BROWNIE: Sonny Bill’s return a great thing for NRL
Columnist By Nathan Brown, 12 Jul 2012
- Tagged:
- All Blacks, NRL, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Sonny Bill Williams, Sydney Roosters
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New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams celebrates after scoring a try against Ireland(AP Photo/SNPA, John Cowpland)
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Back when I started coaching Flegg at St George, my then assistant coach was Steve Price, the current Dragons head coach. As part of his job at the club, Steve watched all the SG Ball matches and kept a close eye on the competition.
And Pricey said that Sonny Bill Williams is a player you have to go and watch.
And what a player he was! Even then it was clear that he could become one the greatest ever.
NRL could see best of Sonny Bill: Brian Smith
You could just see it in the way he harnessed his natural gifts in terms of his physique and his wonderful ball playing skills.
When he finally burst into first grade as a young kid, it was in a trial match against the Dragons on the Gold Coast. He was playing in the centers then and he struck me as a combination of Gordon Tallis and Brad Clyde: big and athletic, with magnificent skills and very agressive.
He killed us that day, and he’s been doing more of the same to his hapless opponents ever since.
Which is why we should embrace him coming back to the NRL. It’s a huge advertisement for the code.
Across three sports now, Sonny Bill has proven himself to be one of the world’s best athletes: he’s won an NRL grand final, played for New Zealand in both codes, won a World Cup in Rugby Union, and won the New Zealand Heavyweight boxing title.
It’s an impressive CV.
With the addition of Sonny Bill and James Maloney next year, the Roosters will very hard to tip against in 2013.
I think Brian Smith will play him in the backrow. And after 8-10 games, I predict that Sonny Bill will be the premier backrower in the game, as good if not better than anyone currently playing for NSW and Queensland.
The other remarkable thing is that Sonny Bill is still only 26 years old. Touch wood, if his body holds up, he should be able to play until the age of 33 or 34. That’s if he wants to.
I don’t see the one year deal as being a problem for him or the club. As long as his number one focus is on doing well for the team, he will have a great year.
Beyond that, who knows where he’ll end up. I just can’t wait to see the big fella back in the NRL.
Former Dragons coach and player Nathan Brown writes an exclusive weekly column for The Roar. Brown, who played 172 games for the Dragons and coached them for a further 142 games, is currently the head coach at the Huddersfield Giants in the UK Super League.
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- Explore:
- All Blacks, NRL, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Sonny Bill Williams, Sydney Roosters
July 12th 2012 @ 6:42am
Bondy said | July 12th 2012 @ 6:42am | Report comment
That for no matter the price the Tv companies are of the belief that the money outlaid for SBW is worth it they’ll drain the exposure dry.This situation reminds me of a similar situation with Carlos Tevez (Man Cty) and his agent at no stage were the club/clubs allowed to buy the player they had to loan the player from the agent hence no transfer fee is acquired when he leaves a club ‘ripping the club off ,of its right to sell the player’ a different case here but not by much “guns for hire”.
Imagine if he broke he’s wrist fighting a bus driver five games into he’s tenure at the roosters it’s insane.
July 12th 2012 @ 6:52am
Shaun said | July 12th 2012 @ 6:52am | Report comment
It would be truly a sight if SBW not only returns with his brutal defense, offloads & bullocking runs, but also the tactical intelligence of a rugby player. Imagine SBW doing grubbers, finding gaps, setting off on decoy runs, playing exciting & unpredictable phase plays.
I would watch him if only to see whether he still has it…& has anymore.
Can’t wait- but he should be at the Tigers with Benji. GO THE TIGERS!!!!
July 12th 2012 @ 7:23am
Johnno said | July 12th 2012 @ 7:23am | Report comment
-SBW rugby league world cup 2013 lock for kiwis look out GI he will be scared GI as SBW is taller 6’3 and bigger than GI and stronger and a better league player.
July 12th 2012 @ 10:27am
Henry said | July 12th 2012 @ 10:27am | Report comment
I doubt he would even make the Kiwi side. The fact his the Kiwi team has performed better without him. He has never won a game against the Kangaroos yet when he left the Kiwis won a world cup and a four nations go figure.
To win a world cup you need dedication, commitment and hunger. It is all well and get to have all the flashy skills but if you dont have the dedication you are not going to win. That is why he played only a very tiny part in the All Blacks campaign.
July 12th 2012 @ 12:34pm
kevin mac said | July 12th 2012 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
The only reason we lost with him was because those games were 1 day tests. Anyone with an inkling of league knowledge knows the Kiwis are the best when they have time to gell as a team and develop their combos and plays. Throw in one of the best athletes of either code in SBW and you will have a freak Kiwi squad for next years WC.
July 12th 2012 @ 3:24pm
JamesJackson said | July 12th 2012 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Why would GI be scared? He’s a man for godsake, not a bed-wetting adolescent. Ridiculous comment
July 13th 2012 @ 12:26am
Ra said | July 13th 2012 @ 12:26am | Report comment
Yeah that’s a dumb statement – those guys don’t fear each other, they have mutual respect in each others genuine qualities, they all know at that level that if they give less than their best, the other is more than capable of filling that gap – that’s why they look forward to the challenge – I reckon
July 12th 2012 @ 3:26pm
Dave Edwards said | July 12th 2012 @ 3:26pm | Report comment
Inglis is 6’5″; SBW is 6’3″. Don’t think Inglis will be ‘scared’ – he’ll probably have put 10 kilos on by then anyway the way he eats.
July 12th 2012 @ 7:50am
Sailosi said | July 12th 2012 @ 7:50am | Report comment
I love it Johnno, just stoking the fire early.
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July 12th 2012 @ 8:48am
B.A Sports said | July 12th 2012 @ 8:48am | Report comment
I guess the proof will be in the pudding.
Sure, chances are he will go well on the field, and you can guarantee that Nine (or whoever has the Free-to air rights) will be showing the Roosters for the first five Friday night games of the season.So from that point he helps pay for himself from a Roosters stand point. But he has never done anything in his life to suggest he will help promote the code or the game, his interest is only in himself, and all the interest that the tabloid sports media will put into him will deminsh the reporting on the rest of the game which will frustrate your every day fan no end.
I personally think it isn’t worth the hassle. I don’t think anyone has walked out of an NRL game, good or bad and thought “Gee that game would have been so much better if SBW was playing”. So I don’t know how much he actually improves the NRL product.
July 12th 2012 @ 9:03am
Big Tommy said | July 12th 2012 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Agree BA sports for every player that leaves the NRL a player just as good comes along. Look at the quality of players that are now playing in the NRL since SBW left. Ben Barba, Daly Chery Evans, Josh Dugan, Sam Kasiano, Shaun Johnson the list goes on and on.
July 12th 2012 @ 11:57am
Jimbo Jones said | July 12th 2012 @ 11:57am | Report comment
I sure thought after some Bulldogs matches in the last part of the season when he walked out on us
July 13th 2012 @ 12:40am
Ra said | July 13th 2012 @ 12:40am | Report comment
I told another of your doggy buddies who writes in here that you guys gotta get ova it mate. You need to read your own media – Your club had imploded long before sonny boy filed for divorce. I dont have recount all that stuff to a doggy tragic – u know what I’m talking about not sonny’s fault eh!!
July 12th 2012 @ 8:59am
Go warriors said | July 12th 2012 @ 8:59am | Report comment
Not taking anything away from SBW but I think everyone is expecting miracles from the guy. He has been out of the game for 5 years so it is going to take a while to get into things. Also the defence are going to be onto him like a rash.
To say he is going to be the most exciting player in the NRL in 2013 when you have got Ben Barba, Greg Inglis, Benji Marshall, Billy Slater sure has got to be joke.
July 12th 2012 @ 1:06pm
WoobliesFan said | July 12th 2012 @ 1:06pm | Report comment
Absolutely. The SBW fan boys are coming out of the closet once again.
July 12th 2012 @ 9:01am
Sailosi said | July 12th 2012 @ 9:01am | Report comment
Couldn’t agree more B.A, I often wonder whether these type of signings do anything. Sure there will be a lot of hype in the beginning of the season but after the first few weeks it will be back to normal. It’s not as if nobody has seen him before, it’s not as if a foreign superstar is coming to grace the playing fields of Australia, he’s been under our noses for the best part of ten years.
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July 13th 2012 @ 12:48am
Ra said | July 13th 2012 @ 12:48am | Report comment
Sails bro, cup your hand over your left ear, turn your head to the right and lean forward – hear that roar ??? That is the sound of money pouring into rugby league coffers from sponsorship deals made on the backs of high profile signings like sonny boy Williams – wonder no more bro, just listen to the roar !
July 12th 2012 @ 9:34am
Steve said | July 12th 2012 @ 9:34am | Report comment
Big Tommy, to be fair to those players, none of them compare to SBW. Whether you like him or not his talent can’t be denied. And a lot of those players who did leave haven’t really been replaced. That’s why Gasnier, Tahu and Tuqiri all came back and played rep footy. In NSW we haven’t produced a halfback of any quality in 7 years.
However I agree that SBW is not need in the nrl.
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July 12th 2012 @ 10:19am
Go warriors said | July 12th 2012 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Steve are you saying SBW would be the best player in the NRL if he returned. You are kidding right yes he is a quality player with plenty of skills but he is no Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Ben Barba or Benji Marshall. These guys are match winners and their whole team relies on them.
July 12th 2012 @ 11:15am
D Maaga said | July 12th 2012 @ 11:15am | Report comment
so what your saying go warriors is that there is no way in hell a forward can be a match winner and only backs will do the job for an entirely team.
July 12th 2012 @ 11:59am
Go warriors said | July 12th 2012 @ 11:59am | Report comment
D Maaga who scores the majority of the points. It is the backs. It is all good having a great forward pack but if you dont have the skillfull backs to score the tries you are not going to win any games.
Look at the roosters they have a fearsome forward pack, probably one of the best in the comp but because their backline is so ordinary they dont score many points hence they lose more games than they win.
You compare that with say the Storm or the Tigers who have great backlines but average forward packs. Because of the superstars these teams have in the backline they win more games than they lose.
So yes it is much more important to have your matchwinners in the backline than the forward other than maybe a dummy half.
July 12th 2012 @ 12:23pm
Nigel said | July 12th 2012 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
Well said Go warriors to pay big big dollars for a second rower would be foolish and something only the roosters would do. I would only pay the big dollars to a player that is either in the halves,centres, full back and a dummy half. These are the guys that a team revolves around not a second rower.
July 12th 2012 @ 12:38pm
kevin mac said | July 12th 2012 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
A simple phrase to help you understand reality: as the saying goes in union “the forwards win the match…the backs determine the margin”.
July 12th 2012 @ 1:30pm
D Maaga said | July 12th 2012 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
well said kevin mac, otherwise any nrl coach who’s reading go warriors comments will sack all their forwards and just bring backs because they score tries and win games in league.
July 12th 2012 @ 2:37pm
kevin mac said | July 12th 2012 @ 2:37pm | Report comment
from the sound of his ignorance GoWarriors is probably in fact a cricket fan and knows nothing about league or union for that matter…just posing to stir the pot.
July 12th 2012 @ 2:50pm
Go warriors said | July 12th 2012 @ 2:50pm | Report comment
D Maaga you are missing the point. Kevin Macs saying may apply to union but we are not talking about union. In RL 9 times out 10 the team that scores the most tries will win the game therefore there is more emphasis on attack.
SBW is not going to win the comp for the roosters. They will still struggle just to make the 8. James Maloney will be a much more valuable player for the roosters. If Maloney has a bad game the team will not perform. If SBW has a bad game they can just pull him off and replace him.
July 13th 2012 @ 1:00am
Ra said | July 13th 2012 @ 1:00am | Report comment
A front row going forward is a team going forward – all highly gifted try scoring wingers pay homage to the big guys up front for laying the platform – the tigers win when their under strength front six gain parity with their opposition, and that’s all Benjy needs, parity, anything less than parity, then even Benjy struggles
July 13th 2012 @ 1:22am
Ra said | July 13th 2012 @ 1:22am | Report comment
The Warriors back themselves every time to beat the Broncos and the Storm – they look forward to playing their much vaunted enemy – why? They back their forwards to win the battle up front and their backs to close down their opposites out wide – yes both aussie francihises are very strong and able upfront and have devastating outside back combinations – but there is an old rugby league adage – a frontrow going forward – is a team going forward – Howie Tamati saying – notably – it’s not often you see an All Blacks front row going backwards – there’s something to be said about teams winning off the back of good clean front foot ball – ask Benjy and Aaron Smith where they gets theirs from !
July 12th 2012 @ 2:50pm
Col Quinn said | July 12th 2012 @ 2:50pm | Report comment
G’day DM,
lets get this straight you are a proud Kiwi, who thinks that SBW has shown enough contrition to play in NRL and has the ability to change games single handed. I suppose you are annoyed that he is, for the time being, leaving the ABs, even though he may be selected for the Kiwis
Well as a proud Aussie, I respect that he can now legally return to the NRL. I don’t like it. He has unfinished business that he must complete to be fully contrite and he will find a different, faster, harder game to play than when he left. If he survives he will adapt and become a great player. He may well be the draw card that several teams need and perhaps he will be the key to success. Only time will tell.
July 12th 2012 @ 9:49am
Craig said | July 12th 2012 @ 9:49am | Report comment
He will be in Rugby for one year and then see what pays the most the next year and do that – he isn’t coming back to help the code he is doing it for his own or his managers own self interests.
This is basically what sport has become.
July 12th 2012 @ 10:28am
Jay said | July 12th 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
Is it really though? What does the NRL get out of this that is of any consequence? Seems to me the situation is a farce. To quote you:
“As long as his number one focus is on doing well for the team, he will have a great year”.
Well that’s the problem isn’t it. This is all about Sonny Bill and no-one else. He gets to waltz into a team and play for one year. He gets time off for boxing. And this morning I hear that another part of his deal is that he won’t play away games against Canterbury (on Fox Sports this morning). Farcical, selfish, and cowardly. And yet the NRL and his enablers continue to blow smoke up him.
He is a wonderful player to be sure. But is he really worth it for the circus and integrity vacuum?