JOHN CARTWRIGHT has revealed that he has spoken to Liam Watts about how it ended so abruptly for the latter at Castleford Tigers.
Watts, whose only first-team game for the Tigers came in the club’s 18-16 loss to Bradford Bulls in the Challenge Cup, left Castleford late last week before signing for Hull FC yesterday evening.
It was a move that came out of the blue, with Watts reuniting with the Black and Whites after spending seven years at the MKM Stadium previously, winning two Challenge Cups.
However, when the Tigers announced the 34-year-old’s departure, head coach Danny McGuire explained that Watts had been ‘struggling’ in a first-team environment with injury and illness.
That question was posed to Cartwright, with him telling BBC Radio Humberside: “I’m not sure what happened at Cas, I’ve spoken to him a little bit about what happened and at the end of the day he needed a change.
“He is in the twilight of his career and that’s a good thing for us because he wants to finish – whether that’s this year or another year after but his form will dictate that – on a good note.
“He’s had a very good career and wants to continue that.”
So why did Cartwright go in for Watts?
“Depth to our squad and size. Compared with some other sides in the middle, we are not matching them.
“Size is not everything but it was an area before the Wigan game that we had been searching for.”
