaide FC and is grateful for how the Club continues to support him in his development.
“The club has been fantastic to me, ever since I got here. When you first come into a Club not really knowing what to expect, but here everyone makes you feel welcome. You soon realise that your teammates who you looked up to growing up, are just normal blokes. I really love going into the Club every day and working with some of my best mates, so it’s a really great place and great environment.” He explains.
The City of Adelaide has also been a good fit for the young player. Growing up on the coast, he particularly appreciates the beaches. “The lifestyle really suits me. It’s not too busy, it’s not too big. It’s a big country town. It’s very relaxing, and there’s still a lot of things to do as well. So it’s great.”
“I’m really grateful that I get another two years in Adelaide. I’m looking to hopefully cement my spot in the team and build a career out of football.”
Off field, Willem is completing a business course, and finds downtime from footy on the golf course. His practical and confident approach to life is “Just trying to enjoy everything I do, and not take anything for granted.”
His love for Aussie Rules runs across many levels. He particularly highlights the relationships formed along the way. This evident throughout our interview, whether he is talking about his team at Port Adelaide, or Koroit, or with his school mates at Emmanuel.
“Winning is a massive one as well but being able to celebrate that wouldn’t be the same without the relationships you build along the way. Being able to compete and celebrate with your mates.”
When Willem gets the opportunity to return home, he often pops in here at Emmanuel to say hello, and share some of his learnings with students of our High Performance Training Program. His overriding message to students is “Enjoy what you do. It’s a pretty simple one. There’s no point doing something that you don’t enjoy.”
