Persistent and professional are two words that sum up Jack Williams, with the tradesmanlike Sharks forward to play his 100th NRL game against the Warriors in Auckland on Friday.
Always reliable in the middle, Williams has rebounded from two long-term injuries during his first-grade career and emerged mentally stronger.
Hailing from Cooma near the Snowy Mountains, the 27-year-old came through the juniors at the Raiders, earned his NRL debut for Cronulla against his former club in 2018 and has established himself as an impactful interchange player.
A torn pectoral that curtailed his debut campaign and shoulder surgery that limited him to six matches in 2022 have been speedbumps in his journey, but Williams is feeling more assured than ever on the field as he enters his seventh season.
"The confidence level for myself is probably at an all-time high," Williams said, crediting the culture under coach Craig Fitzgibbon and his staff.
"Last year was probably that turning point where I actually believed I could be in this team every week. I feel like I proved it (playing 24 games)."
Williams will have strong support in the stands at Go Media Stadium for his milestone given his mother's family is from New Zealand, with his grandparents, great nan, aunties and uncles among those set to cheer him on proudly.
His other grandfather, parents and daughter will also make the trip from Australia.
"I'll have a bit of a pack there," Williams said.
"It'll be good, it'll be like a little family reunion we haven't had in a while."
Reflecting on his career to date, the unassuming Williams nominated his NRL debut in a 24-16 win over the Raiders at GIO Stadium in round 10, 2018 as the highlight.
To top off the game, he scored a try in front of his loved ones.
"The try was handed to me on a platter by Val (Holmes)," Williams said.
"I remember it was like a bat-back (from a kick) and I was just in the right place at the right time and got to score underneath the sticks pretty much.
"It was a cool occasion. Canberra's the closest city to Cooma, so I had a lot of friends and family there on the day. To play against the old club was pretty cool too."
A Cooma Colts junior, Williams paid tribute to his parents for ferrying him to various training sessions and matches as a youngster.
But he reserved special praise for the role his wife Meg has played in his success.
"She's been there pretty much from the get-go too. She's been there through the highs and the lows and kept me on track," Williams said.
"She cooks, cleans, does everything for me and raises our little girl and myself. She's been huge. She's the biggest supporter I have and I love her."
As for the future, Williams is keeping his goals simple.
"The main one is probably trying to stay injury-free and consistently be in the team each week," he said. "I know that our team can do big things and I think this year we can definitely shake it up and go better than we did last year.
"I love it here. The culture is crazy; the guys, the staff, the whole club is unreal. I think it's been a massive shift in the last couple of years.
"To be able to play 100 games for the club, I really appreciate the time that I've had so far and hopefully I can repay them with another good season this year."
