Moments after NZRL chief executive Phil Holden had read out the 24-man Kiwis squad to contest the upcoming World Cup, coach Stephen Kearney said he would address the "elephant in the room".
He was referring, of course, to the unavailability of Sonny Bill Williams. Little did he know that elephant would transform into a herd of them. Aggressive bull elephants in musth.
What unfolded in the next 36 hours was little short of extraordinary and won't be seen again in this part of the world. But we've never seen anyone like Sonny Bill Williams.
Depending on who you talk to, it was a publicity stunt, naivety, disrespectful, a genuine mistake or an illustration that one player can be bigger than the game. Regardless, it was something that affected a large number of people.
Stephen Kearney
Stephen Kearney had tried for weeks to convince Sonny Bill Williams to play at the World Cup. He tried to paint a vision to him and manager Khoder Nasser of what it would be like to don the black jersey again and the culture he had tried to create over the past five years. He also pointed to how Williams could help New Zealand retain the World Cup they won in 2008.
Throughout his conversations, Kearney had a "feeling" Williams would reject his overtures and skip the World Cup. He had one final conversation with him on Monday, the day after the grand final, when he got the definitive, "no".
Kearney moved on. He picked Tohu Harris. He addressed media in Auckland on Tuesday morning and talked about how he was confident the Kiwis could win the World Cup without Williams. After all, they had done it before. He flew back to Brisbane and turned on his phone. His world turned upside down.
Williams and Khoder Nasser had left messages to say Williams had changed his mind and was available if the Kiwis wanted him. There wasn't really a doubt in his mind, but Kearney knew what it would mean for another player, what it would mean for Harris.
The coach phoned Williams to discuss the matter and was left with a new feeling, that Williams was genuine in his desire to play for the Kiwis. He spent most of the next few hours on the phone firstly trying to work out if a change was possible, whether he would be supported by the NZRL and how they would go about it. The selectors were canvassed for their views but the final decision was left in Kearney's hands.
He called Harris.
It was about as awkward as another one he made earlier this year to tell Benji Marshall he was losing the captaincy, describing it as "a conversation no coach would like to have". But the bigger picture was at play.
"It's been a tough situation, but Sonny brings things to the group that we couldn't ignore," he explained.
Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny Bill Williams long maintained he would make a decision on whether he would be available for the World Cup after his season with the Roosters. Few people believed him, convinced it was another way for him to drag out yet more drama and suspense and keep Brand SBW in the headlines but it soon became apparent he was genuine.
It was naive and left him little time to decide with a clear head, especially as he did in the immediate aftermath of the Roosters' NRL grand final win when a variety of emotions were swirling around.
He thought he could skip the World Cup and go on holiday with his family. He thought he was sore and his body needed a rest. But then he remembered what it felt like to miss the 2008 World Cup.
He had watched the Kiwis win from France, where he was playing rugby after walking out on the Bulldogs and said he "wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror" if he passed up a second chance to win a league World Cup.
He spoke to Nasser and then called Kearney. When Kearney phoned back, Williams explained he had made a mistake and was now desperate to play for the Kiwis at the World Cup. The coach was left with the impression Williams was genuine.
"I'm sorry for taking someone else's spot," Williams told the BBC. "I actually feel like s***, to tell you the truth.
"I'm really sorry about the Tohu situation, it was never my intention.
"I've offered my apologies to him and obviously he is hurting. It's just a really tough situation and all I can do now is play as hard as I can and help the boys retain the World Cup."
Tohu Harris
Tohu Harris was on top of the world on Tuesday. The 21-year-old had been included in the Kiwis squad to cap an impressive debut season highlighted by being named Melbourne's Rookie of the Year and his debut for New Zealand in the Anzac test.
He received countless texts and phone calls from friends and family congratulating him and his parents booked flights to the UK to watch their son play at the World Cup.
Less than 12 hours after the Kiwis squad was officially named, coach Stephen Kearney called Harris to tell him Sonny Bill Williams had changed his mind and that Kearney wanted to include him at Harris' expense.
It was a devastating blow - bigger than any hit from the likes of Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves - and sent him into a spin.
"When I spoke to him on Wednesday morning, he was extremely disappointed," Melbourne general manager of football Frank Ponissi says, "but certainly not bitter or angry. Tohu handled the situation magnificently for a young man. He had his World Cup dream taken away really quickly but there was no bitterness."
Kearney offered to take Harris with the Kiwis to the UK to be in and around the camp and perhaps even play against the Cook Islands in their warmup game. He declined and will instead have minor surgery on an ankle.
"It was a nice gesture by the Kiwis to take Tohu and if had said he really wanted to go, we would have let him go because it might have been a good way for him to get over the disappointment but, from speaking to him, we didn't get that from Tohu," Ponissi says. "It was an easy decision to make given his frame of mind.
"It was a really unfortunate situation and difficult for everyone. I know Stephen Kearney really well from his time in Melbourne and I thought he handled it extremely well. Tohu was aware Sonny Bill had changed his mind before it hit the media. It's really difficult to say but, if I was in Stephen Kearney's shoes, how do you not include a player like Sonny Bill Williams?"
NZRL
The NZRL rumbled into action as soon as they discovered Williams had backtracked on his earlier decision.
Kiwis manager Tony Iro contacted the international board and World Cup organisers to see if a change could even be made - the deadline for team lists was still more than 24 hours away. It helped that NZRL chairman Scott Carter is also chairman of the international board, and he couldn't see any reason why an alteration couldn't be made.
Contact was also made with the Kiwis selectors to canvass their opinion - they felt they had the duty to pick the best side possible so should include Williams - but the final decision was left up to Kearney.
In the last hours, the NZRL checked and re-checked their processes before finally announcing Williams' inclusion in a press release.
Holden described the 24 hours as a "very difficult time". "It's been quite challenging because, whichever decision New Zealand Rugby League made, we were going to have some people saying, 'that's a great decision' and others that are going to go, 'that's not a good decision,'."
Chiefs
For the past two years, the Chiefs have ruled Super Rugby. Sonny Bill Williams helped them win the first title and it looks increasingly likely he will be part of the squad aiming for a three-peat.
On Thursday, Chiefs coaches Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith, along with the NZRU's Neil Sorensen, met with Williams and Nasser in a Sydney cafe. It was caught on camera by Fox Sports (what an amazing coincidence for them to have a camera nearby) and brought into sharp relief how little time Williams has left in rugby league.
It's understood Williams has a handshake agreement to return to the Chiefs and, by association, New Zealand rugby in the same way he had one with the Roosters five years ago. It should be confirmed in the coming days, given Super Rugby franchises need to finalise their squads by October 22.
The Chiefs have no problem with Williams playing at the rugby league World Cup - it's little different to the likes of Aaron Cruden or Liam Messam touring with the All Blacks at the end of the year - especially if they know they've got their man.
It's said a week is a long time in politics. It's even longer in the world of Sonny Bill Williams.
What they said
"Someone needs to be held accountable for this monumental stuff-up. No one should ever be bigger than the game, and here is another credibility issue for rugby league purely based on the egos of a select few." - Former Kiwis manager Tony Kemp
"Stephen Kearney has created amateur hour. To say he thought Sonny Bill wasn't available and had other commitments, I mean when you're chasing a player and you chase him properly ... I think it's the worst selection announcement I've ever heard in sport." - Former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe told Fox Sports News
"As selectors, we have a duty to pick the best side available. Sometimes you battle with the moral situation and that's a battle we will continue to have as individuals, but I can, and will, live with the decision." - Kiwis selector Richie Barnett
