News The Mole: Willie Mason counsels Tevita Pangai Junior after ugly trial meltdown

[djdeep4172]

Willie Mason has taken new Bulldogs bad boy Tevita Pangai Junior under his wing this season - and believes the Tongan international can turn Canterbury's pack into one of the most feared in the NRL.

The former Broncos and Panthers forward copped plenty of flak for an ill-disciplined performance in the Bulldogs' final trial against the Sharks last Monday week. But Mason, recently appointed to the Bulldogs' staff and very much from league's 'old school', took a different view of the big forward's performance.

"He might have gone a little over the top but we can fix that and I've been talking to him about his game," Mason told Wide World of Sports.

"He excites me - he runs hard and straight and opposition forwards don't like playing against him.

"I'm just trying to simplify his game. He doesn't have to push the pass or throw flick passes or anything like that.

"The guy's got speed, he's got footwork. If you are trying to tackle him you would be petrified.

"He is a five-eighth in a torpedo body. If we get 20 good games out of him, we will be laughing.

"He needs to be a leader in our pack and lead by example and I think he is capable of doing that."

 

[LFC Bulldogs]

Sounds like Willie would make a better coach than that dud Barrett.
We need someone who can get the very best out of players, identify their weakness, tweak their game .

 

[Turvey Chip and Chase]

Time to pay us back Willie for hurting us in 2008….

 

[Gene Krupa]

It's like the blind leading the blind.

 

[Psycho Doggie]

Sounds like Willie would make a better coach than that dud Barrett.
We need someone who can get the very best out of players, identify their weakness, tweak their game .

Willie is in a great position, he can talk personally like this to the players. The Head coach really shouldn't be, the best head coaches are rarely a good friend to the players. Baz will probably do better if he steps it up on the authority and leaves guys like Willie to do the person on person stuff.

 

[BMOC]

Tpj will be sweet. We have honestly lost our identity since kasiano, Pritchard, graham and Klemmer have left. I agree with willie. Tpj ain’t soft . He just needs to be smarter and not give away too many penalties.

Go the doggies

 

[c-b-b]

We've signed some decent players but some will need a strong team to get the best out of them. I'm not sure this coaching group can do that but time will tell.

 

[Scoooby]

TPJ will be a gun here and will kill it for us.

 

[Cujo]

TPJ needs to stop trying to prove he is a hard clunt!
If he just ran & tackled hard that would more than prove what & who he is, leaving no need for the school yard shi-at that has plagued his time in the NRL(excluding penny time)..

 

[amapusae]

If he didn’t have that punching incident, everyone would be saying he had a good game. He’s looked very good in the first 2 trials

 

[Nate DAWG]

TPJ will come good. He will also fire the pack up. He just needs to play tighter and run hard. The second phase will come. TPJ is a talent but he needs to be coached. Hopefully Willie gets the best out of him. Its just good to have a tough nut on the team, we have been soft for too long.

 

[Benno Bulldog]

Willie is in a great position, he can talk personally like this to the players. The Head coach really shouldn't be, the best head coaches are rarely a good friend to the players. Baz will probably do better if he steps it up on the authority and leaves guys like Willie to do the person on person stuff.

Im thinking your right and this is the benefit of Gus and WIllie around the place they need to be utilised early and TPJ could come out and play his best performance with this type of attention. I think he needs this attention and WM is the right guy, to talk him up. I think ???

 

[Aristidiz]

Mason should just be at training on occasion to build morale and confidence, but I hope he isn't giving technical advice.

 

[Benno Bulldog]

Mason should just be at training on occasion to build morale and confidence, but I hope he isn't giving technical advice.

Think morale and confidence is a lot with this side. Quite a few in the coaching entourage hanging at Belmore.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Mason should just be at training on occasion to build morale and confidence, but I hope he isn't giving technical advice.

Mason is a pathways transition coach so he's working across the grades at the club an not exclusively with the NRL squad.

 

[Moedogg]

TPJ tore us a new one when we played the Broncs, hope he offloads at will.

 

[KiwiDog7]

TPJ saves his best games for the Cowboys

 

[Shreksno1]

Time to pay us back Willie for hurting us in 2008….

Get over it, he owes u and anyone else sweet f all

 

[Haddaway]

I think he's going to kill it Sunday.

He likes playing Jason, and he'll want to show he can pull his head in. How long it lasts is another matter, but I think he's going to kill it for this game.

 

[Doggy71]

Big Willie has been through the ups and downs in his life and grown up a lot,a few words of wisdom in TPJ's ear might be just what he needs.