State of Mind: Tom Gilmore

Tom Gilmore has had to wait patiently for his chance at his hometown club Widnes.

The 23-year-old was one of those players that found himself left in limbo by the decision to scrap the Super League reserve/under 21/23 set-up.

That meant he’s spent time out on dual-registration and loan with North Wales Crusaders and London Broncos, as well as making sporadic appearances for the Vikings first team.

When Kevin Brown departed the Halton Stadium in the off-season, Gilmore was handed the number seven jersey.

Frustratingly, having been thrust into the starting positions, Gilmore then suffered an injury which has seen him sidelined for several games this term.

Gilmore is perhaps one of the fortunate ones – a young player that wasn’t cut due to his age or salary cap restrictions; but the pressures on young players wondering what their careers may hold shouldn’t be underestimated.

Speaking ahead of this week’s State of Mind round, Gilmore said: “It was very difficult waiting for so long to get the chance.

“I’ve been sat behind two very good players in Browny (Kevin Brown) and Joey (Joe Mellor) for so long, but I think the time’s right for me now. I’ve waited, so I think patience has been the best thing for me and hopefully now I can sort out my performances.

“I’m quite confident so I won’t worry too much about it. What will happen, will happen. I think I’m good enough to be where I am and hopefully I’ll be alright.

“It’s been good when I’ve been out on the field – I’ve just picked up a couple of niggly injuries so hopefully I’ve seen the back of them and kick on now and get some good performances in for the back end of the season.”

This year’s State of Mind theme looks at the pressures of loss – be it a relationship, a job, income, a home or a bereavement, and how people can deal with it.

You can speak with State of Mind volunteers at the marquee which will be situated at games across the weekend.