Tigers welcome Gareth Widdop

Castleford Tigers are thrilled to announce the signing of a star half-back Gareth Widdop on a two-year contract!

The Tigers recruitment news is proudly brought to you and sponsored by the club’s official recruitment partner ORB Recruitment.

The Halifax-born playmaker will join the Tigers for pre-season ahead of his first campaign with the Fords in Betfred Super League 2023, bringing an exceptional wealth of experience to the team.  

As England’s second-highest points scorer of all time, Widdop has been capped internationally on 32 occasions, 28 times with England and playing 4 matches for Great Britain. 

Following his family’s move to Australia when he was an early teenager he began his professional career with a decade-long stint in the NRL, firstly at Melbourne Storm before joining St George Illawarra Dragons. 

In his time with the Storm, Widdop won the 2011 minor Premiership, the 2012 NRL Grand Final for the major Premiership and the 2013 World Club Challenge. The move to join the Dragons saw him become a pivotal part of their setup, being named team captain in 2016 and then club captain in 2017, firmly establishing himself as one of the top talents in the NRL.

In 2020, Gareth Widdop returned home to the UK through Warrington Wolves where he has spent the last three years, making 49 appearances, scoring 20 tries, kicking 47 goals, and picking up their Player of the Year award in 2021. 
 

The 33-year-old, who will be proudly sponsored by BEKFABS Ltd, is relishing the opportunity to join Castleford Tigers and cannot wait to get started. 

“I’m really excited to extend my career for another couple of seasons at such a great club. It means a lot.” Widdop told castlefordtigers.com. 

“They’ve put faith in me to bring me across to Castleford, hopefully, I can bring a lot of experience from my career. I’m really excited to get started with the club.” 

The move means Widdop will be back playing in his beloved home county of Yorkshire. 

“It’s very pleasing, a lot of my mates and some of my family are big Cas fans so I might get a few more to the game than I did when I was over at Warrington! It’s great to be back in Yorkshire and closer to home, I really can’t wait to get started.” 

Widdop is eager to get to work under the Fords’ Head Coach Lee Radford and believes he will settle in quickly with a few familiar faces who he has played with during his career, such as Mahe Fonua and Jake Mamo.  

“I spoke to Radders (Lee Radford) a couple of times, and he threw it out there about the potential of moving to Castleford. I know a few of the players who I’ve played alongside in Australia and the UK as well, and they said what a great coach he is. After speaking on the phone to him (Radford) and in person, he seems like a really good person and a really good coach, so I’m looking forward to working with him. 

“I see a lot of the boys around, some of them live my way. It’s a great squad, a great roster and they’re heading in the right direction, and I really want to be a part of that.” 

Reflecting on his time with the Wolves fondly, Widdop, like everyone, had to manage the challenges of Covid but did so after making the big move across the world to return home.

“I’d like to say it was smooth sailing but unfortunately moving from Australia and almost straight into Covid, meant missing my first season with Warrington. It was difficult for everyone obviously, difficult for the world and had a massive knock-on effect on life in general.  

“We got through that, and I had a great second year. I’d worked with Steve Price in Australia and he’s a great coach and got me playing some really good football. That’s what I want to get back to again, playing some really good football. Unfortunately, I’ve had a couple of injuries this year and as a team this year Warrington has struggled a bit, but I’m ready and raring to go now.” 

The addition of Widdop to the Tigers squad is an incredibly exciting one, given the level of matches he has featured in including the NRL Grand Final and a World Cup final too. The star man is keen to get stuck in at Wheldon Road and pass on his knowledge to his teammates. 

“I’d like to think I can bring a lot of experience. I’ve been fortunate to play at the highest level for a number of years now and play in some really big games. On a personal level, I base my game on competing and working hard and that’s where my game starts. With my knowledge of playing the game for a long time, I hope I can work with the boys well.

“We already have a great team and some good players, if I can add that extra one percent to improve the team then we’re going in the right direction. 

“You have your individual aims, I’ve always based my game on being consistent, I don’t want my good games and bad games to be too far apart. Consistency is big in life and in any sport and if can be a consistent player week in and week out, doing my job, doing my role for the team, it’s only going to be beneficial.” 

There is no atmosphere quite like The Mend-A-Hose Jungle on game days, after all, Castleford is #TigerTown! Our home ground can be an intimidating place for opposing teams to come and play as Widdop has experienced, but now wearing a Cas shirt, he can't wait to run out with the Fords faithful's support.

“I’m really excited to come and be around the Cas fans. As I've mentioned before I have some close family friends who are really big Cas fans and when I came to play here last year, they gave it me from the stands!  

“My key is to go out there and compete and I'll be doing that as soon as I get out on that field. Bringing that experience from the games I’ve played.” 

All at the club are striving to bring silverware back to The Jungle, and Widdop wants to be part of the Tigers squad that achieves that big goal.  

“I want to bring success to the club. It’s the reason we play the game, to win trophies and play in the big games. I’ve still got the fire inside me to do that. 

“I’m coming to the back end of my career now and when this opportunity popped up at Cas with the players in this team, and the great coaching staff there’s no reason why not. It takes a lot of hard work along the way, and I’ve still got aspirations to lift some silverware. We want to be winners and it’s what we’re striving for.” 

In closing, Gareth Widdop acknowledged the strong support the Castleford fans show and reaffirmed his joy at joining the club.  

“Keep supporting, I know how much this club means to the town. We’ll be going out there and putting our all in. Your support means a lot, running out here before, when that Cas crowd gets behind you it’s certainly very vocal. It gives you that extra bit of energy to go and perform. I’m really excited to be part of the Castleford culture.” 

The Tigers’ boss Lee Radford believes the addition of Gareth Widdop will be hugely beneficial to his squad and the club as a whole. He added that the partnership of Widdop and fellow 2023 recruit Jacob Miller is a highly exciting one. 

“What Gareth has achieved in the game has been phenomenal, his experience that he brings is huge,” Radford told castlefordtigers.com. 

“The stage he is at in his career, I think Castleford will be a really good environment for him and I think he will be good around it for everyone else too. 

“Everybody I’ve spoken to has said what a great bloke he is, what a competitor he is, and you don’t do what he has done in the game by fluke. He is going to be a great player and a great addition for us, I think. 

“Gareth and Milky (Miller) playing together, they are looking forward to that and so am I. I think they will bring the best out of each other. Two senior blokes, one plays on a little bit more instinct, but the other’s strengths are his organisational skills, hopefully, they will complement each other.  

“I want them to come in and help improve the place, the environment that we are making. Both Widdop and Miller have the ability to do that, not only because of their talents but what they are as people off the field.”