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Chief executive David Gallop today rejected any similarities between Super League’s raid on the ARL and Sonny Bill Williams’ bid to run away from the NRL.
Gallop was a key figure in the Super League war in the 1990s when he acted as the rebel organisation’s legal affairs manager.
Armed with plenty of cash, Super League attempted to crush the Australian Rugby League and create their own competition by signing up the game’s biggest names.
Many of their recruitment meetings were covert operations as they attempted to lure players across, but Gallop said the situation was nothing like Williams’ “deceitful” act in fleeing the Bulldogs and the country.
“In those circumstances players were released by their clubs and entered into Super League contracts,” Gallop said today.
“In this case the Bulldogs have not agreed to Sonny Bill Williams being released from his playing contract.
“There’s a very different situation to situations where players are released from contracts.
“It was open to Sonny Bill Williams to seek a release, he didn’t do that.
“He instead chose to secretively leave the country in defiance of that contract.
“I can’t remember any situation – Super League or otherwise – where that kind of thing has been done.”
Williams is believed to be en route to Toulon where there is a rumoured $3 million contract waiting for him to play in the French rugby union.
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