August 18, 2008

THE Sonny Bill Williams saga has come to a predictable, yet tortured, end with the Bulldogs accepting a $750,000 cash settlement in return for the release of their former star.

"We've put a full stop today on the Sonny Bill Williams file, we've placed this chapter into the club's history and archives," Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg said.

"As far as I'm concerned, the book on Sonny Bill Williams is now closed."

A little over three weeks after walking out on the Bulldogs less than one year into a five-year deal, Williams is now free to forge ahead with a career in French rugby union.

His first game as a free man will be in Toulon's pre-season friendly against Saracens on Thursday morning (AEST), where he is expected to line-up in the centres as he continues his crash-course in the 15-man game.

While the journey featured threats of arrest, seizure of assets and even jail time for the runaway footballer, Williams' bid to escape the clutches of the Bulldogs ended the only way it ever could - with the NRL club agreeing to a price for his release.

The club had forced Williams' hand by successfully gaining a court injunction last week preventing him from playing with Toulon while under contract with the Bulldogs.

"The club's received a significant payout, one of the biggest in the history of Australian sport," Greenberg said.

"I'm happy that we've got a full stop on it, there's no winners in this saga.

"The Bulldogs have lost a player they've developed since the age of 16, one of the best players to come through our club. The game has lost one of its significant profiles and for Sonny Bill himself, he's made some decisions that he'll have to live with for the rest of his life.

"There's no fairytale ending at the end of this, there's no one running around the Bulldogs club yelling and screaming with delight. This is actually a relatively sad day."

Williams' associate and boxing champion Anthony Mundine reportedly gathering the funds required to gain the release.

Mundine also claimed his management company would foot the bill, which he believed was a bargain.

"I was willing to go a lot more, it's all good, 750 we can stop there," Mundine said.

The settlement also put an end to any court action by the Bulldogs towards Williams' manager Khoder Nasser or Toulon for enticing a breach of contract.

While the Bulldogs closed the door on Williams, their former prized asset could leave a lasting legacy, with the club struggling to replace his sizeable $400,000 chunk in next year's salary cap.

The club is believed to be close to confirming the signing of Brisbane winger Darius Boyd, but the Broncos youngster won't come close to matching Williams' pay-packet.

Asked if the club could be left playing short of the $4.1 million cap in 2009, Greenberg said: "Could be.

"That's not our plan, we'd like to be able to spend that sort of money.

"There's no ready-made fix to actually spend that money at the moment.

"We'll be looking for players, we're in the market now."

August 19, 2008

SONNY Bill Williams cannot use the NRL as a bargaining chip when he negotiates a contract after his current French rugby deal expires.

In a major win for the Bulldogs, they have been successful in having a clause inserted that bans Williams from playing in the NRL until 2013. The clause has widespread ramifications.

It potentially strips hundreds of thousands of dollars from any future deals negotiated because Williams will not be able to threaten a return to the NRL as a bargaining tool.

It could also be potentially disastrous if Williams fails to succeed at rugby union, leaving him only England's Super League to play in when his deal with Toulon ends in 2010.

The former Bulldog has been left financially reeling after being forced to shell out $750,000 in compensation to the Bulldogs. The size of the payout is significant.

When powerbroker Graham Richardson first began negotiating a deal with Bulldogs chairman George Peponis and chief executive Todd Greenberg, his starting offer was $200,000.

The Bulldogs were insulted. When $750,000 was finally agreed, Williams and manager Khoder Nasser asked for more time to find the funds.

Their difficulty raising the amount revealed millionaire French owner Mourad Boudjellal did not come to their rescue, forcing the runaway footballer to scrounge the amount from his management company jointly owned by Anthony Mundine and Nasser.

Eventually the money was paid into the Bulldogs' bank account late Monday.

"The club has accepted a significant payout, the likes of which have never been seen in Australian sport," Greenberg said.

"We are pleased this chapter of the club's history is in the archive and we can put a fullstop on Sonny Bill Williams."

After receiving the money the Bulldogs went to the NSW Supreme Court and applied for the court injunction to be dissolved.

It frees Williams to legally begin his rugby career, where he hopes to play for New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup. He is unlikely to play in the NRL again.

Even before the clause was included, NRL chief executive David Gallop had indicated to the Bulldogs that they would not register Williams with a rival club during the time of his supposed contract.

Already bitten, the Dogs still felt comfortable only when the clause was written into their own deal.

Williams initially baulked at the insertion of the clause but Greenberg described it as a "deal breaker".

"That was something that we were not prepared to negotiate on," he said.

Williams and his supporters will argue he has no plans to return to the NRL, anyway. But that was incidental to the Bulldogs.

Given money has driven much of the motivation since the split, the clause's greater power is preventing him using the NRL as a bargaining chip in future contract negotiations.

By lessening his negotiating pool, it potentially costs him hundreds of thousands of dollars.