English born Melbourne Storm five-eighth Gareth Widdop has signed a four year deal to join the St George/Illawarra Dragons from 2014. The deal is said to be for around $500,000 per season.
This is the first big name signing the Dragons have made in years. It is also a very brave move by Widdop who could have easily taken less money and kept winning big games at the Melbourne Storm. I see this as a sign that the young bloke is willing to back himself, and I think that is a great thing.
Widdops natural position is at fullback. Unfortunately in Melbourne there is a bloke called William who is pretty handy at the back! Widdop is very capable in the games and you can see his progression as a play maker over the last couple of years.
i tend to think that Widdop might need to move away from the Storm to continue that progression. The way the Storm plays, they are rightfully dominated by the direction given by Smith, Cronk and Slater. I see this move as a chance for Widdop to head to the Dragons and before the number one play maker at the club. That is something the Storm won’t be able to offer him for a number of years yet.
Having said all that, this may also be a chance for Widdop to move back to his more favored fullback position.
To me, this is the first move in the new big spending era in the National Rugby League. Club are now willing to spend a lot of money on talent, especially halves, in an effort to find the right combination and upgrade from what they currently have.
You can expect Widdop to join Rangi Chase, who will join the Dragons in the next few weeks. The Dragons are also said to be working hard to make sure they can secure Josh Dugans signature.
This is a much needed influx of talent for the Dragons, and while I think Rangi Chase will be a bust, and Dugan is completely unreliable, I think Gareth Widdop is a fantastic signing for the club.
