SBW ‘may play on after World Cup’
Sonny Bill Williams says he ‘‘still has the fire inside me’’ and may look to continue his rugby career beyond next year’s World Cup.
The All Blacks midfielder also said he will look at any rugby league offers that come his way.
‘‘I’m not sure if league is in my future at 33,’’ he said. ‘‘If there are offers, I will examine it with my family and go from there.’’
Williams has reached a point where being a sportsman is only a part of his life, but he says motivation to succeed has not changed from the day he first took the league world by storm as a big-hitting teenager with the Bulldogs.
Williams had breakfast with one of his closest allies in Sydney last Friday, Roosters supremo Nick Politis.
No doubt SBW’s future was mentioned. So it’s interesting to note that Williams is aiming to complete his level-three coaching certificate this year.
‘‘I’ve enjoyed the process so far,’’ he said. ‘‘And I have to think about what I will do in the future. I am positioning myself in case that becomes an option. I am enjoying doing a bit of studying and keeping my brain going in a different way.’’
Does that mean the 2019 World Cup is the end for SBW in rugby? ‘‘Not sure,’’ he said. ‘‘The last couple of years have been tough with injury, but I still have the fire inside me. I still feel fresh.’’
Williams has come a long way since he walked out on the Bulldogs in 2008, and his observations on the current contract situation are interesting.
Now NRL stars just tell clubs they are disgruntled and are allowed to leave, as Valentine Holmes and David Klemmer were. Gareth Widdop will get to skip out of his deal early, too.