“For the first time, a player dictated entirely to not just one sporting code, but two. For the first time, they bowed… He forced them to a place where, when all is said and done, star power eclipses everything.”
Over the course of Sonny Ball Paul Kent goes about trying to prove this point with stories he gained through interviews, ‘off the record’ conversations and his network from 25 years of covering sport.
Before I go into the review of Sonny Ball, a little background info.
The relationship between the Daily Telegraph – for whom Kent works – and the Sonny Bill Williams camp has almost always been strained. The SBW Camp believe the Telegraph took the Bulldogs’ side when SBW walked out on his contract in 2008.
Kent has never shied away from this, as highlighted some years ago on Fox Sports when Kent declared that he didn’t “worship at the ‘House of Sonny’”.
So when the publishers asked him to write the book, Kent told them he was the “last person you would want to write a book” about SBW.
With that minor detail sorted, Sonny Ball had an author.
The book starts off on the night Williams walked out – Kent presents his version of the lead-up and aftermath, then spends time on stories of SBW’s time at the Bulldogs, both his early years and those spent in first grade.
Easy on the eye, able to dominate a game with power, speed and skill, or completely turn it on its head with an unbelievable play, Williams was appealing to the fans. But he was also very aggressive, never shirked the rough stuff, and thrived on physical confrontation. This rare combination made him someone every player wanted to play with, and also, eventually, into a superstar.
The story continues with SBW’s rugby career in France, his time with the All Blacks, and his return to the NRL. Williams’ foray into the world of boxing, the dropping of Tohu Harris from the Kiwis, and the effect his code-hopping had on administrators and other superstars like Jarryd Hayne and Sam Burgess is also covered.
Kent’s background in boxing gives him some authority when offering his take on SBW’s boxing career, and this part of the book would surprise most people, especially with its window into how Khoder Nasser operates. Kent also takes a balanced and respectful view on Anthony Mundine.
Then there are stories about how thoughtful, respectful and humble SBW is to others, particularly the elderly, which reveals a side at odds with how he can be presented in the media. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference.
Just as an aside, the fact that Kent was not allowed to use any images of SBW will hurt sales. Having full colour photos of SBW in action in the book and on the cover would have given it a better presence at bookstores and enhanced the stories. But with the book being unauthorised, gaining image rights would have been difficult.
I’ve always struggled to get my head around one of Kent’s arguments – that SBW somehow has this magnetic personality that makes the the top brass of both codes bend the rules just for him. I’ve seen almost every SBW interview and while he has got much better at handling this side of the game, there isn’t anything in there that makes you say to yourself, “Wow, that interview was awesome, give him whatever he wants!”
Kent line in the book is that while Williams’ personality in interviews may be bland, the real story is the maelstrom (HT Billy Birmingham) around what he brings to the table on and off the field.
Overall, Kent presents a well-balanced argument for both sides, then leaves the reader to make up their own mind.
There are a lot of stories packed into the book, and some seem like they don’t belong, but from Kent’s perspective it all ties into the big picture.
Knowing Kent’s opinion of the SBW camp, I found it admirable that he almost reversed long-held beliefs in the face of contradicting evidence. Maybe he hasn’t changed his opinion, but the fact that he didn’t let it get in the way of his research is a credit to himself.
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me plenty of new things to think about regarding Sonny Bill Williams’ career, and would thoroughly recommend it to any sports fan.
fiddlesticks
Guest
after reading a lot of your comments Ra, you are so pro poly and so anti anglo that you should be called something that is not nice
fiddlesticks
Guest
such a huge art of the world - about 0.0003%
Squirrel
Guest
SBW is why I hate sport. Me me how good am I.
Damien
Roar Guru
Not quite like that Ra, You'll be surprised how considerate Kent is on everyone in the book. Some sad stories in there as well and I thought it was nice of Kent to give someone like Solomon Haumono some 'air time'.
Damien
Roar Guru
It's a great read Lano. Took me about 5 hours to read so it's easy to finish over a weekend..
Damien
Roar Guru
I see your point OB, and that can be true in some circumstances however in this one (regarding the walkout) I'm not sure it is. If we really strip everything back the only thing that puts a question on SBW's integrity is walking out on the Bullldogs. The one year deals, code hoping etc has no 'moral' expense really. On the walkout issue the events that lead to it have 'names' to each story. The person who best puts the whole thing into perspective is Willie Tonga. Tonga has no need to go 'off the record'. As pointed out in the book he is that close to SBW that their friendship is past that point where he feels that he needs to 'cover' for SBW and can speak freely without fear of what they (Reni Matua, Willie Tonga and SBW) really thought and felt about things at that particular time. As I mentioned in the article Kent presents a surprisingly balanced book. There are plenty of places where he could have stuck the boot into SBW & Mundine (as plenty of people have) but he didn't. On issues he presents both sides. He writes why SBW was upset at certain things which is not in doubt as SBW has said been quoted on the issue. He then presents the Bulldogs side as well. I would buy an 'authorised' biography as well as it would tell the things from SBW perspective but it wouldn't be as good IMO as almost all of his views on things are already know. Why he walked out, why he was upset at the AB's during the 2011 RWC etc. I'd be very interested to know why he stayed with the NRL in 2014 and what the REAL money numbers were although. I doubt we will see any mention of money in his book. He had never spoken about it since he left the Bulldogs and it doesn't seem to be something that he would do after he hangs up the boots. It's not the done thing in his circle of peers. Then again with SBW you never know..
Old Bugger
Guest
Damien The beauty of an autobiography is that the subject's word is open to challenge and the subject is open to ridicule if as you say, the subject can rewrite history. Whereas if Mr Kent rewrites history then what would he say - well, that's what I heard.....big deal, it isn't his integrity that's under the microscope - its his subject's integrity. Nothing as honest as 3rd party hearsay is there..... Like I said - can't beat reading and autobiography cos if anything sounds like it is said incorrectly, you can bet your boots that the diggers will be out in full force to counter what was said....and btw, how would you know that history has been re-written unless it is so blatant that surely, you'd think the subject is so dumb, to even write it??
Damien
Roar Guru
Thats a fair call OB and Kent has stressed this many times. However much of the input is from the people that were involved and have no benefit in making up stories. Personally I would lend more credence to this book than an 'authorised' one where Camp SBW can rewrite history if they wanted (especially during his walkout). I'm a huge fan and supporter of SBW, however like us he's not perfect and makes mistakes. That just makes him human. I have a new appreciation of the things that SBW was going through before he walked out. Not that it excuses what he did. It just sheds a new light on that period of his career.
Old Bugger
Guest
"Is Sonny Ball worth reading?" IMO nah - not if it doesn't have any input from the subject character otherwise, its just someones take, without the subject's substantiation. Can't beat reading an autobiography......
Harry Jones
Expert
SBW is one of those athletes who seem to have time, in the middle of frenetic melees. Love watching him do his job on the field. Never enjoyed his off-field persona, but it might be schtick.
Ra
Guest
Sponsors like him Targa
Ra
Guest
Epiquin bro, you appear to be suffering from inferiority bill complex. Its okay tho, you're in good company. Just write a book and moan about the super sporting hero many of us and sponsors love too. People with aged inferiority bill complex are usually Bulldog fans. A fair suck of the sav bill. You know what, there are heaps of us Poly bro's who don't give rats about the Bully dogs. We do care about one of our own pups tho. He's a hero in south Auckland in fact right across Aotearoa and Samoa and you've still got old mate Paul Kent. A pretty tough gig I would think.
Targa
Guest
I also think the fact that Aaron Cruden is injured hasn't helped SBW. They used to play v well together.
Targa
Guest
He is still behind Nonu - although hif offloads are good, he doesn't straighten the attack enough or have Nonu's wide passing game. For the WC I'd rather see a Nonu-Smith midfield with Fekitoa (more pace, power and tackling) on the bench. SBW is a great player to have as a backup in case of injury tho.
Damien
Roar Guru
HIs league exploits speak for themselves. As for his Union career, he hasn't been as dominant as he was in league. However when he left the All Blacks he was the first choice 12. It is true that Nonu was ahead of him during the 2011 RWC but in 2012 SBW finished ahead of him. Right now Nonu is ahead of SBW however we need to remember that SBW has hardly played any rugby this year. He probably has left his run alittle late but who knows what the next few months will bring ? I personally don't think there are any other 12's out there that bring more to the table than SBW. The only 2 I can think of right now are Nonu & Damian de Allende. There is still plenty of rugby to be played before we can really see how SBW went in his second stint at Union..
Damien
Roar Guru
Hi Guys, If you're basing your judgement of SBW on the interview he gave Danny Weidler after he gave out then you're missing alot of the story. That was done when emotion was high and things were crazy. The best interviews that SBW gives are to non sports programs. This interview was given in Jun 2009 when SBW came back for the Barbarian game. http://www.abc.net.au/sundayprofile/stories/2595580.htm It's really good because Monica Attard doesn't go easy on him like some other journos do. Then this is another one he gave in 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_pOjbJXgmw They are 4 years apart yet SBW still seems like the same person. I don't really want to reveal all the good bits in Sonny Ball but his walkout was not just about money (even though that was a big factor). The book details all the little sub plots that combined that eventually led to him walking out. You'll also see that SBW was far from thinking he was gods gift. The way he conducted himself in the Bulldog Jersey Flegg plus his transition to being a superstar you find little anecdotes that are far from the publics perception of him. And this is from an author who is no fan of the man. Paul Kent has never been a fan of SBW's methods but even he acknowledges that SBW is nowhere as up him himself as people think. Also despite what most think there was never any 'crafting of the brand' from SBW. They never bothered to go that path.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Cheers Perthstayer. I'm sure the guy has matured a bit with age and with becoming a father, not to mention switching to a new sport where he isn't top dog and doesn't have the media telling him how great he is every 5 seconds. But I'm sure a lot of it has to do with improving "Brand SBW" as well. I can remember when he was still at the Bulldogs and Phil Rothfield used to spell his name "$onny Bill Williams." Not just in a "witty" article headline, but literally in every single article he wrote and every single time his name was mentioned. God it was infuriating.
Charging Rhino
Roar Guru
Sonny Bill isn't that big of a star player really. I'd never heard of him until he decided to play Super Rugby in 2011. At least in rugby, I can't speak for his NRL "stardom". And he was behind Nonu in the pecking order for the All Blacks 12 jersey, and 4 years later he's still behind Nonu! So he's no great player traditionally speaking. Yes he's talented at what he does with his trademark offload and plays very well, but so do many others!
Kevin dustby
Guest
Is he really that big a star in the rugby union world as Kent describes? He's not like a Carter or MCCaw
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
Epiquin - My move to Oz from UK 5 years ago has coincided with SBW's "reign". I've never been surprised by the fawning at his feet as he is a money winner, for sport and newspapers. I'm not keen on the guy as his actions exploit - for every team he waltzes into there's one player put to the back of the queue. IMO he should have more loyalty. I'm in PR and can tell you that when someone "changes their spots" in the media it's often not due to an epiphany. Being disliked reduces a "brand's" longevity and pigeon holes it. (JOC should have had this advice, or at least listened to it). Buyer beware