FORMER St George Illawarra superstar Mark Gasnier looks back on NRL round 26 and singles out his player of the week to be awarded The Gaz Man.
And the award, for his freakish performance against the Rabbitohs, goes to …
Sonny Bill Williams
What he did on Friday night illustrates why he is the complete modern-day player. Once he was bumped off by Greg Inglis, he was like a bull chasing a red rag.
He changed the game in so many different passages; whether it was getting his team out of trouble from their own end, or creating attacking opportunities.
He can do the dirty stuff, he can hit, he can pass, he can tackle, he can offload and he can step.
But I think the best attribute of Sonny’s game since he has come back to the NRL, and it’s probably an age and maturity thing, is his timing.
He doesn’t go out on the field and have 10 hit-ups in the first 20 minutes and try and prove his worth.
He’ll sit back and pick his time.
Don’t get me wrong; he will have a couple of carries to help his team get out of trouble or whatever the situation requires.
But when an opportunity presents itself, whether it is down his corridor or elsewhere on the field, he will seek it out. He showcased that when he was playing in the halves during the Origin period.
Manly will try and get up in his face and limit him this week.
But I think his first six touches or so might be a little pass before the line or a little carry out of his own end.
It won’t be what people are expecting, but than if one chance presents itself, that will be all he needs.
He’s probably only going to get one or two opportunities against good teams and it whether he can execute and make the most of that will be a major factor in the Roosters’ finals campaign.
Make no mistake, however. Sonny Bill cannot win the Roosters the premiership by himself.
Sonny can create opportunities for his side, but what he can’t do is control the game as well as James Maloney and Mitchell Pierce do.
The Roosters halves are responsible for a lot of the little things. By that I mean knowing when to kick into the corners, knowing when to kick high, when to kick long, when to kick short.
When faced with all different scenarios throughout the game, the halves have to assess each situation and do what’s best for the team.
Sonny Bill reacts to those decisions and can provide points at any given time.
So, I believe the halves are just as important as Sonny, and together they create an incredible combination.
A combination sadly destined to be torn apart next year by Williams’ return to rugby.
The enticement of the 2015 World Cup and claiming another Super Rugby title will be too much for the dual-international international to refuse.
But no matter what, he’s done more than everyone expected him to do in league and has changed the game for the better, so he can hold his head up high.
