Greg Inglis reflects on Warrington spell: I loved every day of it

Drew Darbyshire 26 Oct 2022 12:17 PM

Greg Inglis Warrington SWpix — Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix

Rugby league legend Greg Inglis says he reflects fondly on his time in England with Warrington despite it ending prematurely.

The former NRL superstar came out of retirement to spend a season in Super League with Warrington in 2021.

Inglis only made three appearances due to injury and left the Wolves in July that year, but he says he has no regrets over the move and has good memories of his time in England.

“I loved it, I enjoyed it,” Inglis told James Graham’s The Bye Round Podcast. “It was totally different than what I expected it to be.

“I loved every day of it over there, I enjoyed it. I saw a different side of the world. And I knew I was only going to be over there for that season but going over there at 34, doing that in the cold in the early mornings, it was different.

“I ended up doing both hammy’s (hamstrings) whilst I was over there and I’d never done a hammy before.

“Before I signed over there we were in lockdown. I was sitting at home having a good chat with one of my best mates Jason Clark and I mentioned it to him. He rang me back the next night asking if I was serious. I said ‘man, I’ll come over and have one more go with you’ and that’s how it all came about. It was great, it was good fun. Stef Ratchford, unbelievable bloke.

“They signed me as a centre and the second game in I was playing full-back! It was a good experience, I loved it.

“My wife and I talk about it now and she said ‘would we do it again?’ and I said ‘absolutely we’d do it’. No regrets, great experience.”

Greg Inglis offers advice to young NRL players

Inglis, a three-time NRL Grand Final winner and a World Cup winner, says he now encourages players in the southern hemisphere who are looking for an opportunity to give Super League a crack.

“This is what I come back and tell the players now,” Inglis added. “If you can’t get a contract there (NRL) in the early ages, do what Jackson Hastings did. Go over there for a few years and then come back. Look at Jackson, he came back as a better player.

“So probably leaving the system in the NRL, going somewhere else to play, uphold your skill and play your style of play and then coming back here, it made him a better player.”

Inglis made more than 300 career appearances during an illustrious career. He won 39 caps for Australia and played 32 times for Queensland in the State of Origin arena.