Sonny Bill Williams must defy the injuries one more time to lead the Roosters to glory

The ravages of age might do what few ever could over the last 16 years — and that’s get the better of returning Roosters forward Sonny Bill Williams.

Sonny Bill Williams is injured and taken from the field during the 2nd half of the 2016 Rio Olympic Men's Rugby Sevens game between New Zealand and Japan at Deodoro Stadium, Rio. Pics Adam Head

Sonny Bill Williams has rarely met an opponent he couldn’t conquer in his long reign at the top, but his battle-scarred body could yet succeed where so many have tried and failed.

The Roosters are hard at work preparing the 35-year old for the rigours of the NRL and will ramp up game simulation situations at training over the next week ahead of Williams’ expected inclusion for the match against Canberra in round 17, which is just 10 days away.

But if Williams is to help lead the Roosters to a third straight title he will have to defy five injury-riddled seasons, and 16 years worth of scars dating back to his Canterbury days, to do so.

“He had his major Achilles injury, he’s had some shoulder issues, wrist problems, his hamstring, calf strains and, most recently, he’s had some issues with the cartilage in his knee,” said Brien Seeney of NRL Physio.

“He had knee surgery, a clean-out, in March this year when he was at the Wolfpack. He had the same knee cleaned out last year.

“I noticed the other day he still has a compression sleeve on the knee.

“Whether that’s a mental thing or a physical symptom, over the last four years he’s been dealing with a variety of injuries that restricted his game time significantly.

“They will want to gradually build his load up.

“He’s returned to team training this week, they will want to have him at a certain level and gradually build to a time next week where we’re talking about simulating a game situation.

“Doing that in a week’s time is a very rapid increase.”

Williams has shaken off persistent injuries once before - after suffering knee and ankle problems early in his career he became more durable as he matured - but the ravages of age could succeed where so many opposition players have failed.

Another spanner in the works is the expectation Trent Robinson will use Williams as a ball-playing lock this season, rather than his old spot on the edge.

Williams has been working with injured Rooster Victor Radley at training and with his prodigious ball-playing skill he could fill the hole the tough as teak lock has left since his season-ending knee injury in June.

“The lock role could certainly be an option. He can play that role like Victor does, where he links with his forwards with passes and offloads, Sonny has it in his game, no doubt,” said former Roosters skipper Anthony Minichiello.

“Instead of running out wide, where it’s a bit faster pace, he can stay in the middle and mix it up with short passes and offloads.

“He’s adaptable, he played a bit of middle for us last time.”

If used as a middle, Williams would be asked to do less running with less lateral movement, with the trade-off being the heavier collisions with the opposition big men.

The majority of Williams’ injuries since his Achilles rupture at the 2016 Rio Olympics have been lower body, which could make the move a shrewd one as it allows him to save his legs.

It would also allow the Roosters to control his minutes more strictly which reduces the risk of hamstring and calf injuries.

Both ailments have been on the rise in the NRL due to the coronavirus lay-off, and Williams is more susceptible to both due to his age.

The trade-off is that Williams’ unfamiliarity with lock could also increase his injury risk, again due to his recent knee problems.

“While Sonny has played contact sport for years, you still lose some of that game awareness the longer you haven’t played,” Seeney said.

“If a player is running towards you, you know where to place your feet to make that tackle and quickly change direction, those instinct things can take time to build up.

“That’s what they’ll be working on over the last few weeks, not just increasing that training load but reacclimating him to those game situations.”

It’s a measure of Williams’ professionalism and standing in the game that Robinson would trust him to master a new role under these circumstances, and Minichiello believes that mindset will be Williams’ greatest advantage.

“(After 30) You have to spend more time getting your body right, and Sonny has had that down pat for a long time now,” Minichiello said.

“That gives him longevity in any sport, and we’ve seen that in whatever code he plays. It’s a good strong foundation, and a work ethic that’ll put him on the right path.

“Things move very quickly in the NRL from year to year.

“The game gets quicker, guys get stronger and faster and the game is always moving at a fast pace with rule changes as well.

“It can move quite quickly if you’re away and try to come back.”

Minichiello expects Williams to have as great an impact off the field as on it, but is confident the Roosters high performance staff will not unleash the dual international until he’s ready.

“You don’t want to throw him straight in the deep end and you have to ease players in, no matter who they are,” Minichiello said.

“The coaching staff know how to prepare a team and know how to prepare individuals.

“I’m sure Sonny will be ready to play when he steps on the field.”