KEY POINTS:
What a surprise the Sonny Bill Williams saga was concluded so quickly.
It proved to be about money, as we thought it was, but it was interesting to see Anthony Mundine pay the reported A$750,000 settlement to the Bulldogs, or was there a back-door payment by the French
club to Mundine (I thought Winston Peters was the only person to have such friends)?
Either way, it reinforces and strengthens the relationship between both parties; but for whose benefit?
It has been mooted by many that the relationship was the cause for Sonny Bill's erratic decision to up sticks and move to France. There is now speculation another big-name player is contemplating a similar move to Europe and is also seeking to be represented by Mundine and his agent Khoda Nasser.
The player is Melbourne's Greg Inglis. Rugby league can't afford to lose Inglis to rugby union but the game also can't afford to keep him.
It would be a disaster if Inglis links up with Mundine and Nasser.
I don't know either person, but it's clear Mundine loves the limelight just about as much as he loves himself and would like nothing better than to stick his finger in the air and tell the authorities and society to jam it.
Mundine's time in rugby league was always controversial, and he insisted he was the best player in the game. He also claimed at one point that racism prevented him from playing representative football. He would love to influence others.
It's obvious Nasser is the deal maker in the background and will negotiate whatever will make him money.
Inglis' worth has increased hugely over the last couple of seasons and his contract is up in two years' time.
The NRL have already been approached about finding sponsors to keep him in the game but have said their options are limited.
As experiences have shown, two years left on Inglis' contract means nothing and it may not be long before he and others follow Sonny Bill's path, especially if it can be resolved just as quickly and if someone else pays.
My advice to the NRL is that they need to address this issue quickly and stop sticking their heads in the ground, and thinking it will pass. People like Mundine and Nasser will not go away.
There are player agents who think only about the product and not the person, so their misguided and self-appointed mandate is to seek as much money as they can, irrespective of the sport. Look around you, the dogs are barking.