Haumono talking up his return...

Story in today's Herald talking up Solomon Haumon's return to the ring.

Interesting to read of one A.Mundine's involvement in Haumono's running off from the Bulldogs all those years ago when it was just a stunt using the 'Pleasure Machine' angle to try and get out of his then contract.

Fantastic to see how Mundine guided his friend so well and instead of talking him through and showing Haumono it was would have been the right thing to do by honouring his contract with the Bulldogs, he was actually the puppeter in planning for him to run off and try and force the Bulldogs hand in axing him so he could go to St George.

To think he then backed it up and did it again with SBW. Just shows what lack of moral and ethical compass he and his cronies have.

Wouldn't know how to honour anything they do or say and when looking at it, nothing's changed in the boxing world and their actions.

Anyone who defends them, or their actions time and again is nothing but a desperate bottom feeder.


http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...was-business-not-pleasure-20110819-1j279.html


Sol: Dash was business, not Pleasure

Jamie Pandaram

August 20, 2011

EXCLUSIVE

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"An older head" ... Solomon Haumono has revealed the "Pleasure Machine" affair became a failed cover story to escape his Bulldogs contract. Photo: Lee Besford

THE most infamous love pursuit in rugby league can finally be revealed as a fraud.
Solomon Haumono's round-the-world dash for model Gabrielle ''the Pleasure Machine'' Richens in 1998 created global headlines and, while some admired the romanticism, the trip was merely an elaborate ploy to wriggle out of his Bulldogs contract to join the St George Dragons.

Haumono never saw Richens, and sat alone in a London hotel room waiting for the Bulldogs to tear up his contract after agreeing to terms with the Dragons.

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Love dash ... Solomon Haumono with Anthony Mundine and Gabrielle Richens. Photo: Ken James

The plan was devised by Haumono and close friend Anthony Mundine - then the Dragons five-eighth - but fell over when the Bulldogs got wind of the plot and instead fined Haumono and put him in reserve grade. The Dragons hastily retreated.
Extraordinarily, Mundine helped another Bulldogs star, Sonny Bill Williams, to make a similar scoot 10 years later to get out of his contract and that time it worked. Mundine now admits he learnt valuable lessons from the failure of the original plan with Haumono when organising Williams's surprise escape to France.

Now pursuing his dream to win the world heavyweight boxing crown, Haumono has come clean on the story in a bid to rid that association from his public image - rarely is his name mentioned without the Pleasure Machine story following.

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Haumono arrives back in Sydney.

Photo: Steve Christo

At the time he did not tell family members for fear the plan would be exposed. ''Looking back now I think I was very immature,'' Haumono said.

Now a happily married father-of-four, he said ''I regret it so much because I couldn't risk my close family members knowing because of a loose whisper. That was hard.

''I am sorry to all the fans that supported the Bulldogs because they were solid all the way. Even today.''

This is how Haumono sought to get out of his $400,000-a-year contract with the Bulldogs. Haumono had actually chased after Richens much earlier, but on meeting her in England realised their relationship would not progress.

After discussions with Mundine, it was decided they would use that story to explain his mystery trip, which left the Bulldogs dumbfounded.

''I was under contract for the Bulldogs so it was decided to come up with a plan that would ultimately force the Bulldogs to rip up my contract,'' Haumono said.

''So the plan was formed that I was going to chase after my girlfriend at the time in England. So off I went and before I knew it, the paper got a hold of it and blew it up, making headline news and myself being chased by the media at home and even there in London.''

And it all fell apart quickly.

''It was crazy, Choc [Mundine] added a twist by flying over to rescue me and that just created more of a stir,'' Haumono said. ''We arrived back at Sydney and it was just chaos. All the media wanted to get in on the buzz so it literally didn't stop.

''We bypassed Customs to a room where family and management were waiting, hidden from all the mayhem of reporters, camera crews and general public wanting to see what all the fuss was. We had security escort us to a car that we quickly took off in.''
Mundine explained: ''We had to calculate it in a manner that we had to try to get him out of the deal with the Dogs because, by mouth, verbally, the deal was done. We put on that little stage-play to try and get the Dogs to do what we wanted them to do.''
Asked if he had used the saga to help him plot Williams' controversial defection to French rugby club Toulon, Mundine replied: ''Yes, we had a bit of experience in that department. No one thought Sonny was going to get out, not even the Dogs, but we found a way.''

Haumono is now active in youth mentoring, helping young men to avoid the traps he fell into.

''My whole sporting career has been in the spotlight for both good and bad reasons,'' he said. ''I'm not above anyone else, but I thought I was as an immature person. Having an older head on my shoulders helps me to live as an example to help the younger generation through the difficult times of growing up.''

Haumono has endured years of judgment over the incident and it has not been easy on his relationship with wife Margaret, who said: ''She was obviously a beautiful girl, but life is about sustainability and not predictability.

''Without doubt our faith in Jesus has got us to where we are today. It's never about giving up on someone you love, it's about being there in the bad and good times and being that support when one is weak and when he has been weak. All the 'pat on the back people' have never been there.

''We have never been a perfect couple but we have grown to have a beautiful family and marriage.''

 

Maybe pick up a copy of today's Sun-Herald and you will actually read it, page 3 of the sport section. This link that has been posted is only part of what's printed in today's edition.

It's the sub-section to the overall story, titled "Haumono on the comeback trail with eyes on world title"

It goes on to state how he will resume in October on a card in Melbourne before being slated to face Lucas 'Big Daddy' Browne in December, on a show being put together in Albury for the national crown.

It also states how he's uprooted the family already to Albury, to I quote, "pursue his dream without distraction."