Willie Mason Sweepstakes

[Magpiespower]

Big call by the Dogs - rare for a club to cut loose such an important player these days.

Where will he end up - Cronulla under Ricky Stuart, whom he respects so much as a coach?

Or at Bondi where he pretty much lives anyway?

There's always Super League but that would be an absolute last resort as he's never been keen on playing over there.

Could see the biggest back-ended contract of all time (in Australia anyway)...

[Pup]

I think it is the right thing to do by the Bulldogs.

You are right, the Super League will be the last option as he is not keen on playing there. I have a feeling he has already been promised something.

Sharks or Roosters will get him IMO.Roosters with O'Meley and Anasta will make it tough to get there because i would think that their salary cap would be very tight.

I dont think anyone else has stated a interest in Willie yet.

[magpie in the 80's]

dragons make a late bid for BIG WILLIE

[Mr66]

Will play for anyone who will cater to his immature stupidity.

[magpie in the 80's]

NOW HEARD THAT THE ROOSTERS TO OFFER 2 FRONT ROWERS FOR HIM

[Magpiespower]

Will play for anyone who will cater to his immature stupidity.

Reakon fifteen clubs will do just that...

dragons make a late bid for BIG WILLIE

Apparently the Kirk Reynoldson deal is on hold.

His year just gets better and better...

[Magpiespower]

Dragons players prepared to take pay cuts.

Ashley Harrison signs with the Titans, immediately freeing up $200k for the Roosters...

[magpie in the 80's]

DOWN TO EITHER ROOSTERS OR THE SHARKS.

DRAGONS SIGN REYNOLDSON FROM NEWCASTLE ON 1 YEAR DEAL

[magpie in the 80's]

the BIG WILLIE is now a BIG ROOSTER
after signing with the sydney roosters

[Magpiespower]

the BIG WILLIE is now a BIG ROOSTER
after signing with the sydney roosters

Bondi Bulldogs

All of a sudden, the Roosters figure in premiership calculations.

Big Willie's move could have serious repercussions for the Dogs.

Will Sonny Bill, Reni and co. stay at Belmore when their contracts are up?

Hmmm...

[magpie in the 80's]

the BIG WILLIE is now a BIG ROOSTER
after signing with the sydney roosters

Bondi Bulldogs

All of a sudden, the Roosters figure in premiership calculations.

Big Willie's move could have serious repercussions for the Dogs.

Will Sonny Bill, Reni and co. stay at Belmore when their contracts are up?

Hmmm...

coach steve folkes said tonight on eastern tv that willie didnt have the following he thought he had.
after a club vote that included most players they were happy to see the back of him..........

[magpie in the 80's]

Coach Steve Folkes has claimed his plundered Bulldogs will be better off without Test star Willie Mason, even as they head towards 2008 as rank outsiders to claim the NRL premiership.

Folkes' media appearances can usually be likened to a trip to the dentist but the Dogs mentor was uncharacteristically candid at Belmore on Friday as he got the Mason saga off his chest.

That included the suggestion that Mason's defection to the Sydney Roosters on a three-year deal had been his aim all through his public brawl with the Bulldogs, and an admission that the friendship between the player and his ex-coach had suffered.

Asked directly if he believed the departure of one of the game's biggest stars - on top of the loss of experienced duo Mark O'Meley and Brent Sherwin - was the better outcome for the club, Folkes pulled no punches.

"Yes I do," he said.

"We'll move on, we'll be a much tighter unit."

And that will partly be because the Bulldogs players added their voices to the decision, Folkes said.

"This has been a joint decision," he said.

"It's been made out like it's been solely a management decision but I can assure the players had some input and it's the right decision for this club at this time."

But possibly his most explosive remark came when asked why he thought Mason had wanted out of the club.

"I guess if I was a cynic I might say that this whole thing was engineered so that he could end up at the Roosters, but I'm not," Folkes said.

"I don't know, it blew up very quickly as a result of us wishing to sit down with Willie and his management and resolve a few issues with regard to wearing the right apparel, fulfilling obligations to sponsors.

"It's disappointing that it was played out in the media as it was. It certainly wasn't of our making that that happened."

Folkes said a strong message needed to be sent to his other players and to sponsors that club obligations needed to be fulfilled.

"Willie wasn't prepared to fall in line and do some of the things he was requested to do and fulfil those obligations," he said.

"I don't believe anyone's naive enough to believe that we let Willie Mason go because he didn't attend one grand final function."

And it appears friendships have been stretched by the ugly split.

"It's not a bag Willie Mason session, he was great for us on the field over a long period of time," Folkes said.

"He had some really good mates here and I'd like to consider that I was one of his mates and maybe still am."

Mason had claimed several more Bulldogs wanted out of Belmore but Folkes said he had personally spoken with those rumoured to be disgruntled and "that certainly wasn't the case".

He also rejected Mason's claim the famed Bulldogs' culture had gone downhill during the player's time there.

The Dogs have been depleted in recent seasons, particularly in the front row with the losses of O'Meley, Mason, Roy Asotasi and Steve Price but Folkes said he would relish life as an outsider.

"Being 25-1 I reckon is good, most years we're fairly short and I think it gives us the opportunity to prepare for the season away from the spotlight," he said.

With clubs close to finalising their 2008 rosters, the Dogs are likely to be major players for big names off contract in 2009.

"It remains to be seen whether we go outside and look for someone of high profile or whether we try and bring some young guys through but it certainly gives us the option of doing either," Folkes said.

Mason responded to Folkes on Friday night in a statement to the Nine Network.

"Steve Folkes does not have my respect or the respect of the players," he was quoted as saying by Nine.

"I'm very disappointed he's made this personal because I avoided that yesterday, but now the gloves are off."

The Nine report also claimed Mason had said Folkes was a large part of the reason he had left the Bulldogs.


©AAP 2007

[cennals05]

So Willie is a cock?

[Strawb]

San Antonio said the same stuff after they got rid of Dennis Rodman.

[Mr66]

So Willie is a cock?

Sort of.
A dickhead would be more accurate.

[Hazbeen]

As much as I like Big Willie's style of play as a former front rower myself I think he has slipped into thinking 1 player is bigger than the club.

Hope he pulls his head in under Freddy at the Roosters and plays more hard up the middle footy rather than keeping his going hard for off field passtimes.

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

I know a coupla Easts supporters who aren't too happy about that eh!
Also Jeff 'Hitman' Harding wants to have a crack at him in the ring!
...I meant boxing ring! (ooer!)