Bulldogs enforcer Sonny Bill Williams has pleaded to be quarantined from former friend Willie Mason ahead of Friday nights grudge match – afraid civilities will boil over into all-out war.
Williams and Mason were scheduled to go head-to-head on tonight’s NRL footy show but Williams has put the stoppers on the encounter.
Rugbyleaguelive.com understands Williams is concerned about what might happen if the pair meet, after a revealing interview between the rugby league megastar and Phil Gould on Nine's Footy Show two weeks ago revealed SBW’s "respect for (Mason) had diminished considerably" after Mason walked out on the Belmore boys.
Williams spoke for the first time on Mason’s messy exit from the club, looking visibly moved by the subject.
The usually stoic Bulldogs hardman claims Mason had never discussed the move with his long-time friend before it exploded in the national media.
The match up, dubbed “The Showdown” by the sports media, has rugby league fans salivating, with Williams, one of the game’s most feared defenders, going head-to-head with feeling against Mason, one of its most prolific and damaging ball runners.
The Canterbury Bulldogs play Sydney City Roosters at ANZ Stadium Friday night at 7.30pm.