RUGBY LEAGUE
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DEAN Widders reckons he has come the full circle.
The 35-year-old former NRL star was in Tamworth yesterday helping prepare young teenagers for what could be professional rugby league careers during the second day of Greater Northern Academy two-day camp.
Widders hails from Armidale and played all his junior football in the university city as well as representing Northern Division junior sides (now Greater Northern) as a teenager.
The son of an outstanding footballer (Jake Widders) then spent 12 years in the NRL playing with Parramatta for five season, five at the Roosters and two at South Sydney followed by three good seasons in the English Super League with Castleford Tigers.
Now he works as a welfare and education officer with the NRL educating young players on how to handle life in the NRL or life in general.
“I’ve come the full circle,” Widders told The Leader yesterday.
“I’ve come up to talk to the young blokes, that’s the best part of this job, coming back to the bush.
“Andrew (Ryan) and Mick (Hodgson) are the same. Can’t wait to get back out to the bush and talk to the kids.
“I started in Armidale. Back then we had the Northern Inland Academy of Sport. Now they’ve got the Greater Northern Academy.”
After completing his NRL career Dean then had three fruitful seasons at Castleford.
“We made the Challenge Cup semi-finals one year,” he recalled.
“Castleford is a town about the same size as Tamworth yet they play against all the big clubs. They really do punch above their weight.”
He lives in Sydney now and works as a welfare and education officer .
“It’s great to go around to all the grass roots .
“We didn’t have anything like this when I stared.
“We try and educate the young players on how to handle all the stuff that makes a career.
“We tell them not everyone makes it and they have to be prepared for everything, football might be their career and that they have to have something to fall back on.
“We’ve got massive stats at the moment that tell us most of the kids playing Under 20s now are either at uni or studying for something.
“That’s a lot more than the old days.”
Along with Dean Widders, Andrew Ryan and Michael Hodgson was NRL Welfare and Education officer Paul Walker.
Greater Northern regional manager Scott Bone said all four spoke to the GNA Tiger and Cub squads yesterday.
“They spoke to the players on options for life after Rugby League,” he said.
“And they give them an insight into many programs that the NRL runs for young players.”
The camp also gave head coaches Matt Kenny and Peter Stevens an opportunity to work with players on all the skills of the game.
Bone said the young players worked hard over two days at high levels for long periods and they will be back at Jack Woolaston Oval on Sunday, November 30 for a three-hour session.