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BIG Willie Mason has landed in the last-chance saloon with the North Queensland Cowboys, who were last night considering whether to make an offer that eight rival clubs have failed to muster.
Manly became the latest club to back down over Mason, withdrawing their interest yesterday morning after an angry backlash from Sea Eagles fans and members.
As revealed by The Daily Telegraph yesterday, Manly coach Des Hasler had been warming to Mason joining the club, but agreed to cease talks in a meeting with Sea Eagles chief executive Graham Lowe.
Hasler has become the third senior NRL coach to fail to convince his club to take Mason on board, following unsuccessful attempts by Melbourne's Craig Bellamy and Cronulla's Ricky Stuart to sign the unwanted Roosters forward.
St George Illawarra, the Wests Tigers and New Zealand Warriors have also decided against signing him.
The Daily Telegraph can also reveal a former Bulldogs director approached Mason's management recently about the possibility of him returning to Belmore.
But the potentially explosive talks were quickly rejected by the current management, headed by CEO Todd Greenberg. That leaves North Queensland as Mason's final roll of the dice for a 2010 NRL lifeline.
Cowboys officials met Mason's management in North Queensland on Tuesday, and coach Neil Henry was yesterday asked to discuss the option with his players.
Representative stars Johnathan Thurston and Willie Tonga - former teammates of Mason at the Bulldogs - are pushing for his signature.
A decision whether to extend Mason an offer for 2010 could be made today.
Cowboys executive director Peter Parr last night confirmed his club was still considering signing Mason. "Neil Henry was approached by Johnathan Thurston and Willie Tonga," Parr said. "He spoke to Willie over the weekend and he's going to speak to our other senior players, do a bit more research, then come back to me.
"I'd then have to bounce it off our board and our major sponsors. Willie's still got a bit to offer. Any pack with Carl Webb, Luke O'Donnell and Willie Mason would be pretty hard for the opposition to handle.
"I don't have a gut feel on which way we'll go. We haven't ruled him out and we haven't ruled him in. Hopefully it's something that can be cleared up by the weekend."
Lowe said he'd discussed Mason's recruitment with prospective sleeve sponsors and was also aware of opposition among the team's fanbase. "We've decided not to go ahead for a number of reasons, but the thing I'm most pleased about is that the coach and management all agreed it was the best thing for Manly," Lowe said.
Manly became the latest club to back down over Mason, withdrawing their interest yesterday morning after an angry backlash from Sea Eagles fans and members.
As revealed by The Daily Telegraph yesterday, Manly coach Des Hasler had been warming to Mason joining the club, but agreed to cease talks in a meeting with Sea Eagles chief executive Graham Lowe.
Hasler has become the third senior NRL coach to fail to convince his club to take Mason on board, following unsuccessful attempts by Melbourne's Craig Bellamy and Cronulla's Ricky Stuart to sign the unwanted Roosters forward.
St George Illawarra, the Wests Tigers and New Zealand Warriors have also decided against signing him.
The Daily Telegraph can also reveal a former Bulldogs director approached Mason's management recently about the possibility of him returning to Belmore.
But the potentially explosive talks were quickly rejected by the current management, headed by CEO Todd Greenberg. That leaves North Queensland as Mason's final roll of the dice for a 2010 NRL lifeline.
Cowboys officials met Mason's management in North Queensland on Tuesday, and coach Neil Henry was yesterday asked to discuss the option with his players.
Representative stars Johnathan Thurston and Willie Tonga - former teammates of Mason at the Bulldogs - are pushing for his signature.
A decision whether to extend Mason an offer for 2010 could be made today.
Cowboys executive director Peter Parr last night confirmed his club was still considering signing Mason. "Neil Henry was approached by Johnathan Thurston and Willie Tonga," Parr said. "He spoke to Willie over the weekend and he's going to speak to our other senior players, do a bit more research, then come back to me.
"I'd then have to bounce it off our board and our major sponsors. Willie's still got a bit to offer. Any pack with Carl Webb, Luke O'Donnell and Willie Mason would be pretty hard for the opposition to handle.
"I don't have a gut feel on which way we'll go. We haven't ruled him out and we haven't ruled him in. Hopefully it's something that can be cleared up by the weekend."
Lowe said he'd discussed Mason's recruitment with prospective sleeve sponsors and was also aware of opposition among the team's fanbase. "We've decided not to go ahead for a number of reasons, but the thing I'm most pleased about is that the coach and management all agreed it was the best thing for Manly," Lowe said.
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