Gilmore wants to challenge for starting spot at Widnes
Tom Gilmore believes he can challenge Kevin Brown and Joe Mellor for a starting place at Widnes in 2016.
The Widnes born half back spent the majority of 2015 on loan at Championship club London Broncos, but made six appearances for the Vikings throughout the year.
With the 2016 season just around the corner, the 22 year-old has set his sights on the halfback positions at The Select Security Stadium, which are currently taken by Kevin Brown and Joe Mellor.
However, Gilmore says that this has only made him more determined to work hard and challenge for a first team spot for the upcoming season.
“I think I’m a bit unlucky at the moment because I’ve got those two above me,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
“I love it here, I just need to get on the pitch more. There will be injuries – but – don’t get me wrong – I don’t want to be waiting for an injury. I’ve got to the age now where I reckon I can push for a place.”
Gilmore is currently in his final year of his contract at the Vikings, but says that if he can push for a starting spot in the coming months, then there’s no place he’d rather play his rugby.
“There’s been a lot of speculation about me but I’m contracted for the coming season,” he said.
“Widnes is my hometown club and hopefully I can stay for the next few years. If it’s not working it might be time to move on, but hopefully that’s not so.”
Widnes head into the Super League season hoping to be finishing higher than their 9th place finish in 2015, and Gilmore believes that a place in the top eight is something that is achievable for the club.
“We can definitely do better, it was a massive disappointment not to make the Top 8 last season” he said.
“We were only one point off and there were one or two games we look back at when we should have taken something from the game but for litte mistakes,”
Not only does Gilmore believe that the Vikings can make it into the top eight of Super League, he thinks that they can match any team that is involved also.
“Last year when we played Wigan you’d have struggled to tell the difference between the two sides,” he said.
“”I definitely think we’re a top eight side and realistically we can go higher. There were games when we looked a real quality side but it’s about being consistent.”
“If we get our consistency right, we can be whatever we want to be. The sky’s the limit.”