KANGAROO Flat has landed the signature of former Sydney and Collingwood star Paul Williams in a mid-season recruiting coup with little precedent in recent Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football League history.

But Roos’ coach Darryl Wilson yesterday moved to reduce any hype around Williams’ signing, saying the 2005 premiership player and former All-Australian may never make his debut for the Kangaroos.

Williams has not played since retiring midway during the 2006 AFL season and is presently an assistant coach at Melbourne.

Wilson said Williams made the decision to register ahead of yesterday’s deadline to keep alive a dream of again playing with Swans’ team-mate and close friend Rowan Warfe.

"If his commitments at Melbourne allow him, he’ll play at least one game, but possibly some others, to be honest it’s happened that quick we haven’t had that much of a look at it," Wilson said.

"It’s pie in the sky, but now he’s registered it may happen.

"He’s made the decision to possibly play one more and that may happen, but it’s just a matter of fitting in with his Melbourne connections."

Wilson acknowledged that Williams’ influence had the potential to shape the BFL top five, with Kangaroo Flat vying for a finals berth with Maryborough and Castlemaine.

However, it would appear unlikely that Williams would play the five matches required to qualify him for a tilt at September glory, with Wilson earmarking the round 16 clash with Maryborough as a potential date for his debut.

Even if Williams played that match and continued to line up for the remainder of the season, he would manage only three BFL matches.

"We’d love to have him on board, whether that’s for one game or more or none at all," he said.

"It’s not massive, big front page news because we don’t know if it’s going to happen, we hope it’s going to happen, but the excitement may not eventuate.

"Melbourne has a Friday night game on the weekend we play Maryborough, so that may be an opportunity for him to play.

"But Melbourne may say to him you have to go out and watch another game or something like that and he might not be able to play."

Wilson said the club hoped to draw a big crowd if Williams did pull on the green and white this season.

Williams won back-to-back Bob Skilton medals as Sydney’s best and fairest player in 2001 and 2002.

He debuted for Collingwood in 1991, before being traded to Sydney before the start of the 2001 season.

The 306-game midfielder-cum-small forward scored 307 goals in a glittering career that started when he was recruited from North Hobart.

"We would make a big of a deal of it if he does play, we’d like to make a day of it," Wilson said of the potential debut of the 35-year-old.

"But we can’t do that or talk about that really until that eventuates."

Regardless of whether Williams makes an onfield influence, Wilson is hoping the veteran can pass some knowledge to his fledgling side as they make the gradual evolution from pretender to contender.

"Our guys are very young and anyone we can get to help out with building their experience is welcome," he said.