Willie Mason

William Marshall Mason (born 15 April 1980), also nicknamed "Big Willie", is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s.

In 1997, Mason was signed by the Hunter Mariners and played in the lower grades until the club became defunct at the end of the year.

In 1998, Mason signed with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and played in the under-18s Jersey Flegg competition.

In 1999, Mason suffered a leg fracture in the game before the Bulldogs' Jersey Flegg Grand Final win.

In Round 13 of the 2000 NRL season he made his NRL debut for Canterbury-Bankstown against the Penrith Panthers after first-grader Darren Britt suffered an injury.

He became a regular first-grader for the rest of the season.

After the 2000 season, Mason made his international debut for Tonga, his mother's country of origin, in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup played in Great Britain and Ireland.

In 2002, Mason was reported to have run from a taxi to avoid paying the fare.

After the 2002 NRL season, Mason was selected to make his debut for Australia against Great Britain.

He scored a try on debut.

During 2003, Mason earned a call-up to make his debut for New South Wales in Game 3 of the 2003 State of Origin series.

After the 2003 NRL season, he went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, helping Australia to victory over Great Britain in what would be the last time the two nations contested an Ashes series.

In 2003, he tested positive to an illicit social drug, reported to be an amphetamine, and was fined $25,000 by his club.

Mason has never commented on the issue publicly.

An Australia and Tonga international and New South Wales State of Origin representative forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (with whom he won the 2004 Grand Final and Clive Churchill Medal), the Sydney Roosters, the North Queensland Cowboys, the Newcastle Knights and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

Mason also played in the Super League for English club the Hull Kingston Rovers and French club, the Catalans Dragons.

He also played rugby union in the Top 14 for French club RC Toulonnais.

During his career Mason was involved in a number of controversial off-field incidents which have received media publicity due to his high profile in the NRL.

Mason was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to an Australian father and a Tongan and Samoan mother, Mason moved to Australia at a young age and grew up in Toronto, New South Wales, playing his junior football for the Toronto Macquarie Scorpions and the Lakes United Seagulls.

In 2004, Mason along with Trent Waterhouse, Craig Wing, Craig Gower and Mark O'Meley, were fined for unprofessional behaviour and for leaving the team hotel after the side had returned from the night out.

Mason forged another player's signature at an autograph event, and after a heavy drinking session with teammates, reportedly visited a brothel.

The next season Canterbury-Bankstown reached the 2004 NRL Grand Final and triumphed 16–13 over the Sydney Roosters.

Mason was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for Man of the Match.

He was selected in the Australian team to go and compete in the end of season 2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament.

In the final against Great Britain Mason played from the interchange bench and scored a try in the Kangaroos' 44–4 victory.

Also at the end of 2004, Mason played in Australia's win over the United States in an international rugby league friendly match at Philadelphia's Franklin Field but suffered a fractured ankle.

Mason was out of action during the first half of the 2005 NRL season and only played the last nine games of the season.

He played in the 2005 Tri-nations tournament.

In June 2006, news speculation surfaced that Mason was considering joining the United States' National Football League (NFL), a childhood dream.

He was said to be courted by several teams, including the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.

In July it was confirmed the New York Giants had offered him the opportunity to trial with them after the Rugby League Tri-Nations series finished in November.

However, the Canterbury club objected to the deal, and Mason remained with the club beyond 2006.

In 2006, Willie returned to become a regular member of the Bulldogs team where he managed to play 20 club matches, all three Origin games for NSW – in which he was named Man of the Match in the opening game and three Tests for Australia in the 2006 Tri-Nations series.

He was a firm figure in the clubs return to finals football as the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder, Canterbury-Bankstown were beaten by eventual Premiers the Brisbane Broncos one game shy of the Grand Final.

Mason was televised appearing to swear during the New Zealand haka, before game 1 of the 2006 Gillette Tri-nations Series.

Later in the match Mason suffered a swollen black eye and suspected broken eye socket from a shoulder charge by David Kidwell.

Mason explained that his swearing was in response to the traditional Māori dance being performed by Brent Webb, an Indigenous Australian of Torres Strait Islander origin who became a New Zealand citizen.

Mason was banned for one game and fined $5,000 following an altercation with Stuart Fielden during Great Britain's victory over Australia in November 2006.

In December 2006 Mason took part in a trial with the New York Jets, but still maintained he would fulfil his contract with the Canterbury club until the end of the 2009 season.

Mason said "I'm probably at the time in my career now where maybe it is time for a change. New York City is the capital of the world. I'm pretty sure I could settle in there if given the opportunity..."