Footy legends to relive rivalry

TASMANIAN AFL champion Paul Williams will play in his first Relive the Rivalry game this weekend, but it won’t be his last — as long as his ageing body makes it through the game.

The charity match is a pseudo replay of Tasmania’s upset win over Victoria in a State of Origin match in 1990.

Into its sixth year, Relive the Rivalry will visit UTAS Stadium in Launceston for the first time on Saturday and this year’s batch of former stars include Williams, Matthew Richardson, Michael O’Loughlin, and Stephen Milne.

Williams started his career with North Hobart before going on to play more than 300 AFL games, winning a premiership with Sydney and being named in the Tasmanian Team of the Century. He made his AFL debut the year after the famous 1990 match, but was in the crowd at North Hobart.

He is “super excited” to pull on the Tassie jumper for the first time in about 20 years and just hopes to make it through the game, having been retired for more than a decade.

“This will be my first, and definitely not my last — it depends how well I pull up, let’s qualify that,” Williams said.

“As long as I don’t do my groin in the first five minutes, that’s all I care about.

“We’re going to do some stuff behind the ball, I can’t wait to get Mick O’Loughlin, I’m going to get him, no doubt about that. It will be a bit of fun.”

Money raised goes to Muscular Dystrophy Tasmania. The match starts at 5.30pm.