League: Sonny Bill armed and dangerous

When Sonny Bill Williams took the ball for his first hit-up in six months, his Bulldogs team-mate Willie Mason burst into applause.

"As soon as he did his first hit-up, I wondered if he was going to get up," Mason said after the Bulldogs' 18-8 win over the Rabbitohs. "I clapped when he got up. We didn't expect the world from him, we didn't expect him to make breaks and be hitting blokes - that's probably what the outside world expected. It's just good to have him out there."

With that, Mason summed up what everyone else was thinking in the rugby league world. After a series of injuries to his shoulder, both ankles, knee and then stress fractures in both feet, Williams was in danger of becoming one of the game's unfulfilled talents.

Today not only marks his return to New Zealand when his Bulldogs take on the Warriors but will almost certainly see his inclusion in the Kiwis to take on Australia in the Anzac test on Friday.

Although Williams has not yet regained match fitness, Kiwis coach Brian McClennan is certainly a big fan of the 20-year-old.

"I have a lot of time and respect for Sonny's athletic ability," McClennan said. "From what I know of him, I like his character and, as a coach, I place a huge emphasis on the character of a person.

"He has phenomenal potential. I don't think you'll ever see too many like him. It points to an exciting future."

It's the future that is critical. It seems somewhat extraordinary that he has played only 22 NRL games yet Williams has been talked about as a once-in-a-generation player and one of the most explosive players rugby league has ever seen.

He even admitted recently he was "embarrassed" by all of the attention. Whereas his contemporary Benji Marshall confidently fronts up to the media, Williams shys away from the spotlight.

"I'd prefer to keep a low profile and just let my footy do the talking," Williams said in the lead-up to his return from injury against Souths a fortnight ago. "There has still been the attention on me even though I haven't been playing. I think it's the nature of Kiwi boys to be a little shy but playing in the NRL means you have to do interviews."

The point is, though, Williams might be seen as stand-offish but deep down he's desperate to prove that he is as good as everyone says. He's also been stung by incidents off the field, like his drink driving infringement.

Williams will arrive at Ericsson Stadium with a Bulldogs side smarting from their 40-14 hiding at the hands of Manly last weekend. But the former Marist second-rower might have been quietly pleased with his own performance.

After coming on in the 28th minute, he played the last 52 minutes of the match, made 15 hit-ups, gained 144m (second only to Willie Tonga), made two line-breaks and a game-high 11 tackle breaks. In layman's terms, he played well.

Once again, though, he will start from the bench in an unchanged side that, while it's not performing well, is littered with big names like Hazem El Masri, Tonga and Mason.

They have the potential to go all the way, just like Williams, but also the potential to fall off the pace - it seems unthinkable that Williams would suffer the same fate.