Not to be confused with the rugby union footballer of the 1880s Richard Garnons Williams

Richard Garnons Williams

Richard Davies Garnons Williams was a Welsh international rugby union and forward who played club rugby for Brecon and Newport...

Not to be confused with the rugby union and rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s Dickie Williams

Dickie Williams

Richard "Dickie" L. Williams was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s who at club level played rugby union for Mountain Ash RFC, and Bristol RUFC, and at representative level played rugby league for Great Britain, and Wales, and at club level for...

Richard "Richie" Williams (born 31 May 1986 in Moruya, New South Wales

Moruya, New South Wales

Moruya is a small regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River, approximately 300 kilometers south of Sydney. At the 2006 census, Moruya had a population of 10,278 people. The town relies predominantly on agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism...

), is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

 footballer for the Gold Coast Titans

Gold Coast Titans

Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...

 in the NRL

National Rugby League

The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...

. He previously played for the Penrith Panthers

Penrith Panthers

The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...

 and the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Williams primarily played at five-eighth.

Controversy

In 2007, Williams was charged with assault, after an incident in the town of Narooma, New South Wales

Narooma, New South Wales

Narooma is a town in the Australian state of New South Wales on the far south coast. The town is on the Princes Highway. The name is said to be derived from the Aboriginal word meaning ‘clear blue waters’. At the 2006 census, Narooma had a population of 3,100 people.Montague Island, a National...

Also in 2007, Williams created controversy after publicly sledging rival Sydney Roosters

Sydney Roosters

The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...

 player Braith Anasta

Braith Anasta

Braith Anasta is a Greek-Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League...

 prior to a game between their respective clubs; a game in which both Williams and his club were considerably dominated by Anasta and the Roosters respectively. Williams was demoted to premier league by coach Nathan Brown soon afterwards. Williams was also involved in an altercation with controversial Bulldogs

Canterbury Bulldogs

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...

 player Willie Mason

Willie Mason

William Marshall "Willie" Mason is an Australian professional rugby union footballer for Toulon in the Top 14 competition, having previously being a rugby league footballer for Hull KR in the European Super League.Mason signed a 3-year contract with Hull KR in September 2010, pending a successful...

 over the issue.

Although Williams returned to first-grade with the Dragons, he was eventually released mid-season and signed a contract with the Panthers for the remainder of the year and 2008.

In May, 2008, Williams was sacked from the Penrith Panthers following an incident, the details of which were never released.

He also played club rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 in Sydney and made the Australian Sevens

Rugby sevens

Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...

 side.

He currently plays for the Burleigh Bears

Burleigh Bears

The Burleigh Heads Rugby League Football Club are one of the oldest rugby league football clubs on the Gold Coast, Australia. Originally formed in 1934 playing out of Rudd Park, the club relocated to Pizzey Park in 1971, their current home ground....

 in the Queensland Cup

Queensland Cup

The Queensland Cup is the premier rugby league football competition in the State of Queensland, Australia.It is a statewide competition with the majority of teams based in South East Queensland but also including sides based in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.The competition began in 1996 as a...

.

Career highlights

• First Grade Debut: 2007 - Round 1, Gold Coast Titans
  Gold Coast Titans
  Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
  
   vs Dragons at Suncorp Stadium
  Suncorp Stadium
  Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...
  
  , 18 March, scoring two tries

External links

• Richie Williams Penrith Panther profile