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Sonny Bill Williams has been selected in the Rugby League World Cup squad for the New Zealand Kiwis, despite earlier declaring his intention to miss the tournament, and New Zealand subsequently naming a 24-man squad without him.
However, overnight Williams announced that he would now be available to be selected.
The backflip meant that New Zealand would need to consider drafting Williams into the squad at the expense of another player, which they did, with the Melbourne Storm’s Tohu Harris the unlucky player.
Though the decision to select Sonny Bill and drop Harris will no doubt cause a stir – and already has – I think it’s the right move.
In fact, the expected controversy will be a storm in a teacup.
The simple fact is that an elite-level player – if not the best rugby league player in the world – suddenly became available for selection. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s an absolute no-brainer to select a player of that level of ability and talent.
I certainly feel for Harris, but he was dropped for a far superior player. Talent wins out. That’s life.
The Storm youngster was naturally disappointed to have been dropped, but what would you expect? For him to be happy?
Show me a player that is happy when he’s dropped from his national team, and I’ll show you a player who should never represent his country again.
There has already been a chorus of discord about the decision to include Williams in the team, with many believing coach Stephen Kearney and the selectors should have told Sonny Bill that he was too late, and that the team had been chosen.
In fact, New Zealand selector Richie Barnett said Williams had disrespected the New Zealand team with his backflip, while Kearney said he and the selectors faced a ‘tough decision’.
Absolute rubbish on both counts, as evidenced by the fact they quickly selected him once he made himself available. Williams hadn’t disrespected the team, nor was it a tough decision. Rather, Williams simply changed his mind, and as soon as he did, it was the easiest decision in the world to select him.
For those that want to play the ‘culture’ card and suggest this sends the wrong message, what exactly is that ‘wrong message’? That talent is important in winning football games, and when you have a chance to select one of the best players in the world, it makes sense to do it? That’s a bad message?
Are people seriously suggesting that being overly-accommodating to elite players is bad for culture? By that rationale, should elite level players be paid the same salary as inferior players?
Please, sports teams have been ‘bending over backwards’ for great athletes for years. This is nothing new, nor anything bad, if handled properly.
It’s a fact of life that if you’re great at something, you get treated differently. It happens in the real world as well – there is a reason your boss is paid more than you.
In any case, all season long we’ve heard about the impact that Williams has had off the field at the Sydney Roosters. How he has brought a new level of professionalism to the club. How he is the ultimate teammate. Combined with his on-field exploits, that sounds like an individual who might actually be good for culture, doesn’t it?
Yes, Williams should have declared himself available before the team was selected. Yes, he’s therefore been slightly selfish. That hardly puts him on an island of one when talking about professional athletes. On the ranking of rugby league player atrocities, this is about a ‘1’, so let’s keep it in perspective.
Considering how polarising Sonny Bill Williams is, it’s not surprising that people are taking this chance to have potshots at him.
However, the New Zealand Kiwis are extremely better off for having Sonny Bill in the squad, and in a results-driven industry, that’s all that really matters.