Willie Mason

This article is about the rugby league player. For the singer-songwriter, see Willy Mason.

Willie Mason

File:Mason2.jpg
Personal information
Full name	William Marshall Mason
Height	195 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	114 kg (251 lb; 17 st 13 lb)
Playing information
Position	Second-row, Prop
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2000–2007 Bulldogs 148 36 0 0 144 2008– Sydney Roosters 20 4 0 0 16 Total 168 40 0 0 160 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2000 Tonga 3 0 0 0 0 2002– Australia 24 7 0 0 28 2003–2004 Country Origin 2 0 0 0 0 2003– New South Wales 13 1 0 0 4
Source: NRL Stats As of 18:15, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

William Marshall Mason (born 15 April 1980 in Toronto, New South Wales) is a professional rugby league player in the Australian National Rugby League competition. He currently plays for the Sydney Roosters as well as representing New South Wales, Tonga and Australia. His position of choice is second row or front row.

Club career

Canterbury Bulldogs

Willie Mason joined the Canterbury Bulldogs at 17 years of age in 1998 and played in the junior U-18 Jersey Flegg competition. After a year with the club Mason was again a regular member of the Flegg team in 1999 but unfortunately suffered a leg fracture in the game before the Bulldogs' Flegg Grand Final win. The following year, Mason moved into the NSWRL Premier League and mid-season received an opportunity to make his debut in the National Rugby League following an injury to first-grader Darren Britt. Mason made his debut on the 30th of April during the 2000 season against the Penrith Panthers. He impressed early and became a regular member of the NRL team for the rest of the season.

In late 2000, Mason represented Tonga, the country of origin of his mother (his late father being a New Zealander), in the Rugby League World Cup played in Great Britain and Ireland.

Mason cemented a starting position at the Dogs during the 2001 season but was involved in the 2002 Bulldogs salary cap dramas. In mid-2002, the Bulldogs were found guilty of serious and systemic breaches of the salary cap. The club was stripped of all 37 competition points. The latter action was particularly harmful, as the club were poised to take the Minor Premiership and had won 17 consecutive matches (the second highest in Australian club rugby league history at the time). Mason therefore missed out on the opportunity to take a Minor-Premiership and quite realistically a shot at the 2002 Grand Final. On a positive note during the year Mason was selected to make his debut for Australia. Since then Mason has played a total of 21 Tests for his country and is the Bulldogs' most-capped Test Player.

In 2003 Mason's consistent performance was rewarded as he made his debut for New South Wales in Game 3 of the 2003 State of Origin Series. The following year the Dogs reached the 2004 Grand Final and Willie Mason experienced Grand Final glory as the Dogs triumphed 16-13 over the Sydney Roosters. Mason was further awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for 'Man-of-the-Match in a Grand Final'.

Disaster struck for Mason in 2005 as Willie's season was over before it even started. He suffered a fractured ankle during Australia's 36-24 win over USA in an international rugby league friendly match at Philadelphia's Franklin Field in December 2004. Mason was out of action for most of the season and did not play in the NRL until Round 18 where the Bulldogs were experiencing a Grand-Final hangover and already stuck in the bottom-eight of the competition.

In 2006, Willie returned to become a regular member of the Bulldogs team where he managed to play 20 club matches (1157 minutes), all three Origin games for NSW - in which he was named Man of the Match in the opening game and three Tests for Australia in the Tri-Nations series. He was a firm figure in the clubs return to finals football as the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder, the Dogs were beaten by eventual Premiers the Brisbane Broncos one game shy of the Grand Final. Many believe if it wasn't for his suspension following an incident in Round 24 against Brisbane, he could have well been named the Dally M Player of the Year. In consolation for Mason he was nominated for the Provan Summons Medal for fan's player of the year.

In 2007, Mason was selected for all three Origin games for NSW and represented Australia in the ANZAC Test match.

End of 2007 season

At the conclusion of the 2007 NRL season, Mason attracted media coverage. It began circulating that Mason was unhappy at the Bulldogs and on the 31 October, 2007 The Daily Telegraph reported that Willie wanted to quit the Bulldogs after an altercation with the club's CEO Malcolm Noad, which apparently came about after Mason was told he would be fined $50,000AUD because he did not attend an end of season lunch with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs board officially denied this and a war-of-words began between the star forward and his clubs board. Things further went sour when the club rejected Masons request to fight in a professional boxing match that could have earned Mason up to $100,000AUD. On the 1 November, 2007 the Daily Herald reported that Willie was to be released from the final two years of his contract after the club rejected his chance to fight in a professional boxing match worth up to $100,000AUD and because the club claimed to be fining Willie $50,000AUD for failure to attend an end of season function, something the Bulldogs denied. The speculation that Mason was to be released from his contract led to a number of English & Australian clubs confirming they were in the hunt for Mason's services for 2008. Hull FC confirmed they were in talks with Willie Mason's agent Greg Keenan about a possible move to the KC Stadium. Another English Super League club Harlequins RL met with Keenan while he was in the UK and Wigan Warriors owner Ian Lenagan made Mason a £1.5m, three-year offer to move to the JJB Stadium. Lenagan since denied that he would be bringing Mason to Wigan, but did not distance himself from trying to sign Mason to the London based Harlequins RL. Although the English Super League clubs could offer Mason a lot more dollars it appeared early on that Mason was intent on the staying in the NRL and the Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra Dragons and Cronulla Sharks emerged as the three clubs that were the most likely in signing the star forward.

Sydney Roosters

After the Roosters were able to release back-rower Ashley Harrison to the Gold Coast Titans, and promising young forward Danny Williams to the Bulldogs, it freed up around $250,000 of funds to make a decent pitch for Mason and on 15 November it was confirmed that Willie Mason had signed a three-year deal with the Eastern Suburbs based club.

Representative career

In 2002, Mason was selected for the Australian team against Great Britain, scoring a try on debut. He also previously represented Tonga in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. He has played 17 international matches, including the 2003 Kangaroo Tour, and 2004-5 Tri-Nations tournaments.

Mason was first selected for New South Wales in State of Origin in 2003, and appeared for New South Wales on 11 occasions, winning the man-of-the-match award in the first game in 2006.

Mason was televised appearing to swear during the New Zealand haka, before game 1 of the 2006 Gillette Tri-nations Series. Later in the match Mason suffered a swollen black eye and suspected broken eye socket after a headknock by David Kidwell. [11] Mason has explained that his swearing was in response to the traditional Māori dance being performed by Brent Webb, an Indigenous Australian of Torres Strait Islander origin who became a New Zealand citizen. Mason later described Kidwell's hit as a "cheap shot" and promised to respond.

His actions in Great Britain's defeat of Australia earned him a ban from the game and a fine of $2,500 after striking Great Britain prop Stuart Fielden. An incident where Mason punched Fielden in the face and was subsequently punched and knocked to the ground by Fielden's team mate Jamie Peacock.

In August, 2008, Mason was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

He has been named in the Tonga training squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

NFL Prospects

In June 2006, news speculation surfaced that Mason was considering joining the United States' National Football League (NFL), a childhood dream. He was said to be courted by several teams, including the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. [12] In July it was confirmed the New York Giants had offered him the opportunity to trial with them after the Rugby League Tri-Nations series finishes in November. [13] However, the Canterbury club had dismissed the deal, and Mason remained with the club beyond 2006. [14]

In December 2006, Mason took part in a trial with the New York Jets, but still maintained he would fulfil his contract with the Bulldogs until the end of the 2009 season. [15] Mason said "I'm probably at the time in my career now where maybe it is time for a change. New York City is the capital of the world. I'm pretty sure I could settle in there if given the opportunity,..."[16]. However a Jets representative stated that Mason even being offered a contract was very unlikely, "I don't think they were even football drills, it was more of a visit. We just had a look at him and that is where we left it." The Jets coach Eric Mangini was impressed with Mason, saying "Willie is a guy that came to our attention, he is a pretty good rugby player, and it was just one of those opportunities we had, where we have to take a look at him. What we're doing is taking a look at him, seeing what potential there is for him. He seems to have been a pretty dynamic guy in that league for a long time. He seemed relatively feisty when I spoke to him."

The Bulldogs never anticipated any move, saying "Willie has given us his guarantee he will be with us." [17] Following Mason's release from the Bulldogs and signing with the Roosters it seems his dream of playing in the NFL has been put on hold.

Controversy

Willie Mason has been associated with many controversial off-field incidents which have received media publicity due to his high-profile in the National Rugby League.

In 2002, Mason is reported to have run from a taxi to avoid paying the fare. In 2003, He tested positive to an illicit social drug, reported to be an amphetamine, and was fined $25,000 by his club. Mason has never commented on the issue publicly. In 2004, Mason along with Trent Waterhouse, Craig Wing, Craig Gower and Mark O'Meley, were fined for unprofessional behaviour and for leaving the team hotel after the side had returned from the night out. Mason forged another player's signature at an autograph event, and after a heavy drinking session with team mates, reportedly visited a brothel.

At Sydney Airport in 2007, Mason verbally challenged a female reporter from radio station 2GB, resulting in a complaint from 2GB to the Bulldogs club and the ARL Mason later admitted to the outburst, which was captured on audio recordings, and apologised to 2GB journalist Michelle Keighran. Mason is sponsored by sportswear manufacturer, Champion, which almost severed its contract with the controversial footballer as a result of the incident.

Also in 2007, Mason was involved in a nightclub altercation with the out-spoken Richie Williams, who Mason claimed shows no respect to the older players in the NRL and is a cocky kid who has yet to prove himself in the NRL. Mason was voted the most hated player by a fans poll in 2007.

In February 2008 Mason and his new Roosters team-mate Anthony Tupou were charged with urinating in a public place during a visit to Port Macquarie.

External links

• Sydney Roosters profile
• Willie Mason NRL Player Profile
• State of Origin Official website Rugby League Player Stats