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Mark Kolbe / Getty Images
Roosters’ Sonny Bill Williams hugs Raiders player Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad after their NRL clash.
Former Australian netball captain Liz Ellis has spoken a single line to remove criticism from veteran journalist Peter FitzSimons of the hype surrounding Sonny Bill Williams.
Ellis and FitzSimons were doing their weekly TV show Sports sunday on Channel Nine, when an article claiming that the return of the former All Blacks Williams to the NRL with the Sydney Roosters had generated a staggering $ 32 million of syndicated advertising for the game was raised in the discussions.
“$ 32 million? I wonder if it was the same guy who calculated that 100 million were going to be watching all over the world, “FitzSimons said on the television show.
SPORT OF HEAVEN
Sonny Bill Williams is off to a winning start in the third phase of his NRL career.
“A brilliant article about this was written yesterday in the Sydney Morning Herald, in fact, I did. The Super Bowl receives 30 million from outside the United States as a global audience, and we were seriously asked to believe that 100 million people were watching a 36-year-old player come off the bench for 13 minutes in a regulation league game.
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“Cooper Cronk, who was commenting for Fox, said, ‘If I was in opposition, I’d say run against Sonny Bill.’ In his professional eyes, he looked at Sonny Bill and presumably saw a weakness.
“This is absolute nonsense! $ 32 million? I wonder how they calculated that. Nonsense.”
But he was firmly put in his place by former Australian netball captain Liz Ellis. “It’s bad enough having to read her columns, let alone have her read them to us,” Ellis said.
Jason O’Brien / Getty Images
Liz Ellis cleverly fired Peter FitzSimons during discussions about Sonny Bill Williams.
Williams, 35, made his return to the NRL on Saturday, coming off the bench to help the Sydney Roosters beat the Canberra Raiders.
It was his first league appearance in Australia in six years after the British Super League granted him permission to appear on the NRL.
Williams had 14 minutes, producing seven runs for 37 meters, six tackles and one volley.
