“I’M AS happy and as confident as I’ve been in my life about this year.”

For the last two years, it’s only natural for Tom Williamson to feel like his football career has been at a crossroads. However, leading into 2020, the young defender feels as though he is finally back on track.

Following a debut season of so much promise, it has been a 24-month stretch plagued by anger and angst.

Wind the clock back to August 2017: an 18-year-old Williamson played 15 games in his first year, impressing as a rebounding, aggressive half-back.

Now aged 21, he has added just two games to his senior belt due to a back injury - a reoccurring L5 vertebrae stress fracture that wasn’t healing conventionally - which stopped him in his tracks.

He can’t help feeling like his career is starting all over again. But compared to the pessimism of previous years, he couldn’t be more optimistic leading into 2020.

“It doesn’t really like my fourth year at all to be honest, not for me. I’ve probably sold myself short to some degree but I feel like I’m going into my first year again,” Williamson told Carlton Media.

“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with: you go through good days and bad days. It’s hard because it’s your job and you’re doing it every day — you can’t escape it.

“The body is feeling strong and it’s holding up… I’ve probably never been as confident in my body as I am now.”

No-one could begrudge Williamson for feeling disheartened: he admitted that he leaned on the support of his club, teammates, family and friends on those difficult days.

However, his drive and determination to get back has underpinned his preparations for the upcoming year.

Returning from Europe, he returned to the Club (working with the physio three times a week) before pre-season had begun in order to give himself the best possible platform for the summer ahead.

“I knew coming in that I needed to have a big year. I sacrificed that off-season and I think I’m getting a reward for that now,” he said.

“At the end of the day, all I want is to be able to pull on that jumper and contribute to the team. It’s why you come in every day and work your arse off.

“It’s definitely the most training I’ve done in the last few years. I’ve left nothing to chance.”

From the outset, it was a sit-down with Director of High Performance Andrew Russell which saw Williamson outline a clear recovery plan.

The process now sees Williamson at a point where he describes himself as being “as strong as I’ve ever been and running as well as I ever have”.

He can’t quite pinpoint the moment where it all started projecting upwards, but he’s not taking anything for granted.

“I was really confident in ‘Russ’ the whole time. It was one of those things where I feel like my body matured and it sort of clicked — it just started to work,” he said.

“I felt like my body just started getting stronger, with the right program around it. It’s probably been a slow build but in the end, it’s the plan I needed and it has all come together.”

Williamson mustered only three quarters of VFL football in 2018 before going down with injury, while he played two senior games - including against Collingwood at the MCG - before his 2019 suffered a similar fate.

Knowing only one way on the football field, it’s clear that Williamson’s character is just the same off it: he wants to get back doing what he loves.

While he knows that there are no guarantees in football, he can’t help but want more of what he tasted in his debut year.

“I always look back at that first year which are obviously some of the best memories of my footy career. I’m always thinking to myself about how good it was and what I’d do to get back there,” he said.

“I haven’t really had the chance to pull it all together. I feel like I’ve turned a corner, 100 percent — I can hang my hat on that.

“Absolutely there are no guarantees. It’s pretty red hot for a spot down back now: Samo played a really good role, ‘Doc’ is back and ‘Newy’ has come to the Club as well.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take and if I’ll be biding my time. I’m just going to be happy playing footy again.”

Crediting the impact of the Carlton faithful as “massive” (“they’re always pumping me up and showing their support”), Williamson doesn’t have to look far at Ikon Park for further inspiration.

After all, he’s got two teammates in his very position who have been the best mentors possible for him in recent years.

Starting with Sam Docherty, Williamson said the friendship and bond he has formed with the co-captain in difficult circumstances had shone through.

“We had the whole of last year together in rehab. I feel like we’ve built a really strong bond and I’d call him one of my best mates,” he said.

“Some days, I wasn’t at my best and to his absolute credit he’d pick me up. We built our friendship that way and I hope that’s going to come out on the footy field in the next few years.”

Then, there’s a certain other left-footed half-back flanker who Williamson has just about latched himself onto since arriving at the Club.

His praise for Kade Simpson just about says it all.

“We’re bloody lucky to train with him, to be honest. The knowledge he has passed onto me over the past two years has been massive for me,” he said.

“Every time you go out there, you know what he’s going to give you: he’s a tough little bugger. You can’t question his intent and endeavour.

“If I can implement just a few of the things he does, it’ll go a long way to pulling on the Navy Blue for a fair while yet.”