Your thoughts on the Sonny Bill Williams saga?

[joshtaylor87]

Well most of you Rugby League fans would have heard that Sonny left Australia on the weekend headed for France. He just packed up and left without notifying the club or his team mates. He still has 4 years remaining on his contract which has no get out clauses in it. It has been going on for months in the media saying that he isn't happy at the club etc etc. He came out a few weeks back and said that he has sorted the issues out and will honor his contract. Then all of a sudden he packs up and leaves without telling anyone. Reportedly going to France to play rugby on a $3m deal for 2 years. Yet the French club says they haven't made any deal with Sonny, but admit that they made him an offer "Some time ago"

I just think that he has signed a contract, and come out and said he will honor that contract so he should stay and honor it! You can't just walk out on a contract you've signed and agreed to. I understand that he obviously had issues at the bulldogs but if he was no longer happy there he should have maned up and sat down with the board and discussed his options. Rather than taking the cowards way out and just packing up and doing a runner!

Especially considering he has on numerous occasions come out and said that he feels he is a role model for young kids and the Polynesian community. What a great thing to show young kids! Hey kids the best way to solve your problems is to run away!

I used to have respect for SBW he came across as a quiet natured good hearted young guy. Seemed to have his head screwed on. But obviously not.

But hey who knows what problems he was having at the club, who am I to judge his actions! I just think it was very out of character for him to do that, he must have some serious issues with the club that he will need to sort out. The Bulldogs won't just let him walk away they will pursue him with their legal team.


What does everyone else think? Were you as shocked as I was when I found out. Anyone die hard SBW fans?

[natas.308]

it was a dog act (hence y he played for the dogs) but at the end of the day it will be the start of the domino effect , rugby league is going down hill big time , the only good thing to come out of it is it will help along a new afl team for sydney in a big way

[MasterOfReality]

The club should take him to the cleaners if it turns out he blatantly breached his contract.

[CSP]

Just another nail in the coffin that is called Rugby League

Won't be much of a game in the not too distant future.

[VZ_SV6_NZ]

Cant say i fully agree. For how long have the dogs had troubles with management and players alike?
He should be looking out for his best interests, elite sportsmen such as himself only have a limited earning capacity, and he has had his fair share of injuries. But it is a bit of a sore point that he has supposedly "walked out" on his club.
Yes he signed a 5 year deal with the club, and chances are he wont honor it - however he was given plenty of advice from both his peers and manager (later sacked). A contract such as this would have looked attractive at the time since some of the then senior players (mason & co.) had expressed a loyalty to the club. Also the prospect of taking up a leadership role (likely the captaincy) in the club is really what he was chasing (supposedly), and was ruined when the dogs re-signed andrew ryan for another 3 years in feb.
I dont see sonny coming back to the dogs at all, his body language on field over the last few weeks suggests he is seriously unhappy at the club (his typically explosive playing style has undoubtedly been absent recently). And it is likely this will continue if he is forced to stay at the club.
It is an unfortunate loss as i am a huge fan of Sonny's, but i think its just the result of a club rife with controversy and s**t management.

Good on you Sonny - man's gotta eat...

GO THE WARRIORS!!

[Full Spectrum]

Weak act, This is from a guy who shows strength passion pride in the jumper?..
Your team mates mean nothing, Your fans mean nothing, Have issues with the club, But remember who pays your wages, Let's not forget it's not a small wage still.

Money is number one victim today in any code of sport, They forget it's a game, We are supposed to enjoy it for fun, But now it's a business and only money talks, To greedy now.

Hope he plays Union, He would be the most hated man out there. He will loose respect no doubt.

[VL_5SPEED]

Football is boring as **** too watch. **** reffing, **** rules and no biff. Football was enertaining in the 80s and 90s.

Aussie soccer (A league) is going to be huge.

[Full Spectrum]

Football is boring as **** too watch. **** reffing, **** rules and no biff. Football was enertaining in the 80s and 90s.

Aussie soccer (A league) is going to be huge.

Didn't you watch the storm dragon last week, Nice biff in there.
Shame the kid got 1 weak suspension off.

[minux]

Good on him I say, who here would turn down such an amazing oppurtunity?

I am sure everyone here if they were offered twice their current wages they would leave their job straight away, this is no different. If you get a chance to better your career, take it.

[VZ_SV6_NZ]

Didn't you watch the storm dragon last week, Nice biff in there.
Shame the kid got 1 weak suspension off.

Awesome game. Not so good in terms of the game itself, just good to see passion and a different approach to rattling the storm.
Loved nathan brown's spray following the game - good on him.
Good for the game, the storm being public enemy no.1 makes the fans that much more passionate. Went to the warriors game yesterday, and was a perfect example.... Bugger all people there because of the weather, but you would have thought there were 20,000 fans there giving the storm grief.

[VZ_SV6_NZ]

Good on him I say, who here would turn down such an amazing oppurtunity?

I am sure everyone here if they were offered twice their current wages they would leave their job straight away, this is no different. If you get a chance to better your career, take it.

2nd that!!

[88GreenVN]

All I can say is see ya - hope it all works for him. I dont see much rugby so SBW is a nobody to me. (as such)

There is heaps of Aussie sports people playing games around the globe. Good on em

[Fr3ak+--]

Good on him I say, who here would turn down such an amazing oppurtunity?

I am sure everyone here if they were offered twice their current wages they would leave their job straight away, this is no different. If you get a chance to better your career, take it.

that all well and good to say that.. but the average person does not sign a agreement to how long they are going to stay at there current job.

if i got offered twice as much as what i get now i would leave in a instant.. but i haven't signed a contract saying i will be here til 2012.. and i dont have fans and supporters and team mates and coaches who expect me to honer my my contract

lets just say afl is lucky in that there is no other league that is threatening there players

[brend0n]

the majortiy are over paid wankers anyway....
they shouldn't be professional, need to hold a normal job. they'd get into alot less trouble too back in the 70-80s style.
but that needs to be across the board not just league... but it will never happen

however agreed with the above

[joshtaylor87]

Yeah, I have no problem with him chasing the big bucks. Hey if its on offer why wouldn't you take it. I just think the way in which he left was such a low act. If you were offered double your wage doing pretty much the same thing of course you would take it but you wouldn't just not turn up to work the next day you would at least call the boss and explain that you've been offered a lot more money else where and couldn't turn it down. Although it gets a whole lot more involved than this when there is a signed contract involved stating you will work there until 2012.

I don't think we've heard the end of this one. The bulldogs CEO has publicly stated that they are going to seek legal advise to see what can be done about the whole situation. They are looking for him to either come back and honor his contract or pay some sort of compensation to the bulldogs for breach of contract and revenue etc that he would have generated over the next 4 years had he not left.

[Holdfast]

Once big money came into sport, allegiance went out the window.

(A Story) "Once upon a time" if you played footy in a district where you lived that's where you stayed and played. ("maybe not")

Poeple have always gone for the better team, either it be nations making alliances during war or political parties joining together

People leave their homeland, to either immigrate or migrate for a better life-style and have done so since people could walk; "or so I'm led to believe".

Go for the money I say

That's if he can get out of his current contract. I wonder if the Supreme court will let him out of a legally binding contract? I doubt it

[Calaber]

Cant say i fully agree. For how long have the dogs had troubles with management and players alike?
He should be looking out for his best interests, elite sportsmen such as himself only have a limited earning capacity, and he has had his fair share of injuries. But it is a bit of a sore point that he has supposedly "walked out" on his club.
Yes he signed a 5 year deal with the club, and chances are he wont honor it - however he was given plenty of advice from both his peers and manager (later sacked). A contract such as this would have looked attractive at the time since some of the then senior players (mason & co.) had expressed a loyalty to the club. Also the prospect of taking up a leadership role (likely the captaincy) in the club is really what he was chasing (supposedly), and was ruined when the dogs re-signed andrew ryan for another 3 years in feb.
I dont see sonny coming back to the dogs at all, his body language on field over the last few weeks suggests he is seriously unhappy at the club (his typically explosive playing style has undoubtedly been absent recently). And it is likely this will continue if he is forced to stay at the club.
It is an unfortunate loss as i am a huge fan of Sonny's, but i think its just the result of a club rife with controversy and s**t management.

Good on you Sonny - man's gotta eat...

GO THE WARRIORS!!

Hmmml....understandable comment I guess. After all, SBW is a Kiwi...

[Full Spectrum]

Awesome game. Not so good in terms of the game itself, just good to see passion and a different approach to rattling the storm.
Loved nathan brown's spray following the game - good on him.
Good for the game, the storm being public enemy no.1 makes the fans that much more passionate. Went to the warriors game yesterday, and was a perfect example.... Bugger all people there because of the weather, but you would have thought there were 20,000 fans there giving the storm grief.

It is good to see some passion back into the game, But if i had a $1 for every grapple tackle i see happen to us, I'd be rich, But it seems to be the way to play the storm, Get into them off field for something everyone does,

It does bring more into the gates your right it builds into something big with more passion to watch.

I missed the game I was at the footy.

[Calaber]

People might be prepared to forgive him if he hadn't made such a song and dance at the beginning of the season about Willie Mason's lack of loyalty. All that has come out of this is a disgraceful display of selfishness and total lack of loyalty and respect for those who helped him get to where he was before he took flight.

I can't stand Canterbury, I think they suck. But this sort of behaviour when you have a legal, binding contract, is unforgiveable.

He's a mongrel. Hope he fails in France, big time. If he's as fragile as he has been in recent years, I can't see him putting in any more than a 50% appearance anyway.

[greenfoam]

I've never heard of him but I say if yout not happy where you are and someone wants you in another place then go . Contacts are only a bit of paper it's nothing compared to being happy in life, so really who cares. As if they can do anything about it when he's in France anyway, suckers

[Full Spectrum]

They are taking legal action against him, He might be banned for the remainder of his contract.
1 year into a 5 year deal, He clearly has issues. Talk to the club and back out, Don't walk out the back door in the middle of the night.

[And_ROOS]

Good on him I say, who here would turn down such an amazing oppurtunity?

I am sure everyone here if they were offered twice their current wages they would leave their job straight away, this is no different. If you get a chance to better your career, take it.

And its not like clubs are loyal to players anymore. That went out the window ages ago. Its a job, you get a better offer you take it, simple as.

[minux]

And its not like clubs are loyal to players anymore. That went out the window ages ago. Its a job, you get a better offer you take it, simple as.

Exactly, just like clubs dump players wen they can get someone better.

Who is this guy anyway lol?

[benny mckellar]

i'm in defense of SBW here he didn't actually leave the club he went over for talks with the french. I think it has all been blown right out of proportion by the media. As far as i know Sonny Bill did not rubbish the team at all. For all we know he could have been back for tonights game but he'll never come back now will he.

And i know if someone offered me triple the money for basically the same job i'd be gone quicker than he was.

[Full Spectrum]

Then who is the dick head for signing a 5 year contract?.

Comeon, He walked out it's easy to say, He walked out. And noone is denying it including himself.

This team has, As they say, Nurtured him from birth in juniors and made him a league player, He's talent made him a star, But he is young still, And it's immature of him to walk like this, He's mates wont be very understanding of him walking.

Think of all the other players that walked out on there clubs for better deals overseas, And see how they did it, The right way.

Rumours are something more then 2.5 million on his 5 year contract with the dogs, That is amazing, Considering he hardly plays a game.