Gubb goes back to school

Former Warriors fan favourite Charlie Gubb has turned his back on rugby league and has returned to New Zealand to pursue a teaching career.

The former Warriors and Canberra NRL front rower has reportedly given the game away following a shortlived stint with UK Super League side Widnes.

The 28-year-old headed to England last year after gaining a midseason release from the Raiders but made just four appearances for Widnes and was released following the club’s relegation.

“He’s left rugby league and is doing a teaching job in Wellington,” Gubb’s long-time manager and former New Zealand coach Frank Endacott told Foxsports.com.au.

“I doubt he would come back to the game unless there was an offer which was good enough and I think he’s pretty disillusioned.”

After parting ways with Widnes, Gubb was poised to sign a new contract with the London Broncos but the deal never materialised.

Rather than try and find another club in the Super League or NRL, the Wellington-born product has returned to his home town and started down a new career path.

Endacott is adamant his client still has plenty to offer rugby league and is disappointed circumstances have seen him give the game away.

“I know the scene in England pretty well and he was ready to sign with the London Broncos,” he said.

“He would have been one of their top line players and I offered them Charlie on a plate but then they chose to stick loyal with the players that had got them promoted.

“Good luck to them. He would have been perfect for London, and after all that, Charlie got pretty disillusioned with it all.

“He is at the perfect age, his fitness is really good, and everywhere he goes, he becomes a crowd favourite. His teammates love playing with him because he is tough and plays on the fine line.

“He’s too good a player not to be playing, and you can only get so many knockbacks before you give up. It’s a great shame that he has chosen to have a spell out of the game.”

Gubb was a member of the Warriors’ 2010 under-20s grand final winning side that also contained Kiwis test star Shaun Johnson.

He was released by the Warriors soon after and moved across the Tasman, spending two years honing his craft with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.

The Warriors re-signed him and he played the first of his 39 NRL games for the club in 2013.

Gubb’s fearless style of play earned him cult status among the Mt Smart faithful but the NRL made an example of him in 2016 with a seven-week suspension for a shoulder charge on Manly’s Darcy Lussick.

He was disappointed the Warriors did not offer him a contract extension beyond 2017 and reluctantly left to join Canberra, where a serious groin injury contributed to him making just five appearances in green.