The Knights have been called desperate and Wayne Bennett has been called mad, but the one word which has been constantly used to describe Newcastle’s signing of Willie Mason is ‘gamble’.
The problem with that description is that for something to be considered a gamble, there has to be the possibility of a loss.
One would think the Knights considered signing Mason based on three factors – finances, football and off-field form.
Mason would have to be considered win-win-win.
First is finance. Reports suggest that Mason has been signed to the Knights for a sign-up fee of $40,000 plus match payments and incentives.
To put that in perspective, Mason has been signed for less than one percent of the annual salary cap.
Obviously this puts him outside the Knights’ top 25 players, who are included in the salary cap.
In fact, he is presently earning less than the minimum wage of a top grade footballer, which is $55,000 a year. To consider Mason a financial gamble is ridiculous.
The AFL spent a million dollars on Israel Folau last season purely for his promotional value. Big Willie will never be the face of footy in Newcastle, because he doesn’t need to be. But the extra bums on seats for Mason’s first game at Hunter Stadium will more than pay his sign-on fee.
And even if it doesn’t, Wayne Bennett could guarantee Mason’s sign-on fee with his own salary. Depending on which paper you read, it would either cost Bennett one or two weeks of his own pay to cover Mason’s $40,000.
Bennett would probably stump up too. Because he believes in Mason for the second reason – football.
Since Mason debuted for the Bulldogs in 2000 he has played over 200 NRL matches, won a premiership (which included a Clive Churchill medal), and earned 13 caps for New South Wales and 24 for Australia.
People point to the fact that, at 32, Mason is past his prime. Though this is probably true, past his prime does not mean he is over the hill. One need only look at other players Bennett has put his faith in over the years who were past their prime to see the truth in this.
Alan Langer, Brad Thorn, Wendell Sailor, Luke Priddis and most recently, Danny Buderus were all 30 or older and all performed with distinction when Bennett hired or re-hired them.
So if Bennett thinks Mason can bring something to his forward pack, there is surely no better judge to make that call.
As to those who attempt to make bleeding heart cases of Knights fringe forwards who sweated out an entire pre-season only to (probably) see their first grade spot go to a bloke who rocked up a third of the way through the season, that will only happen if Mason actually fulfils his footballing promise.
If he does, the Knights have one of the game’s most damaging forwards tearing up opposition packs. If he doesn’t, these fringe forwards will have a Clive Churchill medallist pushing them at training to keep their spot in the top 17.
Either way, Mason is a sound investment from a football perspective.
Finally is his form off the field, of which to be fair, there are no guarantees.
Mason has always attracted controversy and it has generally been because he’s acted the dickhead. However Mason has two big reasons to behave himself while playing in red and blue.
The first is the man who signed him.
Regardless of the miniscule percentage of the salary cap he’s taking up, Mason has been shown an enormous amount of faith by Wayne Bennett.
And while Willie was straight back to his big-mouth ways the day after he signed with the Knights – giving a serve on Twitter to an English Super League player who bad-mouthed him – Bennett has never really had a problem with players who run their mouth. Just look at how good his relationship with Wendell Sailor is.
Bennett will only take umbrage with Mason if Mason’s off-field behaviour begins to distract the rest of the squad – particularly the younger, more impressionable members.
However it is one younger, impressionable member of the Knights squad who should also keep Mason on the straight and narrow.
Big Willie’s younger brother Rodney wore red and blue alongside his older brother for the first time on Sunday afternoon.
Surely after going through five clubs in the last three years, Willie will be looking to set a good example for young Rodney.
On two fronts Mason is a guaranteed bargain. On the third, the smart money says he’ll be worth the investment.
Calling Big Willie a gamble is wide of the mark. He’s a great red-and-blue-chip investment.
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