Sonny Bill Williams would be a steal at $800k a season for any NRL club – he is that good. Many stalwarts have still not accepted him as a world-class player, and when I talk to respected figures that have been in the game for over 50 years, they talk about Coote and McCarthy, but refuse to put SBW in the same class.
Some say that he never stood the test of time, although the same people never put that label on Wally Lewis, who was disappointing at club level compared to Origin. Some say that SBW was injured for a major part of his four years at the Canterbury Bulldogs and never really dominated, having only played five games in 2005 and 11 in 2008 before he famously stormed out and caught a plane to Europe.
It is understandable that SBW is unpopular with many fans, but let’s not use his off-field antics to cloud his god-given talent that he displays on a rugby league field.
When I think about the best players I have seen, I don’t think for long, as Andrew Johns is clearly the best player, and Sonny Bill Williams is clearly the best forward. There is no contest for either, as I have not witnessed another player do what they can do on a footy field. They both commanded enormous influence when rating a game and if one of them was not playing, their team would blow out in the betting by a converted try and sometimes more.
Given that SBW was not the go-to man like Johns was, and he was not the talker or tactical kicker, a forward should not normally influence the market that much, but SBW was special and when he had the ball in his giant hands something always happened.
When he played in the forwards at the Bulldogs, he could run faster than any of the backs, but he was still able to play long minutes and his defence was brutal, especially his shoulder charge that started kids saying ”Give me the Sonny Bill”.
Boring All Blacks coach Graham Henry was never going to be a SBW fan and he almost lost the recent World Cup proving it. Henry liked to programme his players like robots, and sublime skills that Sonny Bill would display like slipping a pass when he had three defenders hanging off him was frowned upon by the coach.
This was the opportunity for Roosters recruitment GM Peter O’Sullivan to make a phone call as he knew that SBW was not appreciated by New Zealand, and he knows what a difference SBW would make to the Roosters if he formally signs up for 2013.
Although O’Sullivan has signed 5/8th James Maloney from the Warriors for 2013, it may suit the Roosters best if the number 6 shirt was carried by SBW, who was devastating every time he played second receiver for the Bulldogs. With fullback Minichiello retiring, the flying Maloney would make an ideal replacement, which would allow SBW to be on the field for 80 minutes and give the Roosters a formidable spine that would also include Pearce and Friend.
Cock a doodle doo.
League fan
Guest
Thanks crashy for listing the handfull of games you have got to look forward to in the next couple of years. I am sure David Gallop is crapping himself with the competition union is providing. I am still recovering from laughing so hard from the nonsense you wrote. I am not sure what is funnier RU has 10 x the players league does in Victoria or that RL is struggling in PNG.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
He's out for the first few weeks not the whole season.
PW
Guest
Not Really, Rugby union is bigger in other states of Australia than rugby league. There there son. Dont worry you can always make up another six international teams for your next RLWC downunder from players in the NRL.
kovana
Guest
So SBW can play SOO... and perhaps the Kangaroos if he wanted to?
PW
Guest
I didn’t say rugby league doesn’t exist in NZ, SA, Victoria and Western Australia. I said that rugby league is a mionor sport there. The fact that the NRL is limited to pay TV in NZ and regularly gets belted in the ratings by the school rugby is proof of it! If it wasn’t for the state school system and the fact rugby league players stayed home and continue their season while other football codes stop theirs during both world wars then rugby league wouldn’t be played at all in Australia. Something like 50% of all NRL under 20 players are polynesians and most comes from NZ rugby schools just go to show where the talents is. Those state schools in NSW & QLD are the schools that refuse to allow rugby union into their sports curriculum because they know if it was there then rugby league would be dead just like everywhere else. Talk about insecure!
kovana
Guest
Q-girl. What exactly are we arguing about? If we are discussing the popularity of League vs Rugby in Oz, i think most sane people will say League comes out hands down winners.
kovana
Guest
Q-girl. You really need to stop being so insecure. So.... Rugby obliterates League everywhere else i gather? Cause that is what you seem to be saying.
Crashy
Guest
'Also dont talk about Union on the world stage because your sport is absolutely tiny' League fan you are living in some weird time zone of denial. As a league fan, how can you honestly type a comment like that into your keyboard without feeling a teeny, weeny bit silly? Why would you write it? Its guys like you that make watching league really hard - you see I am a rugby fan, I am comfortable with the game and where it is headed. You see when I was 18 ( many moons ago) the game was amateur and consisted of the wallabies, NSW, QLD and the club systems. The game generated about $5 mil per year. I was fine with that. Now the game in Aus generates about $80 mil a year and has 5 pro teams in Australia. The tri-nations now has 4 teams and the has grown in Australian exponentially. There are 10 x more people playing the game in Victoria than league for example - and that is after having a pro-team for only a year. The catholic private school system in NSW has traditionally been a strong-hold for league - you can see now how their rugby programs are slowing eroding this status-quo. You see, I am comfortable with where rugby is heading in Australia, it is growing but is not as big as league and I am fine with that. Why do continue to try and beat your chest about league and denigrate rugby? What are you worried about? Is the exponential growth of rugby around the globe scaring you? Is yet another collapse of the political system in league's great growth frontier - PNG scaring you? I am looking forward to the Lions tour for the following reasons; 3 sold out tests 1 game versus NSW 1 game versus QLD 1 game versus WA 1 game versus ACT 1 game versus Melbourne 1 game versus combines NSW/QLD country. blanket rugby coverage for 2 months - just like in 2001 30,000 British and Irish fans invading Australia - just like last time. I am also looking to daytime tests in 2012 at the SFS - and the Waratahs playing 2 afternoon games in front of 30,000 plus against the Crusaders. Feel free to comment.
kovana
Guest
Oh wow.. Q-girl. Just a spanner to throw into your class wars.. - Wales - Ireland - Samoa - Fiji - Tonga - Madagascar League is in Samoa.. But most will choose to play Rugby. Why? Because i gather, we enjoy it.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
"Seeing whether the Reds can defend their Super Rugby title" No Quade = Unsuccessful title defence.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
"Thats why the 2011 Queensland Reds and the Wallabies RWC games are in the top five most watch programmes on cable" Don't you think that has something to do with the fact the Reds' games aren't screened on FTA? If the NRL was confined to Fox Sports then its ratings on subscription TV would probably double. The Reds' ratingsfor 2011 were an anomally. It was the only year they pulled decent ratings for Fox Sports. Their popularity was all to do with their fairytale season. People got behind them because they have been doing it so tough over the last decade and are now a great team that is exciting to watch. Queenslanders were proud of them because they were plundered to by the Waratahs, Brumbies and Force for all those years, yet came out of it to become Australia's dominant team. When the Reds go back to being an ordinary team then people will tune out. Of course the RWC games rated well. The RWC is a quadrennial event featuring some legitimate international competition. It was held in a time zone that allows Australians to watch the matches at a viewable hour. There are plenty of English, Scottish, Welsh, New Zealand, Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, Irish and South African ex-pats living in Australia to boost numbers. The commentary during the channel 9 games was poor and there were no ads on Fox Sports' coverage. Who wouldn't watch the games on Fox Sports [instead of ch9] if they have access to it?
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
kovana, How could rugby league become a global sport during the 20th century? The profits the RFL collected from gate receits had to be spent on players' salaries.The RFU took money from gate receipts. Some of the RFU's profits were given to the game's best players in under the table payments, but most of them were spent and used to help find growth overseas. The British government didn't throw money at the RFL and rugby league never had the privilege of being backed by the upper class during its first 50 years. It's hard to fund expansion in foreign markets when there's no one with deep pockets around to provide the capital. The RFU was given preferential treatment by the government. Rugby union was supported by the upper class. It's easy to get capital to fund expansion into foreign markets when your sport is supported by affluent businessmen who do business with affluent businessmen from other countries. The military didn't accept rugby league into its ranks until the 1990's. That meant the only football codes that the British military played when stationed overseas were rugby union and soccer. The troops would play against their allies in organised competition. Rugby league never had the opportunity to do this. Face it kovana, rugby union has always been the more privileged code. It has had money and politics on its side since day one. It's of no surprise to me that the few places that turned their back on rugby union (QLD, NSW, PNG, northern England) are the ones that refused to allow the upper class to dominate society. Classism has always been prevalent in southern England. Other places where rugby union is popular are also dominated in number and political clout by the upper class (South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand). Do I need to point out that the richest Brits were travelling to Argentina and settling there during the 19th century? That's how rugby union made its way there.
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
kovana, Try not to be disingenuous. The Vichy regime's policy was held in place for well over 50 years. It's hard for a sport to regrow and compete with other sports when those sports were given a 50 year head start. I notice you don't say anything about the paranoid union fans who say that the evil Murdoch empire is responsible for rugby union's inability to grow beyond its niche sport status in Australia...
Queensland's game is rugby league
Guest
I didn't say rugby union doesn't exist in QLD, NSW and PNG. I said that rugby league obliterated it. The fact that the Super 15 is limited to pay TV and regularly gets belted in the ratings by the NRL's National Youth Competition is proof of it! If it wasn't for the GPS system then rugby union wouldn't be played at all in Australia. Something like 90% of all persons who've reprsented the Wallabies come from the GPS schools in Brisbane and Sydney.Those are the schools that refuse to allow rugby league into their sports curriculum because they know if it was there then rugby union would be dead within a couple of generations. Talk about insecure!
Working Class Rugger
Guest
Seeing whether the Reds can defend their Super Rugby title, the introduction of Argentina into The Rugby Championship, the return of traditional tours with a three game series against Wales and the beginning of AOC funding initiatives post London. I'm reasonably satisfied with that list of things to look forward to in 2012 from a Rugby perspective. Add to that, hopefully adding to the record 260,000 participants reached this year. Yes, Rugby isn't as big as league but it's certainly nowhere near dead and buried and to state as much is just foolhearty.
League fan
Guest
Crashy is that all union has got to look forward to. The British Lions tour which consist of 3 games. What do you have to look forward to this year zilch. I am sure you dont want me to list all of the League events this year do you. Also dont talk about Union on the world stage because your sport is absolutely tiny.
kovana
Guest
NR.. Look at Q-girls post. He is talking about Vichy, France etc etc.. Things that happened years ago.. And still using it as an excuse for the lack of growth.
kovana
Guest
I dont think anyone will forget it. Tad insecure are we 'not really'. How about posting with your normal name instead of this multi.
kovana
Guest
Eh? Rugby is small enough to have the Highest Rating show out of League and Rugby for Both FTA and PayTV? Look... Just wanted to know whats are the RLWC ratings in Oz.. since it was held in Oz.
Crashy
Guest
i have a feeling that the British and Irish Lions tour next year will be bigger than any NRL games - just a thought. We understand league is big in Australia. Why do you need to keep telling us - we don't doubt it. What we do find highly amusing is how you think it has any relevance on the international stage - puleeze...