Mason finally signs, but will it just bring more sighs
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 5 Feb 2010 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
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Willie Mason’s long search for a club has won the ‘drawn out saga of the off-season’ award pretty comfortably. But it seems to be pretty unique by modern sporting standards.
We all like to talk about about clubs having a ‘No Dickhead’ policy, but when a dickhead with particular talent is out there, there is usually someone willing to snap them up pretty quickly.
The bloke in question quickly says he’s keen to prove the doubters wrong and show his appreciation with some tee-total gut busting performances. And the club talks about how everyone deserves a second chance and how the contract is filled with behavioural clauses.
But Mason seems to be a completely different case, and being such, has become perhaps the best education programme for young players there is.
The lesson is, stuff up and you won’t get a game.
Mason hasn’t been convicted of anything worse than many of the players going around happily with their clubs. But years of headlines seem to have caught up with the big man.
There was the controversy over a drugs test at the Bulldogs and he has been hit with a public urination fine. But after that, it has been little more than rumours.
You’d have to think that, given he now seems to be rugby league’s version of the black plague, there may be something more to those rumours as clubs and other players all seem to have more of a clue than the public or journos (and Mason has been the feature or more than one piece about a fresh start).
To put it in perspective, Mason is available for just $80,000, given the Roosters will be forced to pay the remainder of his $450,000 yearly salary. For that, you get an international, a premiership winner, and a Clive Churchill medalist, all for the amount of your fringe full time squad members.
But until yesterday, there were no real takers.
You do wonder how big the smile was on Steve Folkes’ face after he attempted to get a deal with the Tigers. The player who ‘wrote’ in The Australian that he had learnt nothing under Folkes was now going cap in hand to every club going.
Even Japanese rugby, which supposedly has the cash to consume rugby league, didn’t want to scrap the Yen together to put Mason’s frame in a capsule hotel.
The final twist was a bidding war between Newcastle and North Queensland, but all the protagonists in this drama resembled young men at 3am, when the lights have gone on at the nightclub and they are racing around and propositioning every woman left in the place.
Maybe his new club, the Cowboys, would have been better off just getting a kebab.
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Sam said | February 5th 2010 @ 7:33am | Report comment
I suppose the question is, can a guy like Mason ever learn? I think until he hits rock bottom and finds himself without a team (in any code) while the season is underway he won’t. He needs to be a bit more humble and think before he talks. I wouldn’t want him on my team because I’d always question whether he thinks he is bigger than the team.
Hansie said | February 5th 2010 @ 7:50am | Report comment
Hopefully a few of the managers and other players have learnt something from this saga. When the managers talk up interest from various quarters, obviously made up just to beef up contract demands, even though there is no genuine interest, then the player ends up being humiliated. Basically, the last 6 months for Mason has been headlines proving that he is not highly regarded, not highly sought after, and seen as a flawed character. Weren’t his people talking him up as an All Black at one point? And he’s ended up on base payments at the Cowboys. What a self inflicted publicity black eye.
Brett McKay said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:31am | Report comment
very good point Hansie – in the beginning we were led to believe a “massive” offer had been tabled from Japanese rugby and that it was just waiting to be signed. Is it easier to believe now that Willie couldn’t find a pen, or that maybe the offer wasn’t as concrete was made out??
Steve Kaless said | February 5th 2010 @ 5:02pm | Report comment
Five star response. Couldn’t agree more.
Mick from Giralang said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:43am | Report comment
Hansie: And what about the headline story that ran for days that he was about to be snapped up by the NFL? Even the GWS in oz rules didn’t make him an offer — talk about hit rock bottom!
Dogz R Barkn said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:24am | Report comment
When it’s all said and done – it’s probably not a bad deal for the Cowboys.
North Queensland is where all the bad boys go to reform.
Realist said | February 5th 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
Greg Bird didn’t go to the Cowboys. Nor did Hopoate.
Tinnie said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:04pm | Report comment
Hang on a minute Dogz! I thought Canberra were the premier reform team in the comp?
Mick from Giralang said | February 6th 2010 @ 6:44am | Report comment
Probably the only trophy we’ll win for a while..:(
oikee said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:40am | Report comment
Hopefully he can rise again, after all, he is still only young in forward terms. You dont hit your peak until you reach 30, if you can last that long. I dont like Mason, as do most people, but he is a good player and should keep his mind on the game. He still has time to sway the public, hopefully he can do this at the cowboy’s. Good luck to him is all i say.
mushi said | February 5th 2010 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Most peak around the mid to late 20s mark in their tackles and metres, sure there are some guys like Price but they are the exceptions not the rule. We tend to remember the exceptions and also we tend to focus on forwards after they’ve carved up for a few years.
This had been the orosters error – paying late 20s guys assuming they’ll “peak”
Terry Kidd said | February 5th 2010 @ 8:55am | Report comment
I’ll give some kudos to Mason in that during this saga he has personally said very little, just that he wants to play and will give his best effort wherever that is. Most of the talk and written word has been generated by the media. If I had a say in a footy club I would have put it to the playing group … do you want Willie among you or not ….. they, and the coach, after all have to deal with him day to day, good and bad.
So lets see how things pan out for him in the north. I hope it is all good for Willie, for the Cowboys and the fans.
Jay said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:16am | Report comment
As a knights supporter, I applaud the cowboys decision to sign big willie
Norm said | February 5th 2010 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
As a roosters supporter, so do I.
Realist said | February 5th 2010 @ 1:37pm | Report comment
As a Cowboys supporter, I’m glad Willie chose us over the Knights!
Rod said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:27am | Report comment
Come on, the guy is a meat head, but he doesn’t deserve anything like what he’s copped lately.
Good luck willy, prove all the doubters and knowalls like R Wilson wrong.
Spiro Zavos said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:36am | Report comment
In monetary terms the Willie Mason deal is a no-brainer for the Cowboys. But the ancient Greeks had a saying: ‘Whom the Gods wish to destroy they first grant them their wishes.’ The odds are long on this monetary no-brainer ending in tears. Mason is just physically not up to playing his enforcer game. He is an unsettling influence wherever he goes. He is a celebrity (his column in the Sun-Herald was the best read in the paper) who distracts attention and interest away from the team and its achievements and directs them on himself
This is a recipe for another disastrous rugby leage season for Mason on the sports pages but not on the social pages.
Mals said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:51am | Report comment
“Maybe his new club, the Cowboys, would have been better off just getting a kebab.” Classic, i like it! Good luck Willie I hope to see him knuckle down and recapture some form in a new environment. I think he will have learnt over the past 6 months that he is privileged to be a professional footballer and just may be will take a more humble approach this season…?
Worlds Biggest said | February 5th 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
Mason has been the Clown in his agent Greg Keenan’s circus. Keenan a parasite if ever there was one was in talks with the New York Jets about a possble trial, pleeeaaassse ??. Then there was the All Blacks, European and then more recently Japanese Rugby. All agents do this however as one blogger commented, it only sets his client up for the Mother of all come back to earths when only 2 NRL Clubs are showing moderate to reasonable interest. Yes a no brainer for the Cowboys to pick up the 80 k tab for a shot at a Premiership. This will be a classic one and done ( year ) for Willie as he will miss the bright lights and fast life of Sydney. Certainly the Sydney media are going to miss the big fella.