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Willie Mason

G

GRS

Juniors
Messages
10
We are waiting for Willie Mason to arrive in the ESL, but there is supposed to be a delay with his paperwork, or not depending on whether you read what his ESL club are saying or what Mason implies in interviews in the press - in the Hull Daily Mail, SMH and Herald Sun his club are saying it's red tape, but Mason himself said "I suppose I'm still going" and one article talked about a hefty sign-on fee.


He said he was leaving for England 2 weeks ago, but has not arrived yet. He signed for Hull KR on the 4th of September, so if it is a visa delay it's much longer than any of the other players coming over have had to wait (Finch, Lima, Herbert, Cross, O'Donnell all got theirs and training in England already). The coach Justin Morgan is saying it doesn't matter if he doesn't arrive until after the season starts. Does anyone know whether he's left Australia yet or what's happening?

Thanks
 
Quigs

Quigs

Immortal
Messages
34,470
Didn't or arn't the Poms introducing stricter visa rules.

Intorduced last month or so ago, along with much sticter immigration laws.

Cheers
Quigs
 
G

GRS

Juniors
Messages
10
Thanks Quigs. Thing is that Cross and Herbert both signed for ESL clubs a few weeks after Mason did and Herbert got his ages ago and has been training at Bradford for weeks. Ben Cross got his a couple of weeks ago. If these two had had the same delays it would make sense but only Mason seems to be delayed.
 
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chefman21

Juniors
Messages
1,220
Quigs said:
Didn't or arn't the Poms introducing stricter visa rules.

Intorduced last month or so ago, along with much sticter immigration laws.

Cheers
Quigs
Click to expand...

Yeah they have. Far stricter. He'll be more than likely applying for a Tier 1 visa, which is for highly skilled migrants whose skills can not be filled by a local. Originally the cap for Tier 1 visas was 13000 people per year. It's now gone down to 1000, and places are likely to be filled up by January according to the latest reports. Given his history, he may not even have a club to go to. My wife and I are planning to head over under the same Tier visa once she has completed her PhD, so we keep a keen eye on it. Luckily for us it should be fairly easy.
 
Lambretta

Lambretta

First Grade
Messages
8,689
chefman21 said:
Yeah they have. Far stricter. He'll be more than likely applying for a Tier 1 visa, which is for highly skilled migrants whose skills can not be filled by a local.
Click to expand...

Hull will have no end of problems proving they can't find a gobby bastard who drinks too much piss amongst the locals of East Yorkshire.

I would assume that's the cause of the hold up then.

:p
 
SpaceMonkey

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
Messages
39,163
Lambretta said:
Hull will have no end of problems proving they can't find a gobby bastard who drinks too much piss amongst the locals of East Yorkshire.

I would assume that's the cause of the hold up then.

:p
Click to expand...

Rumour has it that some of Willie's ancestors actually hail from Yorkshire. There's certainly a resemblance...

images



url
 
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Cockadoodledoo

First Grade
Messages
5,045
I read that he was trying to get a Tongan passport so he would not count as part of the overseas player quota and this was probably causing the delay.
 
G

GRS

Juniors
Messages
10
Five months since Mason signed for Hull KR and still no sign of him. There's a rumour in the press here that it's not visa-related but due to a "wrangle over a signing-on fee" according to "sources in Australia". Does anyone know where he is? He went to Tonga supposedly to fast track a Tongan passport which Hull KR needed him to get to retain Ben Galea (who they thought would get a Malta passport and would therefore come off the overseas quota, but who hasn't got it yet), but that was weeks ago and we don't know whether he's back in Aus. Anyone know anything about it?
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
67,113
his Tongan passport effects his standing with the RFL but not the need for a working visa so I would imagine that is the continued hold up. Joel Clinton didn't arrive till a few weeks into the season last year but he got there in the end.
 
cleary89

cleary89

Coach
Messages
16,461
He's no ones sort of player. Parra sign anyone over the hill, so mason would fit in perfectly
 
boxhead

boxhead

First Grade
Messages
5,958
What?
I understand the criticism of the Eels but what is this about Willie Mason?
 
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