Sonny side up: Teddy happy he won't have to battle 'beast'

James Tedesco sounds pretty happy Sonny Bill Williams is going to be on his side this time with the premiership-winning Rooster set to return on Saturday against the Raiders after a six-year absence.

When Williams played 45 games in 2013-14 for the Roosters, Tedesco was still fullback at the Wests Tigers and remembers him being "a beast" to contend with.

They last met in round 23 in 2013 – both scoring tries for their clubs as the Roosters ran out convincing winners 56-14.

With memories of seeing Williams play still strong, Tedesco is relishing the chance to play alongside the dual international when the Roosters travel to Canberra on Saturday night.

"Him being a beast I reckon," Tedesco said on Monday, when asked what he remembered most of SBW.

"… just his big shots … his offloads, tip-ons and if I hang around him he'll create something for me and me for him.

"There is a lot of hype but it's warranted the guy he is and the player he is."

Williams is expected to be named on Tuesday on the bench in the second grand final rematch. The Raiders won the first showdown since losing last year's decider when they triumphed 24-20 in round 10.

"Everyone has high expectations going off what he did in the NRL a while ago now. But as a person and player, he is such a professional," Tedesco said.

"He's going to be class act for us. He's older and probably not as fit as he was in his 20s but skilfully he's still got it. I'm sure he'll hit pretty hard as well."

Tedesco and winger Brett Morris said the club had taken care and consideration in getting Williams back to speed physically and in tune with the Roosters' game structures.

"We're all looking forward to seeing what Sonny can do," Morris said.

"Just around training it's pretty evident how skilful a guy is he especially around the middle of the park.

"He's getting very excited about the prospect of playing. Guys like Sonny just want to win because they're such competitors."

Players like SBW are stars not just across rugby league but world sport through his rugby union Tests for New Zealand and his boxing.

It was a point his opposing coach this weekend, Ricky Stuart, has certainly picked up on. 

He also wanted to clear up any confusion that he questioned Williams's place and value in the Roosters' salary cap.

"For me personally it's not about that all. I don't care if Sonny is getting $1 million a game," Stuart said on Monday.

"I think it's fantastic for rugby league to have a world-class athlete – a person who's played international rugby union, international rugby league, he's an All Black which is one of the greatest teams in world sport - to be here in rugby league.

"It is fantastic traction having Sonny play rugby league.

"He'll create a lot of hype if he does play. It would be great to get more numbers into the game to watch it, play it, and experience it.

"[Roosters chairman Nick] Politis does it well the way he's brought Sonny back to the Roosters club. I think he's wonderful for our game. The way [ARLC chairman] Peter V'landys and the game have opened the doors to help get Sonny Bill Williams back into rugby league is great for us as an overall game.

"In these tough times I'm sure our broadcasters are very happy to have him involved."

But just to be sure everyone is clear on what the result of this 2019 grand final rematch means with the 2020 finals just four weeks away, Stuart made that point too.

"This game is not the be-all and end-all to our season, I can assure you."

The match will however go a long way to deciding the finishing position of each team with the fourth-placed Roosters and fifth-placed Raiders level on competition points and only separated by for-and-against records.