Jake can get in World Cup team - Watto
IAN Watson believes Jake Wardle is capable of breaking into the England team in time for the World Cup.
The centre was called up to the train-on squad and linked up with the party yesterday for their first training session since Shaun Wane’s appointment.
Wardle was joined by Giants team-mate Matty English, who was also invited as the England head coach added reinforcements for the short camp.
Wardle, 22, has shot to Super League stardom in the last 12 months, earning rave reviews for his performances in Claret and Gold.
He signed a new deal with the Giants last year despite NRL interest and having now earned international recognition, Watson believes he could go from strength to strength and earn England honours in the autumn.
“Jake Wardle is one I think can contribute to the World Cup at the end of the year,” Watson said.
“That’s where we want him to push to. He’s in a great position where through his performances he can influence whether he’s part of that World Cup squad or not.
“It always comes down to the individual and the choices they make. But if he is the best he can be, I think he’ll be in the squad and play in the World Cup. It would give a decision for Shaun to make on who drops out, but that’s better for the international game and England.
“He’s that rough diamond, he just needs more education. The good thing is he’s got his brother here who has played in the NRL and he knows what it takes to play at that level.
“But he’s very similar in many ways to Martin Gleeson. He’s like Glees in terms of his movements and how he sees the game. He’s got that natural ability in how he moves across the ground, he’s like Kallum (Watkins), he glides.
“He’s all round talented, but the biggest thing for me is he’s got the work ethic which guarantees he’s going to get better and better so long as he avoids injuries.”
Watson was equally made up for
English, with the 23-year-old a surprise inclusion to many. However, his call-up was not unexpected to Watson.
“It’s not a surprise to me,” he said. “He’s like a mini Yatesy (Luke Yates) and you know what I think of him. He does the little things really well. He bases his game around what’s best for the team, that’s what I like about him, his focus is not on himself individually, it’s what he can do for the team. I think he’s got a great future.”
On a wider scale, Watson paid tribute to the club’s Academy, from which both players have been produced on their way to becoming regulars in the Giants first-team.
“I’m made up. I spoke to Shaun early in the off-season about some of our players who could crack into that squad and both Jake and Matty were spoken about then,” he said.
“When he phoned to ask if they could join I had no hesitation at all. Today is one of our preparation days for Hull KR but we want internationals so we’re not going to hold people back. The more quality players they train with, the better they’ll be for us.
“It’s a massive plus for the people like Andy Kelly, who has been working behind the scenes. Kim Williams and Steve Fox have come in more recently but it shows the strength in depth underneath the first team now because of what’s been set up, it’s a big one to attract players to Huddersfield as there’s a clear pathway not only towards playing for Huddersfield but England too.
“One of the big reasons for coming here was the youth, my thing was trying to build something and sustain it and you can see there’s the opportunity to do that here.”