He became the first Canterbury local international when he was selected on the 1952–53 Kangaroo tour, and was the Berries’ standout player in a dark era for the club.

Willey later coached Balmain from 1977 to 1979, North Sydney from 1980 to 1982 (with whom he guided the club to their first finals series in 17 years) and Souths from 1983 to 1985 but was unable to repeat premiership success.

In his final season at Penrith, Willey guided the club to a second-placed finish but the Panthers were knocked out in straight sets by eventual grand finalists Balmain and Canberra.

[3] Willey coached English side Bradford Northern for a short stint and led them to the Premiership final and success in the Yorkshire Cup in 1989–90.

Willey's grandson is fellow rugby league footballer Anthony Don, a fullback/winger who played over 150 games for the Gold Coast Titans from 2013 to 2021.