Castleford Tigers have confirmed the signing of halfback Gareth Widdop following the expiry of his Warrington Wolves contract.
The former England and Great Britain international has signed a two-year deal with the Tigers.
It will be the first time Halifax-born Widdop plays in Yorkshire as a professional, having moved to Australia in his childhood and played for Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL.
Widdop moved to Super League in 2020 with Warrington but struggled to find top form in his three seasons at the Wolves. Now 33, he hopes to still have some good years ahead of him.
“I’m really excited to extend my career for another couple of seasons at such a great club. It means a lot,” said Widdop.
“They’ve put faith in me to bring me across to Castleford; hopefully I can bring a lot of experience from my career.
“I’d like to say it was smooth sailing (at the Wolves) 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.”
