The emphasised notion of living up to the legacy of the Work family name was deeply engrained in the minds of siblings Charles, Jack and William and it reflected greatly in the prowess they displayed in the football arena.
For William Work, it was one of the things that drove him to excel on the field, like how he did in May 2001 when he shot the winning goal for the Nadroga team during the Fiji FACT in Sigatoka.
“We definitely were blessed with the talents and to showcase and take part in sports,” Work mentioned.
“The 2001 Fiji FACT will always be embedded in the memories that I have; definitely the first time for a tournament to be held or be hosted in Nadroga.”
The training regimen was an intense one, made tougher by having sessions at the Sigatoka Sand Dunes where the scorching heat from the sand and its looming terrain added to the pressure.
“We trained hard. We were in camp for about 10 days, trained hard (at) the dunes because we were training in Kulukulu, on the outskirts within close proximity to the sand dunes,” the Kulukulu, Nadroga native recalled.
As he and the other Stallions put in the hard yards to prepare themselves for the Fiji FACT, he was joined by the likes of his two siblings, Abraham Watkins, Ramendra Datt, Anirudh Singh and Ilikimi Tulalevu.
With an electrifying trail of success created in the sporting arena, Work ensured this was also reflected off the field as well where he remembered the words of his father.
“My dad always told myself and my two brothers; remember, football has its limitations so you got to persevere and work hard to keep up the (family) name Work,” he highlighted.
He added his father’s advice proved timely especially in situations that shifted the trajectory of his professional football career.
“I was thankful; at the time when I was drafted into the main national team and getting ready for the SPG (South Pacific Games), I had to decide whether it was my career and sport,” he said.
It was in instances as such that Work added he made decisions where he was grateful to not have looked back and kept going forward.
William is now the general manager of Club Whyndham on Denarau in Nadi.
