RHYTHM AND STEALTH
Coach
- Messages
- 11,234
Willie Mason
March 11, 2007
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I'VE BEEN fortunate enough to achieve a lot of things in my career. I've been lucky to be with a successful club like the Bulldogs and to have won a competition - one of the best things you can do, from a team perspective.
The NSW side has been successful for the past four or five years and I've been a part of the Test team. But there are still a few personal things I'd like to achieve, and one of them would be to captain my country.
You always wish to play for NSW and Australia, but to captain them would be something else. I haven't even captained the Bulldogs yet so it would be a pretty hard task, but I wouldn't shy away from it.
I'm happy to sit back for the time being, but it's something I have aspirations to do because it's the ultimate thing you can achieve.
If it happens, I'm sure it would be the proudest moment of my life. It already is, every time I pull on that Australian jersey.
I'm not looking to take the job from Darren Lockyer (left) - he's doing great - it's more for down the track. The thing is I'm now part of the leadership group of every team I'm in - NSW, Australia and Canterbury.
Captaining the Dogs is on the to-do list but I'm happy sitting back. Bobcat [Andrew Ryan] does a great job here and we don't believe in all that co-captain crap that some clubs do. We have one bloke who leads us out and a couple of leaders in the team that people look to.
We have five in our leadership group and although Bobcat leads us out and we all listen to him, people also listen to me.
I know if anyone had suggested a few years ago that I would be a leader, people would have laughed. But I have really knuckled down with my football.
I was sick of getting told by people I respect - guys like Steve Folkes and Ricky Stuart - that I've got all this talent and that it was up to me if I wanted to be remembered as a great player or an average player.
I didn't want to look back in 10 years and think I could have done a lot more if I'd cared more.
My attitude is different now. There was a time I was making rep teams and I thought to myself, "I'm not even really putting in". There have been people who have been busting their arse in first grade for 10 years and not getting that chance, and here I was with 10 or 12 Tests and it felt as if the jersey was being given to me. I don't think I really earned it, but I'm earning it now.
You've got to practise what you preach as a leader - you can't go into team meetings and say a lot of stuff and then go out and do nothing. Your peers would look at you and go, "What the hell are you doing in there, preaching all this crap and playing like a fairy?" I'm not the type of guy to say stuff and not back it up.
As for this season, I reckon the Wests Tigers are going to struggle. They're my tip for the spoon. They've lost Scott Prince, John Skandalis, Anthony Laffranchi - and they haven't bought anyone.:lol:
Any time anyone tips a team for the wooden spoon, it gives them a lot of drive. But if Benji Marshall gets injured - and let's hope he doesn't - it's going to be a long year for them.
For a 100% tool he certainly tells it like it is
March 11, 2007
AdvertisementAdvertisement
I'VE BEEN fortunate enough to achieve a lot of things in my career. I've been lucky to be with a successful club like the Bulldogs and to have won a competition - one of the best things you can do, from a team perspective.
The NSW side has been successful for the past four or five years and I've been a part of the Test team. But there are still a few personal things I'd like to achieve, and one of them would be to captain my country.
You always wish to play for NSW and Australia, but to captain them would be something else. I haven't even captained the Bulldogs yet so it would be a pretty hard task, but I wouldn't shy away from it.
I'm happy to sit back for the time being, but it's something I have aspirations to do because it's the ultimate thing you can achieve.
If it happens, I'm sure it would be the proudest moment of my life. It already is, every time I pull on that Australian jersey.
I'm not looking to take the job from Darren Lockyer (left) - he's doing great - it's more for down the track. The thing is I'm now part of the leadership group of every team I'm in - NSW, Australia and Canterbury.
Captaining the Dogs is on the to-do list but I'm happy sitting back. Bobcat [Andrew Ryan] does a great job here and we don't believe in all that co-captain crap that some clubs do. We have one bloke who leads us out and a couple of leaders in the team that people look to.
We have five in our leadership group and although Bobcat leads us out and we all listen to him, people also listen to me.
I know if anyone had suggested a few years ago that I would be a leader, people would have laughed. But I have really knuckled down with my football.
I was sick of getting told by people I respect - guys like Steve Folkes and Ricky Stuart - that I've got all this talent and that it was up to me if I wanted to be remembered as a great player or an average player.
I didn't want to look back in 10 years and think I could have done a lot more if I'd cared more.
My attitude is different now. There was a time I was making rep teams and I thought to myself, "I'm not even really putting in". There have been people who have been busting their arse in first grade for 10 years and not getting that chance, and here I was with 10 or 12 Tests and it felt as if the jersey was being given to me. I don't think I really earned it, but I'm earning it now.
You've got to practise what you preach as a leader - you can't go into team meetings and say a lot of stuff and then go out and do nothing. Your peers would look at you and go, "What the hell are you doing in there, preaching all this crap and playing like a fairy?" I'm not the type of guy to say stuff and not back it up.
As for this season, I reckon the Wests Tigers are going to struggle. They're my tip for the spoon. They've lost Scott Prince, John Skandalis, Anthony Laffranchi - and they haven't bought anyone.:lol:
Any time anyone tips a team for the wooden spoon, it gives them a lot of drive. But if Benji Marshall gets injured - and let's hope he doesn't - it's going to be a long year for them.
For a 100% tool he certainly tells it like it is
