Sea Eagles Sign Mason & Mateo, Release Watmough
It’s been a busy day on the northern beaches with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles making a number of roster changes for 2015.
The club has signed veteran prop Willie Mason to a one-year deal and they have also lured former Warrior and Eel, Feleti Mateo to the club on a 2-year deal. Additionally, the club has signed Siosaia Vave from the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
“I’m excited to be joining the Sea Eagles. It’s a highly-respected club with a history of success,” Mason said.
“Everyone talks about the culture here and the winning mentality, so I’m looking forward to being a part of that next season.
“This is my fifth NRL club now and I’ve done pre-seasons at other clubs but I really want to show Geoff [Toovey] and the coaching staff that I’m ready to rip in from the get go” Mason told the Sea Eagles website.
Mason made his NRL debut for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2000, going on to play 148 games for the club, including the 2004 premiership triumph. This largely successful stint at the Bulldogs was followed by ill-fated stints at the Sydney Roosters (2008-2009), North Queensland Cowboys (2010), and Hull KR (2011), before he found his form again over a three year period at the Newcastle Knights (2012-2014), playing 60 games. He has also represented NSW on 13 occasions and played 24 tests for Australia.
Mateo played one game for the Parramatta Eels in 2004, before switching to Hull KR in 2005. He returned to the Eels in 2007 and went on to play 88 games for the club before moving to the New Zealand Warriors in 2011 where he played 95 games. He also represented Tonga on 8 occasions.
Watmough was a cornerstone of the Sea Eagles’ decade of dominance between 2005 and 2014, where they made the finals each year and won two premierships in 2008 and 2011, and were runners-up in 2007 and 2013. He played 278 games for the club since his debut in 2002 and played 16 games for NSW and 16 tests for Australia.
At 25, Vave has played 55 games since he made his debut in 2010. He played for the Sharks from 2010-2011 and again in 2014. In between, he played two seasons for the Melbourne Storm in 2012 & 2013. He has also represented Tonga 4 times.
In other club news, captain Jamie Lyon has signed a new 3-year deal that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2016 season.
