In doing so, he established an AFL record for most matches played by a player before being in a premiership side, with the Grand Final having been his 294th game.
Reasons cited for his retirement were the fact that his family was based in Melbourne, and that more opportunities for selection to younger players such as Tim Schmidt and Paul Bevan was important for the club.
[6] On 11 July 2006, senior coach of Sydney Swans Paul Roos reported at a press conference that Williams was a chance to be rested for the forthcoming game against West Coast.
While at the Bulldogs, Williams served three matches as caretaker senior coach after Rodney Eade left the club before the end of the 2011 season.
Williams shifted to a midfield assistant coaching role at the Carlton Football Club in 2012 on a two-year contract,[12] but was sacked after one unsuccessful season.