Warrington Wolves star and England captain George Williams has insisted that any confirmation over a move to the NRL in 2027 is ‘not signed and sealed yet’.
Williams will lead his country in this autumn’s Ashes, with a move back to the NRL at the end of next year now believed to be all-but certain, as speculation over a switch to the Dolphins remains firmly on the table.
However, Williams insisted at Tuesday’s launch event at Wembley that his sole focus for now is on England and trying to reclaim the Ashes, and that the 30-year-old will only really give proper thought about his club plans after the series is over.
Williams, who would be able to speak to clubs about a move for 2027 from next Saturday – November 1 – said: “That’s not signed and sealed yet. My full focus is on the Ashes and I’ll look at that afterwards.”
Williams echoed the thoughts of his head coach, Shaun Wane, on Tuesday, and insisted England are in impressive shape going into a game at Wembley many feel they need to win to stand a proper chance of going on to win the series and secure an Ashes triumph for the first time since 1970.
He said: “It’s one we’re really looking forward to. Australia are the best and they have been for a long time. We’ve prepared well and it feels proper, it feels elite and here we are.”
Wane said on Tuesday that he felt the squad were as united as he would have hoped, with no suggestions of club allegiances becoming an issue as preparations ramp up for Wembley on Saturday.
“There’s no Wigan, Saints, Warrington, Leeds.. it’s just one team,” Wane said at the launch event. “Training has gone really well. They’re all ready and pumped for a game against a massive team in Australia.”
