It's where Roosters chairman Nick Politis likes to wheel and deal – and on Sunday night there was a dinner dripping with big hitters. The star attraction and guest of honour at Popolo restaurant was Sonny Bill Williams.

It was a casual catch-up but there is no question there is an eye on the future. None of the parties would be drawn on whether there were contract talks – but there is a genuine belief that the Roosters want Sonny Bill to return as soon as possible.

He has a World Cup to play in and an Olympics to compete in before any of that happens – after that a final hitout in the NRL would be a strong possibility. As for a deal being struck or talked about, that was not something he was keen to discuss.

"Whenever I'm in town I like to catch up with the Roosters," Williams said. "I have some great memories and formed some great friendships at the club. I would consider Nick Politis a lifelong friend ... my respect for him is well known."

Politis was also playing it down.

"It's always great to [see] Sonny," he said. "He is a friend and we value what he did for the club and his time here was very significant ... we won a competition and he played a big part in the culture of the club transforming. We treasure that and appreciate his contribution to the club and we won't forget that."

Adding to his bond with the Roosters is his mateship with Channel Nine boss David Gyngell.

"Gyng is a good mate and we are in touch all of the time," he said.

Williams was invited to the Bulldogs 80th anniversary celebrations which were held last night. He was asked to attend with Politis so that he would feel comfortable. Williams was grateful for the invitation but had commitments with the All Blacks.

Peace deal

The Alex McKinnon-Cameron Smith situation has come to my attention again – contact has been made between the pair, but not in the manner you may have expected. Smith was heavily criticised for not contacting McKinnon for 15 months. His club claimed all along that he had tried – but the bottom line is there was no contact. Smith was hammered about it after the 60Minutes story went to air and it dominated the news cycle for more than a week. Smith said he'd handle it privately. But before he could do anything McKinnon took the initiative - he texted Smith and the Kangaroos captain called him back. McKinnon wanted to make peace – he knew it was important for him and his family so they could work towards some kind of closure. The way it's been told to me is that McKinnon is the one who made contact with Smith to end the stand-off, perhaps because he sensed that Smith was struggling to overcome the strength of anger from McKinnon's family – in particular from his father.

Support for SKD

The Shaun Kenny-Dowall–Jessica Peris case will be in court this week and there is no question both parties have been struggling. This column documented how hard it has been for Kenny-Dowall in recent weeks.  He was allowed out of hospital on Monday and his father oversaw his release conditions. Kenny-Dowall did a weights session on Monday and then did his first field session on Tuesday at 5pm. Ironically, that was the same time that Peris resumed training with sprint coach Roger Fabri in the same Moore Park area. Fabri is in a difficult spot as he is mates with Kenny-Dowall and Peris. His return to  the Roosters fold was a gradual one. The first player to visit him was Jared Waerea-Hargreaves – the pair are great mates. JWH had a long chat with Kenny-Dowall's dad, John, who briefed him on everything that Shaun had been through – it left him shaken and upset. Seeing Jared was of great comfort to SKD – he wasn't sure what his teammates were feeling about him. The next person from the team to visit was coach Trent Robinson and their chat gave him further comfort. "He knows he has some tough days ahead, but we are glad to have him back with us," Robinson said.

Inglis in demand

French and English rugby clubs are continuing to knock down the door of champion Souths fullback Greg Inglis. The calls are coming directly from clubs to his agent Allan Gainey and are bypassing agents who deal in rugby players in Europe. At the moment Inglis appears to be very settled in the NRL. There are also corporates wanting him to front their companies – he has just done a new three-year deal with Asics. Inglis' deal with Souths finishes in 2017.

Mbye a Des man

Des Hasler has made quite the impression on Moses Mbye – so much so that he's been talking about a "Des" clause in his next contract. Mbye is a loyal bloke and clearly is a Hasler man – but how the club reacts to that will be interesting. Hasler is loved by his players, but management, in particular chairman Ray Dib,  will not want him becoming even more powerful and influential than he already is.

Stone knew fate

It's easy to be wise in hindsight but a few NRL coaches have commented to me about how relaxed Rick Stone was at his post-match press conference after his team had been flogged by the Rabbits. You watch it back now and there has never been a less stressed coach who had copped a massive loss. He clearly knew the club had made a decision to move on and was past the point of being stressed.

Depression stats

An interesting follow-up to our Kenny-Dowall  story is the stats on depression that a Rugby League Week player poll have unearthed. In the edition that comes out tomorrow players are asked: Have you ever suffered from depression?  No: 68. Yes: 32. Is there enough help available for players struggling with depression? Yes: 49. No: 38. Not sure: 13. The book Alex McKinnon has just released, Unbroken, deals with depression and body image pressure that young players have to deal with.