Whispering Jack: No frills, no fanfare for Sharks' centurion

Type 'Jack Williams' into a Google search and all you'll find are some extended try highlights and injury updates and that’s exactly how the no-frills forward likes it.

Set to make his 100th NRL appearance in Auckland on Friday, the quintessential country bloke admits he’s already finding himself shying away from any extra spotlight that comes with such a milestone.

A consistent workhorse off the bench for Cronulla, Williams' 184cm, 98kg frame can’t be missed on the footy field but the 27-year-old said he is more than happy living life out of the limelight.  

“I think I'm just a bit of an introvert, to be honest,” Williams told NRL.com.

“I'm not a big stature player so I sort of like to keep to myself, put the work in and do my job.

“I don't really like posting too much about myself or my wife and daughter or anything like that on social media and I have a private account, so I sort of try and stay out of all of that.

"At the same time, you know, there's probably people who don't really like me as a player, fan-wise, and there's always messages that get sent on social media so I just try and stay off it.

“When you dive into all that mental health stuff, I think the first thing is probably to stay away from all that negative noise and everything. So that's probably why I'm a bit of a quieter player in that sense."

After earning Raiders' NYC Player of the Year in 2016, Williams signed with the Sharks the next year and the new kid on the block was quick to turn heads in the gym.

Instantly dubbed Paul Gallen’s heir as Cronulla’s strongest man and the player to fill the club legend’s shoes at lock, Williams said he struggled with suggestions of being a successor before having even made his NRL debut.

“Gal did push me when I first got there and I think that's where the gym stuff came from,” Williams said.

“I do have some natural strength and he lifts big numbers in the gym so I think he sort of took me under his wing a bit.

“But I wasn’t a fan of the comparisons. I obviously idolised him as a player and the person he is, but it didn’t seem right considering the player he was and what he did in the game.

“I think it's taken me a while to be honest, to build my own character in the game and the confidence Fitzy has given me has played a passive part in that.

“I wasn't very confident as a player when I first came in and it's taken a few years to develop that and I think having Fitzy and the staff that we've got now, my confidence is at an all-time high.”

Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said when he arrived at the club in 2022 he knew Williams had long been touted for his potential but believes the versatile forward is capable of reaching new heights with another injury-free season.

“When Jack left Canberra to come here, people were looking at the potential of him but it takes a while,” Fitzgibbon told NRL.com.

“You’ll hear a lot about Dale [Finucane] and Cam [McInnes] and their preparation and training, Jack is exactly like that.

“He doesn’t compromise, turns up every day to train hard and get work done and he’s a trustworthy performer.

“Jack’s low-maintenance, no frills and was one of our most consistent performers last year. But that’s his standard line and he’s still working in how he can push himself to what he’s capable of.”

Williams had hoped his 100th would be celebrated in a semi-final last season but if there was a silver lining in the elimination final loss to the Roosters it was the fact he will now raise the ton at Go Media Stadium on Friday with both sides of his family present.

“My mum is actually from New Zealand, so I've got half my family over there already and then mum, dad, my wife and my grandfather are all going over there too," he said.

“Mum’s family are down south in Tauranga, so it's probably panned out a better outcome than anywhere else because I've got my grandparents who are over there and are a bit older to travel.

“All my family over in New Zealand have supported me over the last nine years, throughout my juniors and professional career.

“They actually haven’t missed one of my games over there, they’ve been to every single one, so it's great they can enjoy this one too.

“I think the milestone is bigger for my family than it is myself. So for everyone to be there and share that with me, I think that is going to be the coolest thing and sort of like a reunion for my family too.”