Canterbury legend Willie Mason says he plans to work closely with boom recruit Tevita Pangai Jr, revealing he helped the Bulldogs recruit the gun forward.
Mason says he also helped get Paul Vaughan to Belmore after the latter was sacked by the Dragons this year and his NRL career was in danger of ending.
“(Working with Pangai) was one of the reasons I did come back. I spoke to Tevita before he decided to come down (from Brisbane),” Mason told Nine News exclusively.
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“I’ve known the kid since he was 12, he’s a Newcastle junior, so I gave him a ring. I sort of got him over the line, got Paul Vaughan over the line (too).”
Mason, now 41, has returned to Belmore to help his former club climb off the bottom of the NRL ladder.
The hulking forward was man of the match when the Bulldogs won the 2004 grand final, and he played 148 of his 292 NRL games in the blue and white.
He returned to the Bulldogs after a 14-year absence at the request of new club football boss, Phil Gould.
“I’ve had a good relationship with Gus since I was 17 years old,” Mason said.
“He knows I know the DNA of the club, the culture of the club, and obviously in the last couple of years they’ve been down the bottom of the ladder, and it’s not like to be like that.
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“It was very political, and that’s probably one of the reasons I never felt like I belonged back at the club.
“A lot of ex-players feel like that, but now they’ve got the right people there, especially with Gus.”
Mason will take Pangai Jr under his wing, but he’ll be working with the entire playing group.
“Just help mentor them. Teach them, not just about rugby league, (but) about life, and what comes at you as a rugby league player.
“I’ve seen plenty, I’ve lived that life and come out the other side. I’ve achieved everything in the game, I just want to give back now.”