Mark Williams Hawthorn Aflw Role: Williams Takes New Development Post

Mark Williams Hawthorn AFLW role is set to begin with Hawthorn unveiling the 67-year-old as its new head of women's development. It will be his first AFLW role, and he joins Dan Webster's staff after stepping away from Melbourne last August.

Williams Joins Webster's Staff

Williams brings a long coaching record into the job. He guided Port Adelaide to its only AFL premiership in 2004, then spent 15 seasons in assistant and development roles at Greater Western Sydney, Richmond and Melbourne.

He also entered the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2023. Across his career, he has combined senior coaching with development work, which is the lane Hawthorn is asking him to fill now.

Hawthorn's 2025 Push

Hawthorn finished 2025 with a 9-3 campaign and landed in the top four, but its finals run ended in straight sets. That leaves the club looking for more from a program that has already moved into premiership contention.

Williams arrives after Hawthorn's 2025 season showed both progress and a hard edge at the end. The club now adds a premiership coach and Hall of Fame inductee to the same AFLW program, with his role centered on women's development rather than match-day coaching.

From SANFL To AFLW

Before his coaching career, Williams played at SANFL and VFL level with West Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and the Brisbane Bears. He won four SANFL premierships and two Collingwood best and fairests, a playing record that matches the breadth of the job Hawthorn is handing him.

The move extends a career that has already run through senior coaching, development work and premiership success. For Hawthorn, the practical next step is clear: Williams slots into Webster's staff as the club keeps building around a team that finished top four in 2025.