GRAND-Final defeat by his former club denied Sam Tomkins a fairy-tale finish to his glittering career – and left Catalans’ former England captain “devastated”.
The 34-year-old returned from knee surgery, played through the pain barrier and scored the deciding try against St Helens in the play-off semi-finals to help the French side make the showpiece.
But the Old Trafford victory, which would have brought Tomkins a fourth Super League ring after three with Wigan, including the Warriors’ last title triumph in 2018, proved too big an ask for the Dragons.
“Maybe in time and when the dust has settled, I’ll be able to look at things differently, but right now I’m devastated,” said the twice-Man of Steel who represented England in 29 Tests.
“We play this game to win and we didn’t do that. This match meant a lot to everyone at Catalans Dragons, and it’s tough when it ends as it did.
“I thought we defended well to only conceded one try. We thought we might be able to get down the other end and score enough points to win, but Wigan also defended well. They were the better side overall.”
Tomkins, who made more than 200 appearances during two spells with Wigan, interspersed with a brief stint at New Zealand Warriors, joined Catalans in 2019 and will now rest up before taking an off-the-pitch role with the Perpignan club.
“I will spend some time with my family,” he added.
“Sometimes as a professional athlete you have to be a little bit selfish, and with my physical condition, this year I’ve had to be a little bit more selfish than I’d have liked.
“I have had to say no to the family too many times, because when you struggle with fitness, it’s not just at the club, you have to take it home because it’s 24 hours a day.”
Tomkins says he’s happy to be staying in France.
“I love this club. They have given me and my family a great five years in a beautiful part of the world,” he explained.
“Hopefully they see that I’ve given 100 percent. I’ll be moving to a different role with the club off the field, and I’ll be giving that 100 percent as well.
“When we are able to take stock, I think we’ll see that Catalans Dragons are moving forward and everyone will agree that we are an established top-four club.”
