SBW dominates build-up to NRL opener It's the most eagerly-awaited NRL season opener for years and one man's name has dominated the build-up. Sonny Bill Williams has been the talk of rugby league in Sydney for the past week with rumours the Kiwi superstar's return to the code he walked out in 2008 would be delayed due to an injury. Williams was named on the bench by Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson to face South Sydney in what's shaping up as a titanic battle between the oldest rivals in the game at Allianz Stadium on Thursday night. The Kiwi infuriated league circles when he left Canterbury midway through the 2008 season, flying to France to take up a contract with rugby side Toulon. A lot of water has crossed the bridge since then with the Bulldogs in far better shape than they were when Williams left and the 27-year-old now carving out a career as a sporting all-rounder. In addition to helping the All Blacks lift the Webb Ellis Cup to end their Rugby World Cup hoodoo in 2011, Williams then became a heavyweight boxer in addition to enjoying a lucrative spell playing rugby in Japan. It's unknown what he plans to do after this season but, for now, he's a Rooster and club officials say there are only 5000 tickets available for the game, which is expected to host a crowd of around 40,000. Skipper Anthony Minichiello, who'll lead the Roosters out for the first time, says the game will be one of the high points of his stellar career given the opposition and the hype. "This is definitely right up there," Minichiello said. For me to captain such a great club and against our arch rivals is pretty special. Minichiello is as interested as everyone else to see if Williams can immediately return to the form he enjoyed at the Bulldogs, but backed his new teammate to be a success. He's a fantastic player and he has come on board late with us and is working on combinations. He's a freak of a player and he could have a blinder first game up. With all the attention on the Roosters, Souths have been keen to claim they are not focusing on Williams. They're also quietly confident star fullback Greg Inglis, who is reported to be in the best shape of his career, will have a bigger impact. Inglis remained injury-free for the whole of last season for the first time in five years and was integral to their run to the finals, which they last graced in 2007. Minichiello admitted he'd been impressed with what he'd seen from Inglis. "He looks fit and everyone knows what an athlete he is," he said. He's put in a lot of work over the pre-season and it's up to us to come out and put a big performance in to try and stop him.