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Umaga's thieving mission

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10,047
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaynews/4641291a15620.html

Kiwis coach Kearney: Sonny Bill was snatched from under my nose

AARON LAWTON - Sunday News | Sunday, 03 August 2008



SONNY Bill Williams was poached from league to rugby by former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga right under the nose of Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney.

Sunday News can reveal Umaga spent three days with Kearney in Melbourne last month, where he told him of his plans for Williams in union.
"Tana's coaching Toulon and he was passing through Melbourne on his way home," Kearney told Sunday News.
"Tana was up front with me. He said, `I've spoken Sonny's management group', and he made sure to keep me in the loop of what was going on.
"I was certainly aware of his interest in Sonny and he was here doing the sly."
But Kearney, who played with Umaga in the Junior Kiwis in 1991, said he felt powerless to stop him luring Williams to rich French club Toulon on a reported $3.9 million for two years.
"He (Umaga) got me a little beauty," Kearney joked.
"I made Tana aware of what the plans were for Sonny, not only for the World Cup but also our game in New Zealand.
"(But) who am I to step in and interfere? What I can tell you is Tana did tell me that he and Sonny had been communicating."
Assistant Melbourne Storm coach Kearney, who has been a mentor to Sonny Bill, was aware of potential fallout at his failure to keep the superstar in the game and in his Kiwis side in the lead-up to October's Rugby League World Cup.
But he said Williams had confided in him about "private" issues which would have contributed to his decision to walk out on the Bulldogs eight days ago.
"I haven't talked to him since he left (Australia for France) but I know it doesn't look good for me when I've been mentoring the guy and he's pissed off overseas," he said.
"If Sonny hadn't been in a position he was in, I'm not too sure he would have made that move to Toulon.
"Had a few other areas in his life been more settled, we probably wouldn't be talking today about it.
"I could sense his frustration with a few things when we talked.
"It would have been very hard for me to comment or advise him because I've never been in the position he has been in.
"As a friend, those issues are between him and I and that's how they should stay."
Kearney said while William's decision to abandon the Bulldogs midway through the season had been widely condemned, critics shouldn't be so quick to judge him.
"It's not the ideal and I do feel for the Bulldogs and the players at the club but unless you know the whole situation it's hard to pass judgement," he said.
"I'm not saying what he did was the right thing to do but he is a young guy at 22 and we have to look at exactly why he made this decision.
"I think he was dealing with a lot of issues and I don't think his situation is over."
Williams has been playing cat and mouse with media and New South Wales court officials since the saga began.
The NRL will ask the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday to grant an injunction which would prevent Williams from breaking his five-year contract with the Bulldogs.
A subpoena for him to appear at the injunction hearing must be served on Williams who was granted a visa from French consulate officials in London last week by 8pm today.
The International Rugby Board has refused to intervene in the matter but France's club rugby president Serge Blanco has encouraged Williams to finish the season with the Bulldogs before moving to Toulon.
 

Micistm

Bench
Messages
4,470
Tana should be ashamed of himself if much of this is true IMO. I've had my suspicions last week he had more of an input into this saga. It's one thing to get a player from other codes, but he must have been aware of his contract. Maybe he didn't tell SBW to do what he did, but IMO he has to share a part of the bad rap in the media.
A former player should have more respect for a contract and a commitment to a team IMO, but ultimately the responsibility is of course with SBW
 

Micistm

Bench
Messages
4,470
Lol, I would like Umanga to come out in the Aussie media with who this SBW 'Management group' is, seeing the gutless wonders are pretending they aren't!
 

ozbash

Referee
Messages
26,922
"If Sonny hadn't been in a position he was in, I'm not too sure he would have made that move to Toulon.

yep, yep, yep.


Kearney said while William's decision to abandon the Bulldogs midway through the season had been widely condemned, critics shouldn't be so quick to judge him.
"It's not the ideal and I do feel for the Bulldogs and the players at the club but unless you know the whole situation it's hard to pass judgement," he said.
"I'm not saying what he did was the right thing to do but he is a young guy at 22 and we have to look at exactly why he made this decision.
"I think he was dealing with a lot of issues and I don't think his situation is over."

so, does this mean there is two sides to this sordid story. ?

I have been assured by many posters on this forum/s that there wasnt...
 
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10,047
he can spin whatever he likes onto it, unless an axe murderer chased him out of the country, he is cowardly and gutless for going about it how he did
 
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10,047
Just listening to Folkes on the ABC

He said that if SBW did come back, he wouldn't be welcome and would be playing NSW Cup for the rest of the season. he would carve up in that comp :lol:
 

shaneh

Juniors
Messages
71
After watching code the other nite it seems nikau knows what has gone on at the bulldogs with sbw...more than just the money issue i feel..but i still beleive he has been poorly advised and if he had played out his contract he wouldnt be such a scumbag..and would have made the switch with his reputation still intact...
 

Micistm

Bench
Messages
4,470
I agree completely. Yes I'm disappointed he's lost to the game, but the switch, salary cap, girlfriend problems, blah blah blah. The ONLY point in the story IMO is the way he has done things, which is cowardly and without the slightest bit of class.
There may well be two sides, I guess we'll find the other one out when he stops hiding in the toilets! ;-) Seriously, unless it is the situation where he was having a breakdown, there is no excuse for what he's done here. Sunday Star times had an excellent feature on it yesterday, and unless SBW comes out himself to clear things up, it just doesn't look good. The change in him kicks in from the time his new manager, oops sorry..."friend" emerged
 

2black2strong

Juniors
Messages
182
I agree completely. Yes I'm disappointed he's lost to the game, but the switch, salary cap, girlfriend problems, blah blah blah. The ONLY point in the story IMO is the way he has done things, which is cowardly and without the slightest bit of class.
There may well be two sides, I guess we'll find the other one out when he stops hiding in the toilets! ;-) Seriously, unless it is the situation where he was having a breakdown, there is no excuse for what he's done here. Sunday Star times had an excellent feature on it yesterday, and unless SBW comes out himself to clear things up, it just doesn't look good. The change in him kicks in from the time his new manager, oops sorry..."friend" emerged


But that's the whole point, there's a whole side to the story that hasn't been revealed in the Newspapers.

He went around to all of his friends houses a week before he flew out to tell them his plans and say goodbye, but not to say anything to the media. There was only a couple of the white boys at the Bulldogs who didn't know a week earlier he was going. It's not like he just left his mates, he said goodbye to his mates.
 

Mr Angry

Not a Referee
Messages
51,816
IMO Sonny wanted out of the bulldogs.

Money is not a relevent as has been made out.
 

shiznit

Coach
Messages
14,796
IMO Sonny wanted out of the bulldogs.

Money is not a relevent as has been made out.
i tend to agree mate... didnt his dad and choc have a meeting with the dogs a couple of months ago to tell say he wanted a release... they didnt grant it... so he just f**ked off...

i dont condone what hes done but if he can look in the mirror and feel good about what hes done then fair enough... NRL contracts are rubbish anyway...
 
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10,047
They did have that meeting a couple of months back, but the end result is that he signed an upgraded deal and re-affirmed his commitment to them

2B2S, i find that very, very hard to believe sorry. Most of the Dogs boys (not just white ones, black ones too, such as Maitua who he was very tight with), have looked shocked and shattered

He may have his side to the story, but some things imo are indefensible.
 

2black2strong

Juniors
Messages
182
They did have that meeting a couple of months back, but the end result is that he signed an upgraded deal and re-affirmed his commitment to them

2B2S, i find that very, very hard to believe sorry. Most of the Dogs boys (not just white ones, black ones too, such as Maitua who he was very tight with), have looked shocked and shattered

He may have his side to the story, but some things imo are indefensible.

Mate, I know for a fact that Maitua and Tonga were the first 2 to find out. Maitua wasn't shattered, he was upset because he knew what was going on but couldn't do anything. He is also about to walk out on the dogs, his manager is in talks with the Cowboys, Roosters and SL clubs, just call me 'the mole' haha.

and Sonny didn't sign an upgraded deal. His father said to the bulldogs board, "He just want's to be looked after that's all"

Todd Greenburgs Affidavit was on the Daily Telegraph website, with minutes from that meeting, I can't locate it now but I'm sure it's on there still among all that SBW crap
 
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badav

Bench
Messages
2,601
i tend to agree mate... didnt his dad and choc have a meeting with the dogs a couple of months ago to tell say he wanted a release... they didnt grant it... so he just f**ked off...

i dont condone what hes done but if he can look in the mirror and feel good about what hes done then fair enough... NRL contracts are rubbish anyway...


After that meeting Sonny Bill gave Todd Greenburg a rap and said how he was keen to be a part of the bulldogs moving forward.

Just goes to show the guys word means nothing. At the end of the day the more blokes with his attitude that leave league, the better off the game will be.
 
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11,291
But that's the whole point, there's a whole side to the story that hasn't been revealed in the Newspapers.

He went around to all of his friends houses a week before he flew out to tell them his plans and say goodbye, but not to say anything to the media. There was only a couple of the white boys at the Bulldogs who didn't know a week earlier he was going. It's not like he just left his mates, he said goodbye to his mates.

Im not sure that would be the truth. Word would of got out about it. So waht was all that crap he did on the footy show about Mason being dis loyal and stuff
 
Messages
10,047
Mate, I know for a fact that Maitua and Tonga were the first 2 to find out. Maitua wasn't shattered, he was upset because he knew what was going on but couldn't do anything. He is also about to walk out on the dogs, his manager is in talks with the Cowboys, Roosters and SL clubs, just call me 'the mole' haha.

and Sonny didn't sign an upgraded deal. His father said to the bulldogs board, "He just want's to be looked after that's all"

Todd Greenburgs Affidavit was on the Daily Telegraph website, with minutes from that meeting, I can't locate it now but I'm sure it's on there still among all that SBW crap

With all due respect to yourself mate, it is not a crack at you, but i would struggle to trust anything that comes from SBW or his 'management' teams mouths.

He has been on the TV so many times syaing he will be staying after that meeting, at fans days telling the fans that, but the lowest of all, he agreed to front Childrens Charities and deserted on them too

I am sure his side will be put forward on the Footy Show on Thursday night, just a shame that it won't be done with a real journo, but rather Danny Weidler who is deep inside the Mundine camp.
 

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