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After reading Micheal Searle making a statement in the Gold Coast Bulletin that the Titans won’t be offering Willie Mason a contract, you would have to think that his NRL career is all over.
The bookies had the Titans at five dollars to give Mason another lifeline, but with guys like Greg Bird, Nate Miles and party animal Jamal Idris, it would be suicidal if they added big Willie to the list.
Willie Mason’s career has always been a sideshow, with his antics and constant mouthing off to the media. Is he even worth the hassle these days?
Once considered one of the most devastating runners in the game, it’s hard to swallow that he really is the unwanted man of rugby league.
Hull didn’t want him, and Toulon gave him a go hoping to turn him into another Sonny Bill Williams, but realising in the end they made a big mistake. They then discarded him like a piece of meat.
It’s hard to see Willie getting another shot in the toughest competion in the world.
Even when Willie was at his best with the Bulldogs, remember that he played in a stacked up team with guys like Roy Asotasi, Steve Price, Sonny Bill, Braith Anasta, Willie Tonga, Nigel Vagana – the list goes on and on and on.
The reality of it is you could have put big Dipper in the team and even he might have looked like a legend.
Mason always relied on the workhorses around him like Price and Asotasi to do the hard yards, and he would sit back waiting for the right moment to do one of his trade mark runs at the little guy.
When the stars of the Bulldogs started looking to other clubs for bigger offers, Big Willie was nowhere to be seen. When the force of the mighty Dogs was spent, he had no qualms about jumping ship to the Roosters.
The problem with Mason is he doesn’t like getting in and doing the dirty work. When it’s time to roll up the sleeves, he would rather hang out on the wing and wait until the rough stuff is over.
When you get that sort of reputation, it’s hard to get rid of, especially when you have a big mouth. I guess he is the NRL’s version of Brendan Fevola.
The only glimmer of hope I see for Willie is if someone like Phil Gould from the Panthers gave Willie a shot. Phil is known to bring the best out of players and could return Willie back to his glory days but I doubt he has the patience.
Or maybe Wayne Bennett, we know what he’s like when it comes to reviving a player’s career. We have seen him time and again bring the older guys back and turn them into the players they once were. But I don’t think Wayne would risk it.
I would love for Willie to come back and prove us all wrong, but whether he has the testicular fortitude is another thing.
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