Something like 50% of Brits who emigrate to Australia return within the first few years and in a rugby context, John Bateman has chosen to return quite soon so certainly the grass isn't always greener.

It is something that seems to happen more with the modern player though; many of our overseas signings of the 80s and 90s were here for 5 years or more. I don't think the weather was any more tropical back then, or Bridge Foot resembled Sydney Harbour more closely but I might be wrong.

That would depend on how much HBC was imbibed.

But the major difference is that widdop family would NOT be in a unfamiliar environment. Surely they would come to England regularly as Widdop has in the position of having family over here and he is. You know. ENGLISH. So it would be at least more familiar than say ashton sims for example. Who relocated his family and moved his life to warrington for what was it 3 or 4 years. With no one here. Then you have people like toa, who havent fone back home since coming to england.

Not about the player it's about their family. If the partners can't hack it that's it game over.Blake Austin has an extremely supportive partner and his 4 kids are a credit to them both. They also had the benefit of friends already here and it wasn't lock down so were able to travel around a fair bit. Very different for Widdops partner who i believe really struggled from day 1.

If he goes he goes, hope he sees the season out well and finishes with the big trophy without hurting his troublesome shoulder.

Is his wife British or Australian?

He has to do what's right for him and his family. It would be better if he sees the season out at least.

Aussie

Maybe it's time, we as a club (and possibly the game in general), reassess these Aussie imports'contracts.

e.g. take a ball park figure of £250,000 p.a. as his ceiling.
He would reach this goal by appearances, winning games and cups, AND actually seeing out each year of his contract. Too many times now, "superstars" from the NRL are coming over for big money, then suddenly getting cold feet, or a better offer back home. Whatever happened to honour?
Bar Walters in 2000, I can't recall any Aussies going back early, until the last few years.
Yes, this homesickness tag can be covered under the umbrella of "mental health", which extends to players' families, but then the clubs have to look at recruiting again, at great inconvenience to themselves.

If we assume that Widdop is going then how many is that that have left their contracts early in recent times? Three (Widdop, Roberts, Sandow)?

Is that a lot in the context of the total number of players who have come from the NRL over the years?

I don’t disagree with focusing on more on home grown talent because clearly that removes the homesickness risk but I think it’s worth going for a foreign player if they have the quality on the park.

I would hope that the club, like any business, would review the success or otherwise of all contracts and learn lessons from it.

You can put all sorts of clauses into contracts including loyalty bonuses, buy out fees etc. This only works if both sides are willing to agree to them. The problem seems to be one of supply and demand. The best players are in demand in both hemespheres which gives them greater power at the negotiating table.

I wouldn’t include Sandow on the list of Warrington players. We only brought him over because Smith screwed up by not replacing Briers with an equivalent level of player. And the reason he went home early was definitely not homesickness.

I’ll be interested to see how GI settles with his partner here. It’s only a year contract but there’ll still be a level of COVID restrictions in place which might make their winter a bit miserable. Also his kids are staying in Aus so that will be tough. Hopefully they’ll stick him in the Cheshire countryside with some horses (a passion for both him and his partner) and keep him away from the bars of Stockton Heath on those long winter nights.

I was thinking just this. Hopefully the club have already lined up the ultimate equestrian experience.

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