Farewell George Williams

[josie andrews]

As George Williams prepares to bid farewell to Wigan Warriors, we take a look back at his time with the Club.

After playing for Ince Rose Bridge and Wigan St Patricks ARLFC as a junior, stand-off joined his hometown Club’s scholarship system in 2010.

His first team debut came three years later, as he featured in a Challenge Cup fourth round tie against Leigh Centurions.

The following season, Williams made his breakthrough into the starting 13 as he scored over 50 points in 23 appearances.

His stock continued to rise, as he made his international debut for England in 2015 and scored a try in a win against France.

Williams’ time with the Wigan first team saw him feature in seven major finals, including four Super League Grand Finals, two World Club Challenge’s and the 2017 Challenge Cup.

He has also been part of some of the Club’s most high-profile games in recent times, including the trip to Wollongong, Australia in 2018 and this year’s historic Super League game at the Camp Nou, Barcelona against Catalans Dragons.

Honours

During his time with the Club, Williams has won three major honours.

The half-back’s first taste of silverware came in the 2016 Grand Final, where he was part of the Wigan side that beat Warrington Wolves 12-6 to lift the Super League trophy.

That victory set up a World Club Challenge tie against Cronulla Sharks at the start of 2017, and Williams featured in the starting line-up, as the Warriors produced a 22-6 triumph to claim their fourth title in the competition’s history.

The 24-year-old’s most recent trophy with the Club came at Old Trafford in 2018, where the Warriors overcame Warrington once again to claim another Super League Grand Final win. Williams played an important part in Wigan’s second try in the 12-4 victory, as he kicked the ball into the in-goal area to assist Tom Davies who touched down.

Individually, the England international was named the 2015 Super League Young Player of the Year.

His performances during his final season with the Club saw him shortlisted for the Steve Prescott Man of Steel Award.

World Club Challenge: 2017

Super League: 2016, 2018 Grand Finals

Super League Young Player of the Year: 2015

Stats

In 179 games for Wigan, Williams has scored 61 tries - his first came on his debut in a 60-10 victory over Leigh. He also converted 70 goals and kicked one drop-goal, accumulating to 385 points overall.

During his final campaign with the Club, he played in all 34 games, scoring 15 tries and creating 21 assists. One of his stand-out performances in 2019 came back in March as he grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 30-22 win over Salford Red Devils at the AJ Bell Stadium.

His final try for the Warriors came against Salford in the first round of the Betfred Super League Play-Offs.

Total appearances: 179

Total tries: 61

Everyone at the Club thanks George for his services to Wigan Warriors and wishes him well in the next stage of his rugby league career as he moves to the NRL in 2020 to join Canberra Raiders.


https://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2019 ... vKudkTZ.99