Godwin out to prove people wrong
New Salford hooker Wayne Godwin has a point to prove ahead of the new season, that he can be a starting number nine in Super League.
Since leaving Castleford following their relegation in 2004, Godwin has spent time at Wigan, Hull and Bradford, where for the most part he’s played second fiddle to the likes of Terry Newton, Shaun Berrigan and Heath L’Estrange.
But after being handed the number nine shirt ahead of a campaign in which Salford hope to qualify for the play-offs, Godwin wants to rise to the challenge.
He said: “I want to get the respect of the players who are here and enjoy my rugby. That’s why I play because I love my rugby, I’m looking forward to the different style of football and getting a bit more game time. I suppose you can say I’d like to prove people wrong and show that I can be a starting Hooker and can get them minutes under my belt.
“I also know there’s competition for the place and being the squad number 9 doesn’t give me any right to get in the team, I know the competition for places and I’m going to continue to work hard to impress in training and in game sot get in this Salford team. I just want to have that good feeling about the club and be honest with my team mates and enjoy it.”
Godwin, 28, was knuckling down in pre-season training with Bradford when out of the blue, Salford came in for him following the break down of their move for Wakefield’s Tevita Leo-Latu.
The former Castleford hooker explained: “It happened real quick. I had done 10 weeks pre season at Bradford I had another year there keeping my head down and training when Salford came in for me and I met with the coaches I liked what I heard with the club moving forward and signing new players, they want to move on from The Willows into the new stadium it’s all positive.”
Godwin is one of a ruck of new signings by Shaun McRae ahead of the new season, and they include several familiar faces, with Godwin having already played alongside the likes of Rob Parker, Stephen Wild, Iafeta Palea’aesina, Sean Gleeson and Chris Nero, which has enabled him to settle in relatively quickly.
He added: “We’ve got a good crew travelling from Yorkshire we have a good laugh. (Ryan) Boyley, Nero, (Ashley) Gibson, (Jodie) Broughton – there’s five of us all crammed into the car all the lads who I didn’t know who’ve made me feel really welcome.
“I’ve played with a lot of the players and played against them so you get to know their strengths and weaknesses anyway and work out combinations. For myself it’s been a long pre-season, I’m just looking forward to the games now.”
Unfortunately for Godwin, he will have to sit out Salford’s pre-season friendly against Hull KR, after being handed a one-match ban by the RFL disciplinary committee last week for a dangerous throw in the pre-season friendly against Wigan.