Latest news with #WillieMason
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Rugby league legend lifts the lid on the day Roy Keane was dramatically SACKED by Manchester United
Footy legend Willie Mason has revealed how Roy Keane 's 'energy' resulted in his infamous sacking from Manchester United in November of 2005. Speaking on his Levels podcast with co-host Justin Horo, Mason recalled meeting a number of Red Devils players - including club captain Keane. Mason, who was in England at the time with the Kangaroos, outlined what unfolded. 'We went to Man Utd saw (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Wayne) Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson,' he said. 'It was freezing cold, and I remember (Kangaroos coach) Wayne Bennett talking to Sir Alex for about three hours. 'Keane was on the exercise bike and he was (absolutely) fuming. 'Roy was filthy at the younger kids have no credibility and shouldn't be driving similar cars to him. 'He is a league fan, Roy was saying to the boys how much he loves rugby league. 'Then he called them all prima donnas, and took that energy into a press conference.' Mason's account is on the money. After more than 12 years at Old Trafford, Keane was ruthlessly moved on following savage comments about a number of his teammates, including the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John O'Shea, Darren Fletcher and Alan Smith. They followed a 4-1 defeat by Middlesbrough. Ferguson and chief executive David Gill felt the situation was untenable, and Keane was ushered out the door. It followed a 'ten minute' meeting - with the seven-time Premier League winner left stunned and without a club. The hard-nosed midfielder eventually joined Celtic in Scotland - and his relationship with Ferguson remains strained. After retiring in 2006, Keane moved into management before turning his attention to football punditry.
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Bulldogs co-captain and fan Tayla Preston to live out childhood dream in NRLW opener
Tayla Preston has a signed pair of Willie Mason's footy shorts somewhere, stuffed in a box of Bulldogs memorabilia she's about to cram more into. On Friday night the Bulldogs' inaugural NRLW signing and now co-captain of the competition's newest expansion team will complete a childhood dream to play for the club she grew up idolising. 'It's honestly so surreal and so special to me, I've grown up going for this club so to wear this jersey, I just have so much pride and I want to repay the club for all the faith they've put in us,' she says ahead of Friday night's historic clash with Newcastle at Accor Stadium. 'It's the 90th year for the club and inaugural season, it doesn't get much better to be honest. I get goosebumps thinking about it every day and I feel so lucky that I get to represent this club, it's such an honour.' It's a full circle moment for the Preston family. Tayla's dad John was born and raised in Belmore, but was also a goalkicking halfback in Canterbury's lower grades in the 1980s. 'I have a few photos of me back in the day back in the boys sheds, with Trent Hodkinson, Josh Reynolds and Josh Morris,' she says. 'I have some photos at school repping my Bulldogs jersey for Jersey Day, not sure where that jersey has gone now it definitely wouldn't fit me. 'We have Willie Mason's old footy shorts from the Bulldogs, signed, too,' she laughs 'We found them the other day' We ask, they're definitely washed. 'They used to be massive on me but I think they might nearly fit me these days.' They're the very players who have been helping out at training across the pre-season. New coach Brayden Wiliame is a recently retired NRL player who is still learning the ropes as a rookie mentor for the women's team. Since joining the Bulldogs he's leant on the clubs' former players to impart their knowledge on the team. 'We had Josh Jackson come in and Josh Reynolds did some kicking stuff with our halves the other week,' he says. 'I'm more than open for guys to come in and take sessions. 'We had Brad Fittler come in not that long ago, he just came in to watch but it was cool for the girls to see that. 'I'm not precious about, oh 'this is my team don't touch it'. I understand there's things I'm still learning, so any time we can get ex-players in or people to come in and help the team, I'm more than happy for that. 'That's the culture we're trying to build here.' Wiliame was a late addition to the NRLW team, arriving just before pre-season kicked off in May. He replaced former head coach Blake Cavallaro, who parted ways with the club amid claims of an undisclosed relationship with a colleague. The former Eels, Dragons, Manly and Warriors centre arrives highly regarded and eager to learn after hanging up the boots of his playing career in 2023. 'I think the game has evolved a lot over the past five years or so, it got a lot faster and a lot more is the asked of the players nowadays,' he says of the NRLW. 'But as a recent player I feel like I can add that experience, I know what it feels like out there, so what I say can hold some weight. 'I was only doing this two years ago, going through a pre-season, so I know what it feels like.' He says building a Bulldogs team that matches the culture of the club is his first priority. 'Grit is something that always comes up with the Bulldogs. That's what they've been known for, and particularly over these last couple of seasons since Cam (Ciraldo) has come in, they haven't had the biggest forward pack but they just go after teams,' he says. 'We do have quite a powerful forward pack, but that's what we'll be about.'
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Preston's NRLW Bulldogs dream decades in the making
When Tayla Preston became Canterbury's inaugural NRLW signing, her mother went out to the garage and rummaged around for a specific family treasure from 20 years earlier. The last time Canterbury won the NRL premiership in 2004, the Preston family - Canterbury tragics living in Bulldogs heartland - had framed a signed poster of the iconic team. NRL legends Sonny Bill Williams, Jonathan Thurston, Hazem El Masri and Willie Mason were in the team that pipped the Sydney Roosters in a classic grand final that day. Two decades on, the Prestons hung the photo frame back up in the family home as a reminder of what Tayla could achieve blazing a trail with the club's first NRLW team. "We kind of said, 'We'll have to put that up around the house to set a goal'," Tayla Preston told AAP ahead of round one this weekend. "It's pretty cool to be able to look at that. I'd love to be able to lift the trophy up for the Bulldogs one day." Along with the Warriors, Canterbury are one of two new NRLW franchises pushing the competition to 12 teams this season. But for co-captain and playmaker Preston, playing for the Bulldogs is an opportunity many years in the making. She grew up playing touch football and idolising the likes of Josh Reynolds, Trent Hodkinson and Josh Morris as they wore the famous blue-and-white strip. Her brother Jarryd was as keen a Canterbury fan, too, and used to run around wearing a pair of Mason's oversized footy shorts he'd been gifted after a game when the siblings were young. Tayla has since crossed paths with Mason when he's dropped into training for the NSW Women's Premiership team. "I wasn't game enough to tell him we had a pair of his shorts at home. Maybe one day," she said with a laugh. So after a lifetime dreaming of playing for the Bulldogs at first-grade level, Preston is determined to make her chance count. Preston insists a grand final appearance, just like that one from 2004, should not be off the cards for the youthful Dogs roster coached by ex-NRL player Brayden Wiliame. Veteran prop Holli Wheeler, co-captain alongside Preston, and Kiwi Ferns trio Alexis Tauaneai, Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa and Ashleigh Quinlan will be essential to helping Canterbury realise that goal. "There's no reason why we can't be there on grand final day. We believe we've got the squad to do so," Preston said. "For us it's just about building that legacy and holding those standards really high for the young girls to be able to see there's a proper pathway now and they can play for the club that they idolise too."
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
NRL cult hero Willie Mason throws down stunning challenge to one of Australia's top female footy stars: 'I'd smash her'
Footy cult hero Willie Mason may have retired in 2016 - but that hasn't stopped him from challenging NRLW flyer Jaime Chapman to a sprint race over 40 metres. Mason, 45, was never short of confidence in his decorated career - and it seems nothing has changed as the premiership-winning forward transitions into sports podcasting with fellow ex-NRL player Justin Horo. At the recent Magic Round in Brisbane, Mason confidently declared he would have Chapman's measure, much to the amusement of the NSW Blues winger. 'I'd smash you in the 40 (metre sprint),' Mason began. A bemused Chapman - who will turn out for the Gold Coast Titans in the NRLW competition come July - responded 'no you wouldn't' - and then the banter went to another level between the pair. 'I told her I'm sub five (seconds) across 40 minutes,' Mason confirmed to Horo on their increasingly popular Levels Network podcast. Horo then revealed Mason 'started throwing out stats' in a bid to rattle Chapman, but she was having none of it. 'Credit to Chappo, she held her own,' Horo told listeners. In typical Mason style, the Clive Churchill Medal winner refused to back down, urging Chapman to organise a winner-takes-all dash. Chapman was far from intimidated, declaring she 'will take part for content' which will appear on social media. It comes as Chapman - who dates Dolphins NRL speedster Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow - was recently targeted in a deepfake photo attack online. She also revealed it isn't the first time someone has used artificial intelligence (AI) to produce a doctored photograph of her. The 23-year-old took to Instagram to slam the 'scary' and 'damaging' effect the deepfake images have had on her mental health. 'Have a good day to everyone except those who make fake AI photos of other people,' she wrote. 'AI is scary these days. 'Next time think of how damaging this can be to someone and their loved ones. 'This has happened a few times now and it needs to stop.' Chapman's words were accompanied by what appears to be the original image that was subsequently doctored. Before it became the subject of a deepfake, the photo showed Chapman taking a selfie as she sat on a bed in a gold bikini.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
News 8 Primetime 585 Elite Awards: Boys coach
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Our boys team winner made history with a semi-young program…. In just his fourth year at the varsity level, this coach led his team to an 8-0 start and #1 state ranking on their way to a 17-3 regular season record. Despite losing two players during the season, his team went on to win the Class B1 title. It was the first sectional championship in the school's 12 year basketball history. His team would go on to advance to the State Semifinals, where they lost to the eventual state champs. His coaching acumen, passion for the game, and commitment to excellence have undoubtedly left a mark on his players' growth both on and off the basketball court. Our coach of the season comes from the World of Inquiry — Willie Mason. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
