Gareth Widdop staying put with NRL side Illawarra

Gareth Widdop has signed a new four-year contract with St George Illawarra, ending speculation that he was planning to move back to England to join a Super League club.

The England international said he and his family were happy in Sydney and would not be returning to the country of his birth.

Widdop said: "At this stage of my career it certainly was a big decision for my family. I have three young kids, I'm very settled here in Wollongong and I'm enjoying my time here. So while it was a big decision, I'm happy to be staying."

The 28-year-old Halifax-born stand-off emigrated to Australia at the age of 16 and played with Melbourne in the NRL until moving to the Dragons in 2014.

He added: "There's a good environment here and it's a good place to be so I wanted to play my part in that."

Widdop, who captains the team, recently became the club's second-highest scorer, and is on track to surpass Jamie Soward's record of 977 points.

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Dragons' director of rugby league pathways Ian Millward, a former coach of St Helens and Wigan, explained: "We have shown a lot of confidence in Gareth as our long-term leader by offering him a four-year contract.

"Gareth's our leader and obviously plays a vital position so we're over the moon that he has re-signed."

Next week, Widdop is expected to be named in England's squad for the Test against Samoa in Sydney on May 6.