Williamstown premiership coach Andy Collins is confident one of his key former players, Adam Marcon, will break into senior ranks at his new AFL club Richmond in season 2016.

Marcon, one of the stars of Williamstown’s premiership triumph this year, recently joined Richmond as a mature-age recruit via the AFL’s rookie draft.

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“I’d be disappointed if he didn’t play five to 10 games.  I think he’s got the ability to do that in his first year of (AFL) footy,” Collins told the ‘Hobson Bay Leader’.

“I think Adam making a debut next year would be a great achievement.

“Having a nice taste of AFL football would be a great goal for him.”

Collins revealed that a greater emphasis on the defensive side of the game had enabled Marcon to take the next step in his football development, which has led to him landing a spot on an AFL club list at 23 years of age.

“I felt that in 2014 he was being tagged, and when he was tagged he was too closed down,” Collins said.

“We spoke about reversing the roles.

“He did some terrific run-with roles for us this year in which he was able to beat his opponents.

“Instead of being the hunted all the time, he became the hunter . . .

“Defence is not a dirty word – we’re just talking about tackling pressure, and he became probably the best tackler in our team.

“That just shows his ability to learn quickly.

“(He’s been) Consistent at an extremely high level.  One of the supreme players of the VFL over two years.”

Marcon was named in the 2015 VFL Team of the Year and he won the Fothergill-Round Medal for being the VFL competition’s most promising young player.