Nearly 18 months after Willie Mason took aim at Tyson Gamble ahead of the 2023 Finals series, the former NRL enforcer has fired a fresh shot towards the Newcastle Knights playmaker.
After the two traded words back in 2023, Mason has once again critiqued the Knights playmaker who returned to the field last weekend against the Cronulla Sharks after undergoing back surgery to repair a disc issue.
Although it was his first match back in some time, it didn't take long for Gamble to catch the attention of the former player-turned-podcast host, adding to the shared history between them.
The former NSW Blues and Australian Kangaroos forward has fired a fresh shot at the playmaker that told him to "get f***ed" after he helped guide the Knights to the 2023 Semi-Finals before losing to the New Zealand Warriors - the team he will face this week.
Speaking on the Levels Network podcast with Justin Horo, Mason stated that he doesn't believe Gamble belongs in first-grade and he's "not the answer" for the Newcastle Knights.
"With Gamble, I know I've had my little tussle with him, but...he doesn't belong in first grade," Mason said.
"He is not a seven. He is a 14. He can't run that (team).
"You can't have Gamble and [Fletcher] Sharpe as your halves...his kicking game is sub-par. Everything is very, very average.
"He needs a lot of help around him. That's not the answer there."
The words from Mason come as the club sits in 14th place on the ladder - only in front of the Panthers, Roosters and Eels - having failed to record a win since Round 2.
Preparing to face the Warriors in New Zealand, the Knights are currently on a four-match losing streak after matches against the Gold Coast Titans, Canterbury Bulldogs, Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks.
Last week, the Knights playmaker opened up about his return from injury, which he suffered late last year during a tackle at training and would continue to flare up over the course of nine months.
"It wasn't fun," Gamble told The Newcastle Herald.
"Some days were really good. I'd go through months ... where I wouldn't have a problem, but as soon as I hurt it, I struggled to get out of bed.
"The couple of weeks leading up to surgery was the worst pain I've ever felt.
"It was that bad I couldn't eat. I couldn't sit at a table. I live five minutes from here and I had to keep pulling over and laying my seat down to straighten out so the nerve wasn't stretched.
"I think I lost about five or six kilos in two weeks. It was pretty hard to put back on, but I'm glad that's done now.
"I'm glad I got the surgery. It's a bit nerve-racking going in and you're going to have surgery so close to your spine ... but it was the best thing I could have done."
