League: Keep an eye out for Willie

Big Willie Mason's bulging eye socket and his feud with David Kidwell dominated the Australian sports pages yesterday after the Kangaroos' 30-18 Tri-Nations league win over New Zealand.

"Silly Willie - test forward pays price after haka insult," said the headline on the front of the Sunday Telegraph sports section over a full-page photo of Mason and his swollen eye.

"An angry Willie Mason promised there would be a get-square after he was left bloodied and dazed by a David Kidwell shoulder charge last night," reporter Steve Mascord wrote.

"Mason found himself the central figure in a spiteful test against New Zealand, caught on camera disrespecting the Kiwi haka before the match."


The Sun-Herald had a full-page photo of Mason under the headline "Eye for an eye - Mason insult fires up test".

Its inside headline read: "Mason's haka slur stirs up a hornet's nest."

"Thanks to Mason's response to the haka, the passionate nature of the match and the stray beer bottle [thrown from the crowd], league was to dominate the headlines again," reporter Will Swanton wrote.

- NZPA