League: The price is definitely right

League stars Awen Guttenbeil (left), and Willie Mason take in the sights at Rotorua Skyline. Photo / Ben Fraser

The old saying 'no rest for the wicked' is an apt description for rugby league star Willie Mason.

Towering at 1.96m and weighing in at 116kg, there has been little rest since his club the Newcastle Knights' loss to the Sydney Roosters in last month's grand final.

Mason, who is one of the hard men of the NRL, had a flying visit to Rotorua to help promote the NRL Auckland Nines.

But you won't hear Mason moaning about the intense schedule.

"I'm sort of a person who has to be on the go all the time anyway, so it doesn't really bother me. As soon as the season finished we had a week off, just to let your hair down and then from there [I was] working for Fox Sports promoting the Nines."

The hulking forward, who was touring the country with former Kiwi league player and mate Awen Guttenbeil, said it was great to see places like Rotorua outside of the team environment.

"I've never seen this part of New Zealand before. We are always stuck in Auckland and it's always raining.

"That's why a lot of [Kangaroo] players probably don't really find it appealing because you come over it's winter, it's freezing and you usually get the s**t kicked out of you and you go home hungover.

"But since I've been here, I'm like damn, I could live here," Mason said.

The event is a two-day, nine-a-side, knock-out tournament extravaganza showcasing the world's greatest rugby league talent live in Auckland.

For the first time spectators will get to see all 16 NRL clubs and 256 star players competing over one stunning weekend to win their share of over $2 million ($2.31 million) Australian prize money.

Mason said all the top players from the clubs would be there for the event.

"Everyone's gonna play because the simple fact is, money. It's $2.6 million ($3 million) if you win. For a lot of clubs, that's a lot of money, man, and so clubs are gonna field their best sides."

There will be plenty of action for those who come to watch the games Mason said because the games are shorter, the gaps on the field are wider and the action will be faster.

Guttenbeil said he wished the tournament was around when he was playing, with the Maori TV presenter predicting the atmosphere inside 48,000 capacity Eden Park will be electric.

"The biggest [event] we've had like this, in terms of a carnival-type feel is when they have a double header and that's it, you've got four teams playing. Here you're going to have all 16 teams."