Castleford Tigers half-back Gareth Widdop opens up on retirement fear after fourth shoulder dislocation

The experienced half-back saw his time at Warrington Wolves cut short by a troublesome issue which he thought he had left behind in the NRL.

Widdop dislocated his right shoulder three times in eight months with St George Illawarra Dragons but appeared to be in the clear after getting through two and a half years in Super League without any issues.

Then disaster struck in the act of scoring a try for Warrington at Magic Weekend last July, leaving Widdop fearing his career was over.

"Before that I'd had no issues with it during my time in England," he said.

"It was frustrating for it to happen at the end of last year. I'm not going to lie, I was wondering whether I'd play again.

"When you're in the moment, you fear the worst straight away. I had a fair bit of time off, spoke to a couple of people and started rehabbing it. It feels as good as can be now."

Widdop arrived at Warrington in 2020 as a marquee player but exited through the back door courtesy of his injury.

It was a tale of frustration for the 33-year-old from the moment he picked up a leg injury on the eve of his debut campaign, which was curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic.

After flirting with success in his first two seasons, the Wolves endured a miserable 2022 campaign resulting in an 11th-place finish.

"It was just really frustrating more than anything," said Widdop.

"Unfortunately, nine or 10 weeks before the end of the season I went down with my shoulder.

"My form wasn't where I wanted it to be at all. I floated around a few positions. We weren't playing well as a team and I wasn't playing well individually.

"The enjoyment factor wasn't there and I certainly wasn't performing up to my standards."

Widdop left his Warrington troubles behind at the end of last year after accepting a fresh challenge at Castleford Tigers.

The Halifax native has a spring in his step following his return to Yorkshire.

"The opportunity came to come to Cas and it's given me a bit of desire to play some good football again and be that consistent player I'd like to think I've based my whole career on," he said.

"The thing I like about it is that Cas make the best out of what they've got. Last year, the amount of injuries they had and the character they showed with people playing out of position, that was a big reason for coming here as well.

"It's a working-class town. I've got that desire to come and be a part of that. I'll show that with my attitude.

"If you're happy and enjoying anything in life, you tend to go well. Hopefully that's what I can do."

Widdop won an NRL Grand Final with Melbourne Storm and has represented England in two World Cups, as well as Great Britain on four occasions.

He insists the fire burns as brightly as ever at the start of a new chapter with the Tigers.

"I've been quite fortunate to achieve everything I set out to achieve," said Widdop.

"A little lad from Halifax going out to the NRL and doing what I've done, I'm certainly very proud of what I've been able to achieve so far. That's been and gone now.

"I'd like to try bring the knowledge I've learnt playing over there and playing in big games to Cas.

"After the frustration of not playing many games last year – and my whole time in England really – I got away on a big break and have come back with the same desire to be a consistent player and help the young kids coming through.

"If I didn't have that desire, I would have packed in."

Widdop got a month's worth of training under his belt before Christmas and has continued his preparations for the new season at the start of 2023.

He has had to remain patient, however, with Tigers head coach Lee Radford wrapping his key men in cotton wool during pre-season after seeing his spine decimated last year.

After sitting out the friendlies against Featherstone Rovers and Whitehaven, Widdop is poised to blow away the cobwebs when Huddersfield Giants visit Wheldon Road this weekend.

The playmaker is viewing the trial game – which doubles up as Nathan Massey’s testimonial – as a chance to get to know new half-back partner Jacob Miller on the field.

"I'm just looking forward to starting playing now," said Widdop.

"It'll be nice to get a run-out on Sunday. It's been a while since I've played a game and obviously Milky (Miller) is here as well now and there's a few other new players.

"Hopefully we can get some good minutes in us."