When Sonny Bill Williams walked back into Belmore Sports Ground to share his incredible story with the current Canterbury squad last week, he didn’t dance around his acrimonious departure 15 years earlier.
“I said to the boys when I got down there, ‘I will speak about the elephant in the room straight away,‘” Williams told the Herald.
“I said, ‘Yes, I left the club’. Would I do it again at that stage, at that moment? I probably would. But I would have done it a whole different way because I am very confident in the man I am today. I would have done it in a different way.
“I don’t regret leaving, but the thing I regret is not coming back into these four walls long ago. That was the biggest thing because when I went in there, it just felt like home.
Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould has unpacked the injury woes facing Canterbury on the cusp of the NRL season.
“I’ve never had any beef with any of the players. The hierarchy at the time? Yes I did.
“You had a young, wild kid who didn’t know how to express his feelings and that was the end result. But it put me on the trajectory that I am now. It’s all about being a better man, first and foremost. To be a better man, you need to push yourself.
“I just said, ‘It was my biggest mistake because I love it here, you guys are very lucky to be in this club. You have not just a great squad but great people around that want this club to do well.’
“It was cool to see young, hungry men wanting to achieve goals together.”
There appeared little chance that Williams would ever be welcomed back into the inner sanctum when he sensationally walked out on the “family club” in 2008. However, time has healed the wounds and new coach Cameron Ciraldo reached out to Williams in the hope he could present the Bulldogs’ debutants - Paul Alamoti, Jacob Preston and Jayden Tanner - with their jerseys on Saturday ahead of their clash with Manly.
When Williams’ schedule didn’t permit it, the cross-code star instead accepted an offer to address the players about his incredible sporting journey, one that is yet to be completed after deciding to continue his boxing career beyond his recent loss to Mark Hunt.
On returning to Belmore, the 37-year-old was able to share his story and also catch up with Willie Mason, Mark O’Meley, Andrew Ryan and Willie Tonga, his former Bulldogs teammates who were part of the 2004 premiership-winning side.
“It was cool,” he said. “I spoke with conviction about what I’m about, but understanding that not everyone is the same, everyone is different in their own path to greatness.
“I stressed the point that everyone’s journey can be different. To get greatness like we did in 2004, we were all aligned in our thinking, that it was all or nothing. This was the cause and we dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to it.
“The emotion was really nice, it was a nice feel. My gut, when I walked straight in there, it was like, ‘This is right, it feels nice being back here’.
“To see “Bobcat” Andrew Ryan, Willie Tonga was there, I’ve seen ‘Mase’ around, Mark O’Meley was there, it was cool.
“I said in the 20 years of sport that I’ve had, my closest friends in sport are from the Dogs. Some of my best memories were there. It reminded me of a young fella trying to make it.
“When I sat on the rower in one of my first sessions with the top grade, a bloke called Garry Carden [the club’s trainer] came in and said I had to do 20 minutes, to go as far as I could go.
“Who is next to me? Probably the best rower in the club, Willie Mason. I’m a young 18-year-old trying to prove myself; of course I beat him.
“For me, you can’t move forward without looking backwards. I’ve held onto those times of trying to make it, pushing myself to the extreme to try to feel like I belong.
“Understanding that drive and determination, you need that every day in whatever you do. It was cool to go back and feel those emotions.”
Williams said he could see a bit of himself in Alamoti, a gun junior who has played in the lower grades with his cousin, Phillip Makatoa.
“I have actually seen Paul play quite a bit, I know what he’s about,” he said. “He’s got that big left-foot, right-foot [step] in the centres and a big enough frame to probably play in the back row.
Sonny Bill Williams has returned to the “family club”. Gettynone
“Going in there and seeing how hungry those guys are, having been there and walked that walk, I stressed there is no growth without going through these experiences.
“Walk with your head held high, remember where you come from and greatness awaits.
“For the Dogs, the top eight is a reasonable goal. These things take time when you’re building something from the ground up and they have the talent and the coach who coaches with a vision. They also have the hunger.
“For example, Tevita Pangai Junior lost 10kg [in preseason]. He’s injured at the moment but he’s ready and hungry, he is committed to the cause. When I was there, I saw a few guys like that.
“What I like about Cameron is his style; if I was to be a coach, my style would be one of ‘defence wins competitions.’
“If you want to play, if you drop that offload on the first [tackle] you have to be willing to make five tackles in a row for your team. That’s the mindset that I’d have. Hearing Cameron talk and seeing what he has achieved at Penrith, that’s what he is about.
“Anything Cameron needs from me, I’m there because I respect the man. Anything the boys need.”
In the moments immediately after his loss to Hunt, the only loss in his professional career, Williams hinted that retirement was an option.
However, ‘SBW’ said the result was the best thing for him as it would inspire him to come back stronger, although he has yet to settle on his next opponent.
“I’m a simple guy, my biggest learnings have come from my biggest mistakes,” he said. “If you look up growth in the dictionary, I’m sure my name is underneath it.”
“I said to the boys when I got down there, ‘I will speak about the elephant in the room straight away,‘” Williams told the Herald.
“I said, ‘Yes, I left the club’. Would I do it again at that stage, at that moment? I probably would. But I would have done it a whole different way because I am very confident in the man I am today. I would have done it in a different way.
“I don’t regret leaving, but the thing I regret is not coming back into these four walls long ago. That was the biggest thing because when I went in there, it just felt like home.
Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould has unpacked the injury woes facing Canterbury on the cusp of the NRL season.
“I’ve never had any beef with any of the players. The hierarchy at the time? Yes I did.
“You had a young, wild kid who didn’t know how to express his feelings and that was the end result. But it put me on the trajectory that I am now. It’s all about being a better man, first and foremost. To be a better man, you need to push yourself.
“I just said, ‘It was my biggest mistake because I love it here, you guys are very lucky to be in this club. You have not just a great squad but great people around that want this club to do well.’
“It was cool to see young, hungry men wanting to achieve goals together.”
There appeared little chance that Williams would ever be welcomed back into the inner sanctum when he sensationally walked out on the “family club” in 2008. However, time has healed the wounds and new coach Cameron Ciraldo reached out to Williams in the hope he could present the Bulldogs’ debutants - Paul Alamoti, Jacob Preston and Jayden Tanner - with their jerseys on Saturday ahead of their clash with Manly.
When Williams’ schedule didn’t permit it, the cross-code star instead accepted an offer to address the players about his incredible sporting journey, one that is yet to be completed after deciding to continue his boxing career beyond his recent loss to Mark Hunt.
On returning to Belmore, the 37-year-old was able to share his story and also catch up with Willie Mason, Mark O’Meley, Andrew Ryan and Willie Tonga, his former Bulldogs teammates who were part of the 2004 premiership-winning side.
“It was cool,” he said. “I spoke with conviction about what I’m about, but understanding that not everyone is the same, everyone is different in their own path to greatness.
“I stressed the point that everyone’s journey can be different. To get greatness like we did in 2004, we were all aligned in our thinking, that it was all or nothing. This was the cause and we dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to it.
“The emotion was really nice, it was a nice feel. My gut, when I walked straight in there, it was like, ‘This is right, it feels nice being back here’.
“To see “Bobcat” Andrew Ryan, Willie Tonga was there, I’ve seen ‘Mase’ around, Mark O’Meley was there, it was cool.
“I said in the 20 years of sport that I’ve had, my closest friends in sport are from the Dogs. Some of my best memories were there. It reminded me of a young fella trying to make it.
“When I sat on the rower in one of my first sessions with the top grade, a bloke called Garry Carden [the club’s trainer] came in and said I had to do 20 minutes, to go as far as I could go.
“Who is next to me? Probably the best rower in the club, Willie Mason. I’m a young 18-year-old trying to prove myself; of course I beat him.
“For me, you can’t move forward without looking backwards. I’ve held onto those times of trying to make it, pushing myself to the extreme to try to feel like I belong.
“Understanding that drive and determination, you need that every day in whatever you do. It was cool to go back and feel those emotions.”
Williams said he could see a bit of himself in Alamoti, a gun junior who has played in the lower grades with his cousin, Phillip Makatoa.
“I have actually seen Paul play quite a bit, I know what he’s about,” he said. “He’s got that big left-foot, right-foot [step] in the centres and a big enough frame to probably play in the back row.
Sonny Bill Williams has returned to the “family club”. Gettynone
“Going in there and seeing how hungry those guys are, having been there and walked that walk, I stressed there is no growth without going through these experiences.
“Walk with your head held high, remember where you come from and greatness awaits.
“For the Dogs, the top eight is a reasonable goal. These things take time when you’re building something from the ground up and they have the talent and the coach who coaches with a vision. They also have the hunger.
“For example, Tevita Pangai Junior lost 10kg [in preseason]. He’s injured at the moment but he’s ready and hungry, he is committed to the cause. When I was there, I saw a few guys like that.
“What I like about Cameron is his style; if I was to be a coach, my style would be one of ‘defence wins competitions.’
“If you want to play, if you drop that offload on the first [tackle] you have to be willing to make five tackles in a row for your team. That’s the mindset that I’d have. Hearing Cameron talk and seeing what he has achieved at Penrith, that’s what he is about.
“Anything Cameron needs from me, I’m there because I respect the man. Anything the boys need.”
In the moments immediately after his loss to Hunt, the only loss in his professional career, Williams hinted that retirement was an option.
However, ‘SBW’ said the result was the best thing for him as it would inspire him to come back stronger, although he has yet to settle on his next opponent.
“I’m a simple guy, my biggest learnings have come from my biggest mistakes,” he said. “If you look up growth in the dictionary, I’m sure my name is underneath it.”
