REJUVENATED Bulldog Tom Williams has revealed an earnest chat over coffee and cake with coach Brendan McCartney helped set him on the path to an AFL return.

The oft-injured Williams partly attributes his refreshed outlook on the game to McCartney's sensitivity and guidance during an impromptu home visit just hours after dislocating his shoulder in the NAB Cup.

McCartney's decision to trial him as a forward has released the shackles on his creativity, Williams told AFL.com.au.

Williams has been impressive in his first three games back after a shoulder reconstruction, with his reinvention as a key forward being among the few positives for the battling Bulldogs in recent weeks.

But, from the outside at least, it was difficult to be positive about Williams' playing future when he fell awkwardly and dislocated his right shoulder in the opening minutes of his first NAB Cup game of the season (against Carlton). Even he thought, 'Here we go again.'

   

But he said McCartney could not have been more supportive.

   
"I was living at home by myself and when I got home (that night), 'Macca' brought around a coffee and some cake and had a bit of a chat with me," Williams said.

   

"He wasreally supportive of where I was at, and he let me know a few things I could do around the club in the meantime to stay involved and help out my teammates,especially the young guys.

   
"People outside the club don't see those things but it helped me sleep better at night knowing I was doing everything I could.

   

"Rehab is a lonely place and if you don't get around the boys you can feel even more detached from the group. It's probably necessary to do that stuff just to stay sane, and Macca reinforced that to me."

   

Williams said his family worried about his future following his NAB Cup injury.

   

"They were pretty concerned about where I was at, and the amount of surgery I’d been through, and probably the shock I'll get when I'm a bit older as to how I feel," he said. "But that's the furthest thing from my mind. I've got a contract to fulfil and I'll play as much as I can.

   

"If I keep getting injured, it's probably going to end my career. But I'm going to contribute everything I can while I can."

   

The fact he is contracted for two more seasons was also a wake-up call.

   

"That was the silver lining for me to think, 'Pick yourself up quick-smart because the club has invested a fair bit in you.' That's the main thing I'm concentrating on - repaying the club for keeping faith in me."

   

That faith was tested again by a 'frozen' shoulder, which prevented Williams from lifting his arm above his head.

   

"It was a bit of a shock," he said. "To speed it up, they basically rip your arm apart. They put me to sleep to do it because if they do it while you’re conscious you'll naturally resist because of the pain."

   

After just two VFL games with Williamstown, Williams was back in the Bulldogs line-up.

   

The forward role came about after Williams impressed as a mobile target in a scratch match at training. At the time, the Dogs also had an abundance of key defenders, with Mark Austin and Lukas Markovic supporting Brian Lake.

   

"I think Macca saw an opportunity to give me a crack up forward and spread the experience around," he said.

   

It wasn't a completely unfamiliar role. Williams had been a forward in Queensland's under-18 side. In fact, the first time he played in defence was in a Bulldogs guernsey.

   

"It's almost a relief because my role in previous years was so negative. It’s like a breath of fresh air to be more creative and use your talents in a different way," he said.

He has learnt a lot about forward play from former opponents.

"I still remember playing on Nick Riewoldt and how hard he worked and how that made me feel as a defender," he said. "The running patterns came naturally to me because of the players I’d played on. I'm not a superstar at it, but I get it."

   

Williams has long copped flak from Dogs fans for spending more time on the sidelines than on the field. But he bears no ill will.

   

He takes solace from the fact his problems have been the result of "freak accidents" and "bad luck" rather than progressive degeneration.

   

"By their freak nature, my injuries are always a surprise to me, even if they're not to anyone else," he said.

   

"I've worked pretty hard to shake the 'injury-prone' tag and, for the most part, I’d done that for the previous three seasons. Hopefully I've still got time to change that perception before I'm done."