England ace Gareth Widdop reveals the secret ‘coach’ in his life – his gran!
St George-Illawarra star admits Irene gives him hints whenever she speaks to him from home in Halifax
GARETH Widdop has revealed the secret ‘coach’ who is helping him hit the heights in the NRL and for England – his gran!
But he admits he has some competition in the popularity stakes – and Irene may not let go if she ever gets her hands on St George-Illawarra team-mate Matt Dufty.
Every time Widdop plays, one woman in Halifax, West Yorkshire is up – even in the early hours of the morning.
And he revealed that she still has hints and tips for him whenever he speaks to her as the Dragons stay top of the NRL with six wins from six.
Widdop said: “She’s my biggest fan. She gets up at 3am or 4am to watch me play and we have FaceTime calls once a week.
“I feel like she’s my personal coach as she tells me what I did well or did badly.
“I just keep the notes to myself. Cameron Smith is her favourite player and she keeps telling me she wants to give Matt Dufty a little hug!”
While Widdop and clubmate James Graham look down on the rest, Sam Burgess is ready to return from suspension into a South Sydney side that defeated Sydney Roosters 26-14.
Fellow England international Elliott Whitehead – expected to head to Denver to face New Zealand in June after the row was seemingly ended – also tasted success as Canberra defeated Parramatta 18-2.
And Chris Heighington felt how Leeds’ players felt when Melbourne won the World Club Challenge as the Storm demolished Newcastle Knights 40-14.
