George Williams admits playing in empty ground had benefits – no stick!
GEORGE Williams admits he was left enjoying the silence as he did not get any abuse!
The England star, along with compatriots Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson, was still in action as the NRL continues, with no fans allowed in the grounds.
It just adds to the former Wigan man’s introduction to life in Australia after joining Canberra Raiders, which has also seen huge bushfires force them to relocate to Queensland for training, searing heat and the feared spiders.
But he can see a positive from playing in front of no-one – he cannot get any stick and is adamant moving was the right call.
Williams told SunSport: “It was obviously strange and a first probably ever having nobody at the game.
“Even at amateur games in England I’d probably get abused or some noise!
“It’s all new to me as it is everyone with what’s going on at moment with the virus and fires.
“But I’m still really enjoying it. My missus is out here now and we’ve settled well in our apartment in the city.
“I’m also loving it at the Raiders, everyone made the move for me so easy.”
Williams, 25, found himself at the centre of one of the stranger shutdown stories.
Technically, he played in New Zealand Warriors’ home game but was played behind closed doors in Robina, Queensland – more than 1,300 miles away.
Both Australia and New Zealand closing their borders means they are stuck on the other side of the Tasman Sea but they are determined to play on.
After the Raiders’ 20-6 win, former Hull FC and Hull KR hooker Hodgson led the Raiders into a circle with the Warriors to thank them for making sure the game could go ahead.
And Canberra boss Ricky Stuart said: “They’ve made a decision to stay that I think is very courageous for the game.
“We need to do everything we can to make sure it keeps going every weekend. We all want to keep getting paid, we all want to keep the product alive, we need to keep playing through these tough times.
“At least we’re giving our people something to do. The Warriors should be applauded for the decision they’ve taken.”
Today sees former Leeds man Kallum Watkins line up for Gold Coast Titans in their match against Parramatta Eels.
