chris_e_fresh
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Sonny Bill Williams' biggest regret in walking out on the Bulldogs was not being able to explain his reasons for doing so to his teammates and fans, but the Kiwi superstar believes he had little choice.
As the league world was still coming to terms with his decision to quit the NRL for a $3 million, two-year deal with the French rugby union club Toulon, which is coached by New Zealand icon Tana Umaga, Williams yesterday spoke with close friend Anthony Mundine from Singapore where he had stopped over en route to Europe.
Mundine, who is planning to visit Williams in Toulon after his fight against Japan's Crazy Kim in Newcastle on Wednesday, drove the 22-year-old Kiwi international to Sydney airport on Saturday.
"I spoke to him a couple of hours ago," Mundine told the Herald last night.
"I told him it was pretty crazy here and that there was a lot going on but he sort of anticipated that before he left. He said he genuinely feels in his heart and in his mind that he's done the right thing.
"The only thing that was really bugging him was that he didn't have the opportunity to explain to his boys - and I don't know if that was boys as in teammates or boys as his close mates in the team - and his hardcore fans at the Dogs and in rugby league in general how he felt. But he said to me that if someone who was close to him was in the same situation he would show them all the support that he can, he'd be there for them and he hopes that in time his close friends and fans will understand and will be there for him."
Before boarding his flight, Williams was "a bit jittery" but he had given a lot of consideration to the shock decision to turn his back on the Bulldogs and the NRL.
After earlier this season raising concerns about the respect afforded to Polynesian players in the NRL, the lure of playing for Umaga and alongside the likes of fellow All Blacks star Jerry Collins proved irresistible.
Despite never having playing rugby union, Williams has been encouraged by suggestions he could become an All Blacks great and sees the switch of codes not only as an escape but also a challenge.
"He's a bright boy and I know that he wasn't too happy with the club and with the game and with certain elements of the media," Mundine said. "I think a lot of people have made outlandish statements that don't really need to be made. Everyone seems to be thinking selfish, they're saying, 'Where is Sonny, why did he do that?' They're only thinking about themselves but they don't think about Sonny and what he must have been going through.
"They always want to pick on the weak when they are down mentally or physically and I think people need to wait to hear why he's in this situation. He was unhappy and maybe he had new challenges, maybe the new challenge for him was to become an All Black. He'd spoken to me about these things before so maybe he felt like he'd had enough of rugby league and that he had new challenges in rugby union and this was the first step."
Umaga, who has ruled out coming out of retirement after signing Williams as a centre, was in Australia earlier this month and spent some time with Melbourne Storm assistant coach and Kiwis mentor Stephen Kearney but he did not speak directly to Williams.
Mundine, whose decision to quit St George Illawarra in 2000 to pursue his dream of becoming a boxing world champion also caused a sensation, said Williams had asked him to drive him to the airport.
"He was pretty cool," Mundine said. "Obviously he was a bit jittery because he would have probably been fearing the unknown but besides that he was pretty talkative. We had a couple of laughs but, at the same time, he was pretty serious as well. You could tell he was on edge but he'd obviously thought it through."
Williams had recently changed agents to link up with Mundine's manager, Khoder Nasser, but there was confusion last night about whether he still represented him. "I am not authorised to speak on his behalf," Nasser said.
As the league world was still coming to terms with his decision to quit the NRL for a $3 million, two-year deal with the French rugby union club Toulon, which is coached by New Zealand icon Tana Umaga, Williams yesterday spoke with close friend Anthony Mundine from Singapore where he had stopped over en route to Europe.
Mundine, who is planning to visit Williams in Toulon after his fight against Japan's Crazy Kim in Newcastle on Wednesday, drove the 22-year-old Kiwi international to Sydney airport on Saturday.
"I spoke to him a couple of hours ago," Mundine told the Herald last night.
"I told him it was pretty crazy here and that there was a lot going on but he sort of anticipated that before he left. He said he genuinely feels in his heart and in his mind that he's done the right thing.
"The only thing that was really bugging him was that he didn't have the opportunity to explain to his boys - and I don't know if that was boys as in teammates or boys as his close mates in the team - and his hardcore fans at the Dogs and in rugby league in general how he felt. But he said to me that if someone who was close to him was in the same situation he would show them all the support that he can, he'd be there for them and he hopes that in time his close friends and fans will understand and will be there for him."
Before boarding his flight, Williams was "a bit jittery" but he had given a lot of consideration to the shock decision to turn his back on the Bulldogs and the NRL.
After earlier this season raising concerns about the respect afforded to Polynesian players in the NRL, the lure of playing for Umaga and alongside the likes of fellow All Blacks star Jerry Collins proved irresistible.
Despite never having playing rugby union, Williams has been encouraged by suggestions he could become an All Blacks great and sees the switch of codes not only as an escape but also a challenge.
"He's a bright boy and I know that he wasn't too happy with the club and with the game and with certain elements of the media," Mundine said. "I think a lot of people have made outlandish statements that don't really need to be made. Everyone seems to be thinking selfish, they're saying, 'Where is Sonny, why did he do that?' They're only thinking about themselves but they don't think about Sonny and what he must have been going through.
"They always want to pick on the weak when they are down mentally or physically and I think people need to wait to hear why he's in this situation. He was unhappy and maybe he had new challenges, maybe the new challenge for him was to become an All Black. He'd spoken to me about these things before so maybe he felt like he'd had enough of rugby league and that he had new challenges in rugby union and this was the first step."
Umaga, who has ruled out coming out of retirement after signing Williams as a centre, was in Australia earlier this month and spent some time with Melbourne Storm assistant coach and Kiwis mentor Stephen Kearney but he did not speak directly to Williams.
Mundine, whose decision to quit St George Illawarra in 2000 to pursue his dream of becoming a boxing world champion also caused a sensation, said Williams had asked him to drive him to the airport.
"He was pretty cool," Mundine said. "Obviously he was a bit jittery because he would have probably been fearing the unknown but besides that he was pretty talkative. We had a couple of laughs but, at the same time, he was pretty serious as well. You could tell he was on edge but he'd obviously thought it through."
Williams had recently changed agents to link up with Mundine's manager, Khoder Nasser, but there was confusion last night about whether he still represented him. "I am not authorised to speak on his behalf," Nasser said.
