Gareth Widdop ready to show attitude is everything at Castleford
GARETH Widdop is ready to prove that mindset makes greatness rather than facilities after linking up with Castleford.
The former England man has had everything a player could want – first club Melbourne Storm have ice baths, a running track and a swimming pool inside their AAMI Park stadium.
Gareth Widdop insists facilities are not everything after being Castleford’s big addition for 2023CASTLEFORD TIGERS
The closest the Tigers will get is if it lashes it down for 24 hours and the puddles on the car park are huge!
But half back Widdop – who also had great facilities at St George-Illawarra and Warrington – is determined to make the most of what he has got, rather than moan about what he does not.
Not being booed by his pals for not playing for a team in his native Yorkshire will also help.
“It’s certainly a bit different,” Widdop, who emigrated to Australia aged 16, conceded. “But it’s all about attitude.
“You can have the worst facilities in the world but a great attitude and play well, that’s what matters.
“You can have the best facilities in the world but a terrible attitude and go out and play crap.
“But I’ve enjoyed it. It’s different. I remember playing here and it feeling like there’s 20,000 people there, not a few thousand in a small stadium.
“It’s no secret. I’m not sure how old the ground is but it’s been around for a long time and the facilities haven’t changed too much but it’s what you make out of them that counts.
“It’s just a great opportunity. Hopefully I can bring the experience I’ve had to add to what we’ve got.
“Castleford have a good roster and it was a fair trip to Warrington from Halifax every day. Every other person there seems to be a Cas fan and Cas is a great community.
“The importance of the club to the town is certainly something I’ve noticed. I’d arrive at 7am and everyone’s walking around in their Cas gear.
Widdop moved to Cas after a frustrating year at Warrington
“Now my mates might start coming to watch me instead of booing me all the time!”
Widdop, 33, could have called it quits after his Warrington frustrations – they finished second bottom last year – ended with a dislocated shoulder.
But once he decided to go around again, the Tigers won out as he looks towards both the end of his career and what he does once he hangs up his boots.
And he will learn plenty off new boss Lee Radford, a man he already knows not to say no to.
He added: “How Warrington went was very frustrating, then I went down with 10 weeks to go. After finishing that way, I wasn’t happy at all.
Widdop was instrumental in England’s run to the 2017 World Cup finalAFP
“When it happened, I was very unsure about what I’d do. I’d had a couple of shoulder injuries before and thought, ‘Here we go again.’
“I want to do things when I finish but having had a couple of weeks off and speaking to a few surgeons, I still had aspirations of playing and my body’s still up to it.
“When you get to my age, you have to weigh up a lot and I had a couple of options – but Cas was the best thing for me at this moment in time.
“And it’s about my leadership as much as playing talent. We’ve quite a young roster with a lot of kids coming through.
“I’d like to think I’ve achieved a fair bit in my career and learned from some of the greatest players. Hopefully I can be a bit of a role model to my team-mates.
“That change of environment has given me something to strive for and Lee’s certainly a character but it makes training really enjoyable.”
