George Williams is delighted with the way Warrington Wolves boss Sam Burgess has given him and team-mate Matt Dufty the freedom to dictate the game.
Warrington, who sit third in the league, are two points behind Wigan Warriors and leaders Hull KR, but are still in the race to secure top spot and the league leaders’ shield, which would see them progress to the semi-finals at home in the play-offs.
Warrington have won six of their eight Super League games since losing 8-18 to Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup final in June and Williams is pleased with his team’s performance and his own.
“I want to be at my best, but I think the team I’m having fun playing on is probably doing its job,” Williams said. Sky Sports’ Bench Podcast.
“And me and Dufty try to make something that makes us look good. I think the mids are playing platform and we’re in good field position, so it’s a fun team to play against right now.
Williams and Dufty were both outstanding for Warrington under Sam Burgess.
“Before, I was probably stuck on the left and had nowhere to defend on the right. Actually, I prefer to keep the ball on the left, but now I play on both sides.
“As long as we’re winning, I know the team is doing well and I hope we can continue to win.”
Warrington narrowly missed the play-offs last year but have improved significantly since their elimination from the competition, and Williams has taken a number of lessons into 2023.
“Looking back, it was really horrible, but now I feel like I learned a lot from it,” he added.
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Williams is trying to bring success to Warrington and admits he gets annoyed when he is repeatedly asked ‘is this their year?’
“We were down eight or nine games at one point on a spin, which was unheard of for me. So I taught myself at that time to maintain my standards, still do the right thing, and still try to stay in the lead even when you’re feeling bad.
“It was good for me, but looking back now, a lot of it was because of the environment we had.”
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Highlights from last Sunday’s Betfred Super League match between London Broncos and Warrington Wolves
Director Burgess: ‘I just get it’
Sam Burgess has been appointed as Warrington Wolves’ new manager on a two-year contract following the departure of Daryl Powell last year.
Burgess represented England in rugby league and union, winning numerous international titles and becoming an NRL champion with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Prior to his managerial role at Warrington, Burgess had only coached one club, Orara Valley Ex-Men, and since retiring as a player in 2019, he is better known for his senior coaching duties at the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Williams credits Warrington’s success this season to Burgess’ appointment, revealing the pair have a close relationship.
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Williams says Wolves boss Burgess is a ‘great’ leader and cares about his players.
“Burgess has been incredible. It helps that he’s only been out of the game for four years, but he’s a great leader, so when he says something, people follow suit,” Williams said.
“The pre-match talks were good, even the meetings were good. He gave us a review, then a motivational speech, and we were all ready to train. It’s good, the players are on the side.
“I think he understands the players. He knows that certain people need certain things.
“Duffy needs to put air in his tires. To be honest, he and Daryl Powell didn’t get along. He was tough on him when he did something wrong.
“Sam used to put his arm around the player and it worked, as he’s shown this season.
“We have conversations that aren’t about rugby. I’ve known him for years but we talk about other things.
“I lost my grandfather last year, and I was able to talk to him about it. He was there to care, and he didn’t just talk, he got involved.
“We talked about it for 30 minutes, and I was kind of complaining and he was just understanding, so I came home feeling good.”
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