Sonny Bill Williams is ready for his next sporting challenge — taking on former Blues captain Paul Gallen in a boxing bout that will be of huge interest to league and union fans in Australia and across the Tasman.
The fight has long been mooted, but there has been no confirmation the bout would happen — until now.
![Big show: The much-anticipated bout between Sonny Bill Williams and Paul Gallen looks set to become a reality.](/web/20170309170857im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/q/t/p/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guqtec.png/1488637869738.jpg)
"I've heard for some time now he has wanted to fight me," Williams said. "Well, provided we both get through our seasons OK, he will get what he wants. I don't back away from challenges. Let's get this thing cooking."
And, with that, it will be on.
There is no question it will be a great fight: the grace and power of Williams up against the brute force of the bull Gallen. The fighters don't have the skills of Anthony Mundine and Danny Green, but at this point SBW and Gallen are younger and arguably better athletes.
And, in many ways, it's a similar clash. Gallen is more likely to be the salesman — he is more outspoken and happy to bait Williams — and SBW sells the fight on reputation alone. He is a figure of intrigue in Australia and a huge star in New Zealand.
Gallen will use his usual team to prepare for the fight. At this stage it remains to be seen with whom Williams will train.
The pair will need a six-week preparation for the fight, so it will most likely be after the All Blacks end-of-season tour.
Both have huge seasons ahead. It will be Gallen's last NRL campaign, while SBW will need to come back from the Achilles injury he sustained at the Olympics.
Both fighters stand to make big money from the clash and the negotiations will be interesting. The South Australian government got behind the Mundine-Green fight, and it was a huge result. They estimate they received $28 million worth of exposure from the mentions they received surrounding the event.
It will be interesting to see if a state government wants to back a Williams-Gallen fight. There will be plenty of interest from New Zealand, and Brisbane too after the rugby 10s flop.
Ray of sunshine!
Australia Day came and went without incident for the Roosters this year, but it wasn't as smooth at the Bulldogs where chairman Ray Dib put plenty of noses out of joint.
The Dogs held a meeting in late January of all the club's players – from the junior reps right through to the highest ranking first graders. At that meeting Dib spoke to the group and made it very clear that jobs were on the line. It's a weird message to send to some very young players. In a nutshell, the message was: "No one is safe." Bulldogs players are aware of the pressure they are under. In their eyes they didn't need a "suit" reminding them.
![Strange message: Ray Dib with Raelene Castle.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170309170857im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/3/3/n/5/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1488616266354.png)
Strange message: Ray Dib with Raelene Castle. Photo: Sarah Keayes
The players were already wary of Dib and the board because of the plan to drive Des Hasler out of the club – something that this column revealed late last year when we exposed attempts to insert performance clauses into Hasler's next contract. The players went public with their support for the coach, and questioned why he wouldn't be re-signed.
And each time a player spoke it could be viewed as a direct shot at Dib and the board. So there was no surprise that the first grade team was keen to exit after the "motivational speech" from Dib. They all took off from the meeting to go out for a dinner, but leading players were called by club officials to ask why they didn't stick around for the spread that the Dogs had put on.
The club was kindly informed they were professional athletes and they were not going to be eating "lamingtons and pies". It was an Australia Day theme – even though the meeting was held on January 24 – but the Dogs players were not feeling patriotic or club-focused after the words of wisdom from their chairman.
It is my understanding that there was an email sent to the players about leaving the function early.
The Dogs board is very jumpy because they know without success their seats are up for grabs and anything less than a top-four position will put pressure on them. They failed in an attempt to force Hasler out last year and replace him with Dean Pay.
The club should have had Hasler under lock and key by the time he fronted the media during the week. Hopefully a new deal will be announced this week.
Klemmer staying put
There have been rumblings out of the Bulldogs camp that David Klemmer wanted out of his current deal, but the club has reassured me the issue he was having was not going to lead to that. Klemmer has been in dispute about a third party who is involved with his contract, but the club say they have worked the matter out.
Bennett's enemies within
Our piece on Wayne Bennett last week certainly rattled some cages, and has brought forward more information about the under-pressure Broncos coach. We revealed that the seven-times premiership winner has lost his mystique and was disconnected from his players. That led to a raft of ex-players making private and public comments. Our information was coming from the playing group.
Now we have learnt Bennett had a bit of shut-eye during a team meeting.
Bennett has dismissed the concerns we raised as "white noise". He might want to start listening to it because the chatter is coming from within his club.
![Wayne's world: Bennett is notoriously averse to talking to the media.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170309170857im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/q/t/v/s/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1488616332871.png)
Wayne's world: Bennett is notoriously averse to talking to the media. Photo: Getty Images
Bennett has taken a stance against sections of the Brisbane media and is no longer granting one-on-one interviews. Don't be surprised if he starts a new paid column with one outlet where he has close mates.
There are plenty in the Broncos organisation who are ready to turn on Bennett. He was brought back in through Lachlan Murdoch and it was hoped he would bring back corporate support for the Broncos.
Despite the good win on Thursday night, Bennett's ride is going to be one of the stories of the year. He has a habit of making his critics look bad and may do so again. Right now Wayne's world is one full of people waiting for him to slip and his enemies are within.
Family matters
Kieran Foran was floored by a report that he and his management were talking to Brisbane. It is my understanding that he needed to take a mental health day after the story appeared. It wasn't the best look, but Foran needs to start thinking about 2018 and beyond.
The Warriors were always a club that was going to provide a short-term home for Foran. And there is no question he is grateful for that. But long term he needs to be much closer to his children.
There is no doubt that story was generated after two weeks of suggestions from this column that the Broncos would be a good fit. The only story element that could be questioned was the formality of Foran having a manager. He is advised by a family member.
There were informal discussions between a third party and the Broncos to gauge interest in Foran – and they were done with good intent – to try and find a suitable home for the troubled star.
Trying colours
The Roosters look like they are in for a bumper season, but there is one person under the pump already, chief executive John Lee. The former Souths boss was considered a big signing by the Rosters, but we are hearing rumblings from within their ranks that he has not got the support he had when he arrived.
Lee handled the Dylan Walker-Aaron Gray and Mitchell Pearce dramas very well in his two jobs. It remains to be seen if he will survive this year. There was talk he was going to get the axe before Christmas.
Cautious Carter
Paul Carter is a watched man. As a player on his last chance in the NRL, he can't put a foot wrong. It's worth pointing out he is not on a booze ban, but does tell team management of his drinking, even if at a friend's wedding, like last week.