Willie Mason helps new Knight Dane Gagai settle in

SACKED Bronco Dane Gagai has attributed his stunning renaissance at the Knights to candid advice from controversial enforcer Willie Mason.

Dane Gagai

SACKED Bronco Dane Gagai has pledged not to fail master coach Wayne Bennett in Newcastle, attributing his stunning renaissance at the Knights to candid advice from controversial enforcer Willie Mason.

In his most extensive interview since his departure from the Broncos in May, Gagai spoke about his relationship with Bennett, the lessons of his shock axing and how former bad boy Mason has taken on a key mentoring role.

One of the NRL's hottest backline prospects, Gagai's career was at the crossroads just weeks ago when he had his contract torn up by Broncos coach Anthony Griffin after a slew of minor disciplinary breaches.

The 21-year-old had just signed a new two-year deal at Red Hill. But Gagai is now revelling in his new environs at Newcastle.

Handed a $40,000 base deal by the Knights, he has been a hit, scoring three tries from his first seven matches, already one game more than the six he played in three years at the Broncos.

And, remarkably, Gagai has found a mentor not in Bennett, but former NRL reject Mason, who was also thrown a lifeline by the Knights.

It sounds an odd fusion, like an Alcoholics Anonymous inductee seeking the counsel of a drunk, but Mason wants Gagai to avoid the controversies that have punctuated his rollercoaster NRL career.

"Willie Mason has been awesome, he's been a real mentor," Gagai says. "He's really looked out for me since I've come here, as has Danny Buderus.

"I've only been here a short time, but Willie is the guy that has helped me settle in.

"We go for dinner and have good chats. He's a larger-than-life sort of character who speaks his mind but he's been good for me. He's really enthusiastic. Every club really needs a person like him.

"Obviously he has had a bit of history and a rough past but he's grown up a lot and knows what you can and can't do in this game.

"Willie pretty much makes sure I learn from some of his mistakes, which means a lot."

Dane Gagai

Not that Gagai plans on being an NRL recidivist. He was hardly a bad egg at the Broncos - the Junior Kangaroos star was ostensibly cut for missing a number of training sessions - but Gagai can see a new career unfolding at the Knights.

A number of NRL clubs chased Gagai but the influence of Bennett swayed him. Initially, the centre or winger admits he was terrified of meeting the master coach.

It took one Bennett wisecrack to seal the deal.

"I'd only seen him on TV and he seemed like an angry man so I was a bit nervous going into the first meeting," Gagai recalls with a laugh. "Because I was moving, I had a stack of bags in my old BMW and he said, 'Dane, I've never seen a BMW turned into a motorhome'.

"That made me laugh and straight away I had a different perspective of Wayne.

"He's been great for me ever since. We had a big talk about what I wanted to achieve in league and I could see then his intentions were to help me."

Gagai struggles to put a finger of his derailment at the Broncos. He says he was battling no off-field problems, but admits he wasn't surprised to be given his marching orders.

"Obviously I was pretty shattered with what happened but I respected Hook's (Griffin's) decision. It was my fault," he says.

"I wouldn't say I lost my hunger or passion for footy.

"But sometimes you need to learn a lesson and I feel I have."

Traditionally a winger at the Broncos, Gagai has been deployed in the centres by Bennett.