No Willie or won't he, veteran Mason staying put at Knights

WILLIE Mason has capped a remarkable rugby league resurrection with the former Bulldogs bad boy revealing he will extend his NRL career at Newcastle until 2014.

WILLIE Mason has capped a remarkable rugby league resurrection with the former Bulldogs bad boy revealing he will extend his NRL career at Newcastle until 2014.

As he prepares for Newcastle's last-round clash against Souths tonight, Mason said he is so indebted to the Knights he is prepared to shun interest from NRL rivals.

Handed a lifeline by coach Wayne Bennett in April after a brief stint with Hull KR, Mason was expected to retire at season's end but has flourished playing a senior role in Newcastle.

The outspoken ex-NSW enforcer, who turns 33 next April, is a reformed figure under Bennett, who has lauded Mason's leadership qualities.

The former Bulldogs, Roosters and Cowboys forward has been a consistent performer for the Knights in 16 consecutive games, and is a fortnight away from agreeing to an upgraded two-year deal.

"I'm not retiring, I'm playing on," Mason said yesterday.

"It's pretty much a handshake agreement between me and Wayne, I'm old enough not to go through all that crap with negotiations with other clubs and the open market.

"I haven't put pen to paper but another two years is on the table there (from the Knights) so my manager will sort it out and I'll be back next year. If you wrote a script and said I'd finish my career under Wayne Bennett in Newcastle where I grew up, it couldn't have been a better fit for me."

Mason admitted he believed his days in the NRL were numbered when he joined French rugby side Toulon, in April, 2011.

The 115kg enforcer lasted just seven months in France. He was derided by Toulon fans as "the biggest flop" in the club's history, but a return to hometown Newcastle has reinvigorated Mason.

"Footy is fun again, training is fun, playing is fun, everything is good. I can't put a negative on anything at the Knights," he said.

Souths co-captain Roy Asotasi has battled hard all season to return to coach Michael Maguire's starting 17 after suffering a pectoral muscle injury in round 6.

In the third game of his comeback, the veteran front-rower, who helped Canterbury to a title in 2004, has the ability to help his inexperienced squad end a 41-year title drought.