RUGBY LEAGUE: His grandfather played, his father played, his cousin plays and he's grown up with a footy in his hand, so there's no doubt Tre Williams was going to play footy himself. But the whole Williams family was glowing after he stepped onto GIO Stadium to help the Canberra Raiders Holden Cup team defeat the Cronulla Sharks 24-22 in his debut game last weekend.
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Williams has grown up following the Raiders and looks up to NRL players like Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston and said he is wrapped to be on his way to becoming a rugby league great like his idols and playing on his childhood team's home turf.
The 17-year-old enjoys a run in the fullback position, but made his debut for the Green Machine at halfback, he has been described as a "promising halfback" and "proved pivotal" in the win over the Sharks, scoring a try and setting up two others.
"It was harder and faster than I was expecting, but I scored a try, which was pretty cool," Williams said.
The Karabar High School year 12 student signed a three-year contract with the Raiders earlier in the year and was recently selected as the winger for the Australian Schoolboys team.
Williams represented NSW Schoolboys earlier in the month for the 18 Years Championships and clearly impressed- he will travel to Brisbane in September to play in a two-match test against New Zealand.
He started his career in under-7s with the Kempsey Dragons, on the Mid-North Coast with his cousin Tyronne Roberts-Davis, who has gone on to play for the Gold Coast Titans under-20s team.
Williams and Queensland Schoolboys representative Roberts-Davis played against each other recently and given Roberts-Davis' alliances with the Titans Williams is likely to clash with him in the Holden Cup, but the pair will play together once again when they both represent Australia in September.
"I've been trying to get in the Australian team since I was 15, so I'm pretty excited to make it," he said.
After moving to Queanbeyan in 2007 Williams played for the Roos, but has been involved with the Canberra Raiders from a young age, also playing in S.G Ball competitions.
Like many aspiring Rugby League champs Williams dreams of representing his country at the highest level, but is currently just enjoying the ride.
"At the moment my main goal is to get into the Raiders [NRL] squad and I'd love to play for Australia and play [State of Origin]," he said.
"I'd hoped [I'd make it this far], but it's still just for fun- I'll see where my career takes me."
