Shenton still harbours England dreams

Castleford centre Michael Shenton has not given up on claiming further international caps for England.

The former St Helens star last played for England in 2010, but the prospect of further international recognition still motivates him.

“It’s always a goal to play for your country,” he told Love Rugby League.

“But you’ve got to do the right things on the field, and your team has usually got to be playing well normally, for you to get involved in the England camp.

“So I suppose for me to reach my personaly goals, the best way is to get the team playing well. Sometimes you find that things go for you.

“Also, for me, I want to keep developing my game, and striving to be the best player I can be.”

Shenton now has more competition for a spot in the centres for England, with talent such as Leroy Cudjoe and Kallum Watkins really developing over the last couple of seasons.

The Cas star believes that more competition for international threequarter spots can only be a good thing.

“There’s some real attacking power out there, and the England centres look really good,” he added.

“we need to keep developing them, we need more and more in that position. We’ve got to keep getting better.

“If England want to do well, then it’s one of the key positions defensively. It’s where the Kiwis and Australians look to break you down.

“It’s one of the toughest places to defend in the whole rugby league team. You’ve also got to be clinical in your attacking.

“It’s an important position, so the more competition there is, the better.”