Lack of respect from outsiders make Wakefield thrive, says Justin Horo

Drew Darbyshire 25 Mar 2020 1:43 PM

Wakefield may have one of the lowest budgets in Super League but the lack of respect from outsiders makes them thrive, according to Justin Horo.

The 33-year-old retired midway through 2019 after making 204 career appearances for Parramatta, Manly, Catalans and Wakefield.

Horo cut short his time at Trinity to return home but he reflects on his time at Belle Vue with fond memories.

He told The Locker Room podcast: “I went to Wakefield for a couple of years after Catalans just to keep the dream alive.

“I didn’t want to retire, I was still being paid relatively good money. The lifestyle is different over at Wakey. Wakey is probably the best crew of boys that I’ve been involved with.

“When you go to a team like Wakefield and a situation like that, there are zero egos in that team because you are all pretty much locker room guys.

“You are all a bunch of guys who are looking for that last run, so when you get there everyone is the same. No one is better than anyone, and there are a lot of guys who are journeymen and have had to fight for a contract their whole lives.

“Everyone got along so well and we went good for the 18 months I was there. We were so far under the cap, we spent f**k all but we just missed out on the top four system over there, which has just changed to a top five.

“Wakey finished fifth for two or three years in a row because they built a team on the back of that sort of culture and it worked. It was like our backs were against the wall and no one thought anything of us sort of thing.”