Canberra signing George Williams hopes to break English halfbacks’ long premiership drought
The last English halfback to win the comp in Australia was Manly’s Gary Stephens in 1976. Canberra’s new acquistion George Williams plans to update the record.
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George Williams’ mission to become the first English halfback to win an NRL premiership in 44 years is ready for launch.
The Raiders’ Pommy import will line up for the first time for the Green Machine against Canterbury in Port Macquarie next Saturday.
The official trial match will be the first and only hitout for the 2019 runners-up before their NRL season opener against the Gold Coast on March 13 at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
The impact of Williams on the NRL, after 173 appearances in the English Super League with Wigan, will be one of the biggest talking points of the upcoming season.
The 25-year-old has signed with the Raiders for the next three seasons and is a straight swap for grand final halfback Aidan Sezer, who left the club for the UK Super League.
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Williams’ availability for the trial is a huge bonus for the Raiders given the classy playmaker’s pre-season has been hampered by a quad injury.
“George has had a disrupted pre-season, but we're happy he's been able to pick up his training load to the point where he’ll play next weekend,” Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said.
“He’ll get some time with Jack (Wighton), which is great.”
There’s no denying Williams is a quality halfback — he’s won two English Super League titles and represented England on 10 occasions.
However, if he's to be successful in the NRL and take the Raiders to rugby league’s holy grail, Williams will be required to do what surprisingly few English halfbacks have been able to achieve in the NRL.
While a host of English forwards, fullbacks and five-eighths have left their legacy on the NRL, the list of halfbacks to make their mark are few and far between.
The last English No.7 to win a competition in Australia was Gary Stephens, who played halfback in Manly’s 1976 premiership win.
Before that, Dave Bolton won the 1969 premiership with Balmain.
Tommy Bishop, the outstanding Cronulla playmaker, played 60 games and was captain-coach in the Sharks’ 1973 grand final loss to Manly.
More recently, an argument could be made for Gareth Widdop, who won the 2012 premiership with Melbourne before linking with St George-Illawarra, but he’s more recognised as a five-eighth and fullback.
Fellow Englishmen Ryan Sutton, John Bateman, Josh Hodgson and Elliott Whitehead were key in Williams’ decision to sign with the Green Machine.
Whitehead said he was excited to play with Williams, backing the 25-year-old to handle the NRL’s intensity.
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“He’s settled in great and aside from his injury, he’s loving every minute of being here,” Whitehead said.
“It obviously helps having myself, John (Bateman), Hodgo (Josh Hodgson) and Ryan (Sutton) already here, so we’ve spoken to him about what to expect.
“The one thing I’ll tell him is, the NRL is a long season and there will be ups and downs, not just for him — but all of us.
“He just has to block out the outside noise and listen to those at the club that matter. Given the talent he is, I’ve got the utmost confidence in him.”
Originally published as Canberra signing George Williams hopes to break English halfbacks’ long premiership drought