George Williams has enlisted the players' union to help manage his ugly NRL exit from the Canberra Raiders

The team made the call to release the English halfback from the final 18 months of his deal, after battling homesickness.

But the move didn't come at the specific request of Williams, who had been angling to leave the club at the end of the season.

Denied a third request for an early release, he did not show at training this week and made himself unavailable to play the Sydney Roosters on Saturday, prompting Canberra's call to release him immediately.

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