16 replies to this topic

[G Las D]

Sonny Bill Williams seems to be returning to NRL next season to play for Roosters. I say seems as while he and his management says it's going to happen this is based on a supposed handshake with Roosters Chaiman Politis on such a deal.

[Titus]

I suppose some fans of traditional rivals will say they deserve each other.

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Such a lowlife like Williams shouldnt be allowed to play in the NRL. His attitude stinks just read this article http://www.foxsports...6-1226499012889 Williams is a money grabbing git with no thoughts about anybody but himself. The Roosters I hope finish last with having Williams on board. Either he wants to play League properly or not at all. But Roosters have only themselves to blame should it all go wrong.

[G Las D]

It seems that Roosters are taking SBW on his own terms. From what I can make out he'll only come back to NRL if he can carry on his boxing.

He return to NRL appears to depend on him honouring a handshake he made.

Talk about being damned by faint praise. One of SBW's friends has given Trent Robinson the impression that SBW is "quite a good person."

Seeing the name SBW and the word 'circus' in the same sentence is a bit of a concern.

[Futtocks]

His return to NRL appears to depend on him honouring a handshake he made.

Well, we all know how well he 'honoured' his agreed and signed contract at Canterbury...

Edited by G Las D, 20 November 2012 - 04:02 PM.

[G Las D]

Seems he won't be able to just return to the game as if nothing had ever happened:

http://www.foxsports...6-1226505539136

[G Las D]

Roosters have confirmed they've signed SBW for 2013

[Lounge Room Lizard]

Shouldnt have been allowed on a number of things. Why is Buderus stopped from just doing the odd bit of coaching but Williams is allowed to sign a contract whilst pretending to be a boxer and still currently playing Union until February? Double standards. His agent is not registered neither.

[SirRadlinski]

I for one am all for it. I think theres two sides to this story. I can fully understand why some people arent happy with him, but a sportsman has a limited shelf life, and he's managed to cram an awful lot into the best years of his sporting life, and fair play to him for doing so. It'd be no good him looking back at 40 wishing he'd played Union or boxed, he's done the lot, and must be a supreme athlete to do so. Sure he's had to be selfish along the way but after he's retired he only has himself in the mirror to answer to, so i dont blame him for doing what he's done.

The plus side for rugby league is he's a top drawer player, crowds will be up when he's playing, there'll be greater media interest in the games, especially against the Bulldogs, and if you're still bitter take heart from the fact that any fellow NRL pro's who arent happy with what he's done will be looking to batter him up and down the park for the whole season, which should make for great entertainment for the rest of us

[G Las D]

Interesting points SirRad. The short career point is fair. The blot on his career to date though is that he walked out of Bulldogs while still on a long, signed contract - he was about 18 months into a five year contract. Neither he nor his management had bothered to contact Doggies to tell them he was going to Toulon until he was in Europe. So while he has been and hopefully will again be a top class RL player, he upset a lot of people in the game by his conduct which was unprofessional. You can see why a lot of fans think a lot less of him - and for some people that's putting it mildly.
As for the media interest, again that's a fair point as from what I can tell the NRL are using him in some pre-season publicity shoots. However it's easy to see why he will have a mountain to climb to reclaim any sort of respect, even of the grudging kind, for many fans. Maybe the NRL in using him in publicity think that all publicity is good publicity.

[SirRadlinski]

I totally understand why people arent happy with him, i doubt no matter how well he goes this year he'll ever win some of them over, but i think a lot of people take a moral high ground when it suits them, and its very easy to do so when its no their life or career on the line. SBW will have known full well the damage his decisions would cause to his relationship with RL fans, players etc but he took them anyway. Selfish, very much, brave, possibly, but how many of us in thirty years time can look back and say we tried everything we could, gave life our all and didnt take the easy options. He made himself a hated man, and he has to live with that, but i think he did it all for the right reasons, and i hope he's a success this year.

Not sure how happy he will be about the shoulder charge rule though!!

[brooza]

Not sure how happy he will be about the shoulder charge rule though!!

I think they brought that in to protect him from every other player on the pitch!

[SirRadlinski]

I think they brought that in to protect him from every other player on the pitch!

Hehe, gutted, theyll find a way around it, a few hits will be a fine line between legal and illegal

[G Las D]

Maybe the NRL has bent to pressure with Eels losing Folau from the game, by allowing the Roosters deal with $onny Bill Wi££iams to go ahead.
NRL says SBW situation very different to that of Izzy Folau.

According to well-placed sources, the delay came because the NRL wanted to include Williams's boxing prize money in the club's salary cap.
The NRL says it has considered this but has chosen not to include Williams's boxing earnings in the Roosters' salary cap.
Common sense was the winner on the day. Williams, 27, is expected at Roosters training in early February.

Full story here

Common sense? Not sure about that, more like commercial sense or a reaction to losing Folau.

[G Las D]

Deal done and approved. $BW is a Chook.

The wait is finally over for Sonny Bill Williams, with the ARLC informing the Sydney Roosters that the code-hopping superstar's 2013 playing contract has been registered.
After signing a one year deal with the Roosters on November 13, it's been a drawn out process for salary cap auditor Ian Schubert to approve the deal.

[DiddyDave]

Just had a look on the fixture list and relieved to see that the Roosters aren`t playing on the Gold Coast in 2013,so won`t have to miss a game as there`s no way I`ll be contributing,no matter how small,to SBW`s income. And that goes for the Kiwis too,should he make the squad,I won`t go across the road to watch a bloke who treats his employers (Bulldogs) and team mates with such contempt. To those people who say the game needs him,what sort of planet are you living on? He has no principles whatsoever and is only concerned about number one,so I say people should do what I`m doing and boycott games that he plays in,maybe that way the NRL will realise that the bloke should never be allowed back unless he completes the rest of his contract with the Doggies,should they still want him.

[G Las D]

With NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert taking almost a month to register the contract of Sonny Bill Williams, the Roosters were unable to include their prized signing in pre-Christmas membership campaigns.
The only evidence of his imminent arrival is a small head shot on a banner that runs along the top of the club's official homepage.

So $BW isn't a big head after all.