George Williams reveals UK return rush after swapping the NRL for Warrington
GEORGE Williams has revealed he is used to scrambling after having just two weeks to book an expensive flight home or find himself stuck in Australia.
Without a club as he was brutally bombed out by NRL side Canberra Raiders after asking for a release at the end of the season after becoming homesick as partner Charlotte Lewis is expecting their first child, he had to get out.
So it meant paying over the odds for one of the few flights to the UK before the deadline elapsed, meaning they would have had to welcome and live with a newborn on the other side of the world with no family support.
Now he is determined to show what he learned on the field before his off-field drama after joining Warrington, starting with tomorrow's trip to Wakefield after an enforced week off after Hull FC's positive Covid-19 cases put paid to Sunday's match.
Williams, who also paid to fly dog Freddie over, revealed: “You can’t fly after you’re 28 weeks’ pregnant and Charlotte was 26, so we had to get home quick otherwise we’d have been stuck in Australia!
“There was a lot of uncertainty about flights and there weren’t many going. Luckily, we managed to get one – and when it comes to prices, they don’t miss!
“Our first 12 months were brilliant, then we couldn’t come home. We just felt a little bit lost to be honest and when you have to get home, you’d do anything.
“Charlotte being pregnant was a massive factor. Just having family around the corner to give you a hand is huge – over there, we didn’t have that.
“I met some good people there and made some good friendships. I don’t regret it one bit but being at home has been really good, catching up with people, family and friends.
“When you don’t play, you miss being in a team environment. I was training on my own, I had to. I’d just go to a gym and run and do weights on my own.
“It showed me how much I do love my job.”
Half-back star Williams has had more off-field stress, the stress of moving into a new house in his hometown of Wigan – he now has a degree in flat pack.
But not having the thought of being cut off from his and Charlotte’s families, even his Perth-based father Peter, is now out of his head, he can concentrate on what he does best.
Just being back home is a relief, even down to now being able to order chips with what he feels are the UK’s superior curries!
“It did get messy and very rarely when a player asks for a release at the end of the year does it end well,” Williams added.
“It’s a business and they did what they had to do, we eventually came to an agreement. Now I’m happy with my career and being in Super League.
“And while my dog may have been bought in Australia, he’s firmly English!”
Former Wigan man Williams made an instant impact by booting the winning drop goal on his debut at Leeds.
The chance to follow that up by inspiring Wire to a win over Hull was postponed at 24 hours' notice because of a number of Covid-19 cases at the Black and Whites.
But he revealed just how little he knew about how Steve Price’s side plays before his big moment.
The 26-year-old told SunSport: “I’d literally had only one session before the Leeds game.
“It was pretty mad, I was still trying to learn the calls. Fortunately, I knew the one for the drop goal, which Chris Hill’s run set up to win us the game. Now I’ve got a bit more clarity on everything.
“At Canberra, they put a great deal into them and they said I’d be the kicker. So I’d practice two or three times a week. The more you practice, the more confident you get about them."
