Sonny Bill Williams set to play 10 minutes each side of halftime

Expert coaches believe Sonny Bill will be on a brief yet explosive seek-and-destroy mission as middle forward.

The superstar is expected to play about 20 minutes against the Raiders. Picture: Phil Hillyard

IT will be brief yet explosive.

Sydney Roosters superstar Sonny Bill Williams is poised to inflict 20 minutes of mayhem on Canberra, his seek-and-destroy mission as a middle forward unfolding 10 minutes either side of halftime.

The Daily Telegraph canvassed the opinions of several leading representative coaches to gauge how and when Williams will be used by Roosters coach Trent Robinson on Saturday night.

Williams’ exact role – and who he will replace – remains a mystery given his six-year absence from the NRL and the Roosters’ silence when quizzed about their superstar.

It was generally agreed among the coaches that Williams would play 20 minutes – maybe more if his fitness holds up – and be used as a middle forward rather than playing on the edge.

Every moment of Williams’ return will be featured on Fox League with a camera trained on him the entire match.

Williams, 35, hasn’t played since featuring for Toronto in February. Every coach believed Williams would be sent into battle around the 30 minute mark.

He was named in jumper number 17 on Tuesday afternoon.

“I think he will play around 20 minutes. It will depend on his fitness and how the game is going. There are a lot of variables,” said former NSW coach, Laurie Daley.

“If he’s fit, 20 to 25 minutes, his fitness is down, it might be 15 to 20. The circumstances of the game will dictate how much time he gets.

Sonny Bill Williams has been named to make his return against Canberra. Picture. Phil Hillyard

“They might look to play him on an edge or they might look to play him in a similar role to Victor Radley, who is a middle-forward with a link to their halves – that nice, little passing game.

“Sonny Bill has been out for so long and has had a knee operation – I don’t think we should expect him to set the world on fire. It’s more about being cautious and anything he does will be a bonus.”

Current Blues coach Brad Fittler added: “I think they’ll use him for 20 minutes in and around halftime. It will be interesting to see how Sonny feels given it will be a different NRL to when he last played here.”

Former Queensland, Parramatta and Newcastle coach Michael Hagan thinks Williams could play up to 30 minutes.

“I think he would be used just before halftime – that would give him a nice, little intro into the speed of the game,” Hagan said. “He might knock out 30 minutes, something like.

“I’d think he’ll be used in the middle rather than an edge role to ease him back in. I think he’ll be a middle third player for half an hour. He has such good footwork and ability with the footy. He will add a bit to them, I think, to be honest.”

Former Gold Coast coach and current Manly assistant John Cartwright said: “It’s hard to use an edge back rower off the bench, unless you move one of the edge players to the middle, which I don’t think the Roosters do.

“They will probably play him in the middle and play him 10 minutes before halftime. He hasn’t played for a while so he’ll probably be short of a gallop.

“They might play him until he’s had enough in the second half, and depending on how the game is going, he may have a second ten minutes stint towards the end which will get some miles into his legs. He will definitely get two stints.”

The hype around Williams’ return is building towards Saturday evening’s game at GIO Stadium. Fox League will use former Roosters premiership-winning halfback Cooper Cronk as an expert commentator from the GIO Stadium grandstands.

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart told Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast radio program that Williams will be ready to play.

“I don’t think he would put himself into a position where he was going to be underdone. I don’t think he would have said yes to the opportunity to come across if he wasn’t going to perform,” Stuart said.

“I’m expecting him to perform at the highest level otherwise you wouldn’t have bought him. If Sonny Bill Williams gets onto the field, I’m expecting him to be influential towards their performance.”