Mason: The God Send

[The Showstopper]

Willie was quality. He ran good lines and attracted defenders like flies to s###! wait till he offloads at the line to a support runner. Did i say support runner? Where do we get those? Our biggest weakness in attack.

 

[natheel]

Played well but I wouldn't get ya hopes up. He was enthusiastic when he started at rooters and cowboys too

 

[aqua_duck]

Played well but I wouldn't get ya hopes up. He was enthusiastic when he started at rooters and cowboys too

He had a good first year at the roosters then did his knee which took him about a year to fully get over, he was real good at the cowboys, most cowboys fans were more than happy with him.
We're not expecting him to turn into Paul Gallen but what he undoubtably brings is energy and enthusiasm, he's like the pied piper when he comes on the field with his talk and his enthusiasm, the rest of the team seems to lift a gear.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Daine Laurie get a run sometime, sure he's got mistakes in him but the rest of the forwards are also dropping the ball like it's AFL at the moment, I think Laurie's natural size and mongrel would be quite useful in tandem with Willie

 

[Spot On]

Good points RABK. I hope he is effective against the better teams and better packs, of which there are 14. Penrith are diabolical. I still can't believe Newton scored a try let alone two. We were pretty ordinary as well.

 

[Chicken_Hunter]

I actually wouldn't mind seeing Daine Laurie get a run sometime, sure he's got mistakes in him but the rest of the forwards are also dropping the ball like it's AFL at the moment, I think Laurie's natural size and mongrel would be quite useful in tandem with Willie

The last thing we need is a player who has some mistakes in him, we already have Aku, Nev and cuthbo to play that role.

 

[aqua_duck]

The last thing we need is a player who has some mistakes in him, we already have Aku, Nev and cuthbo to play that role.

Mate I don't know if you were watching on Monday night but everyone is dropping the ball. Evarn
and Snowy were both guilty of it.

 

[Dragon2010]

You got a great signing in Mason. He's pure talent and he looked great. Once he gets a bit more match fitness and is able to play more minutes he will be a great asset to the team.

 

[Knightmare]

Knightmare Mason was the worlds best forward 02-06. Far ahead of the overated Webcke and Hindmarsh and Tallis was playing injured. He averaged about 160m a game and attracted 4 defenders every run.

He simply was dominant. His career definitely went off track but if you don't think he reached his potential in that 02-06 period then you are a harsh judge. He was excellent i thought.

As for last night - Panthers pushed numbers to him in their defensive line which lead to guys like Costigan, Taia and Houston having a lot of one on one situations where they shined and really opened the game up. Even when he wasn't going to run he positioned himself off ball to suggest he would which attracted extra defenders.

A lot of people don't look for or see the off ball things or watch the defensive line of the opposition. But i notice these small things.

He's huge, very fast over 20m, runs hard, knows how to fend, uses footwork, has a good offload and attracts 3 defenders every run. He's quality - he has more natural talent and ability than any forward i've seen apart from SBW. Mason at 100% in 02-06 was a dominant forward. If we get 75% Mason we'll have a very good forward.

All signs are there - his presence opened the game up and we looked like a top 4 team for 25 minutes.

I suppose I mean that he was still reasonably young when his career began to dive. He could have been a consistently good forward (like Hindmarsh) and he would never have found himself on the outer at any club he played for. If he had kept that awesome form up post '06, he could have been talked about as one of the all-time greats, rather than a flawed star.

 

[aqua_duck]

I suppose I mean that he was still reasonably young when his career began to dive. He could have been a consistently good forward (like Hindmarsh) and he would never have found himself on the outer at any club he played for. If he had kept that awesome form up post '06, he could have been talked about as one of the all-time greats, rather than a flawed star.

Hindmarsh was allowed to play on 3 years longer than he should've been because he's a good bloke. People forget that Mason was still a dominant forward in 08 during his first year at the roosters, was still a regular at rep level and the roosters made the top 4 that year, would've made the world cup squad had he not tore his ACL in round 26 that year. 09 was a write off, he was playing for a team that flat out sucked and everyone knows it usually takes about 18 months to fully recover from a knee reco.
2010 he was at the cowboys and most cowboy fans were more than happy with his contributions.

If he was a good bloke like Hindy he could've been a 300 game one club man but he was perceived to be a dickhead. In terms of playing ability, Hindy's got nothing on Big Willie, it's like comparing Sam Burgess to Corey Parker

 

[perverse]

Mason was great for the Cowboys in his stint there. anyone saying otherwise clearly isn't a Cowboys fan AND didn't watch them that year. at all. he was good. it's a total myth that Willie hasn't played good football in recent memory - especially if you're talking as far back as '06. absolute, total nonsense. he is past his peak, but he still has a lot to offer. his enthusiasm is infectious. he is going to be fantastic value, no matter which way you look at it. I don't even get how you could be on the fence about it. we're paying him a pack of chips and a coke. there's no downside.

 

[aqua_duck]

He's had 1 bad year, that was 2009 in a team that was trash, and he'd torn his ACL less than a year before

 

[Yosh]

I think Mason needs more game time. Against the Roosters, as soon as he went off they started scoring their tries...

 

[Johns Magic]

His fitness isn't up to the minutes yet. At the ground on Sunday you could see he was lagging only a couple of minutes into his second stint.

 

[NoSchitSherlock]

Mason was a one-man team tonight. I reckon he dug deep and showed how it should be done.
Do you need to leave Newie for that long to show some Newie pride?

 

[Nuffy]

He was enormous tonight, made the rest of the forwards look ordinary.

I suggest we sign him now for next year as we will need him.

Importantly, he is a competitor, something we sadly lack.

 

[timka4]

I thought Kade was also pretty good tonight (like most weeks though), not just Mason

 

[Yosh]

You are quickly becoming my favorite player. If anyone told me I would be in love with you 3 years ago I would have punched them in the nuts. Thank you.