London Broncos captain Craig Gower told Boots 'n' All his appetite for rugby league is as strong as ever.
Skipper determined to inspire Broncos to better things
London Broncos captain Craig Gower told
Boots 'n' All his appetite for rugby league is as strong as ever.
The 33-year-old is back in the game after a five-year spell playing for rugby union side Bayonne, during which time he also played for Italy in the Six Nations by virtue of his grandparents' nationality.
But Gower - who made nearly 250 league appearances for Penrith and won 18 Australian caps - says he's determined to prove he can still mix it with the best.
"If I wasn't at this level I wouldn't be playing - it's as simple as that," he said. "Rugby league is in my blood. It's something I've loved to do for so long but I needed a break.
"People have got this thing about age - you know, you get to a certain age and you can't do something; I think it's more about what's in your head, how you can get yourself around. Things like that. For me it is part and parcel, you take it on the chin and do the best you can."
Gauge
The Broncos have endured a difficult start to the season, losing 24-34 to St Helens before being thumped 50-10 by Warrington. Next up are top-of-the-table Huddersfield, but Gower is relishing the challenge.
"That's just part and parcel of it," he said. "You want to play these sides - they are the best sides in the comp and we want to gauge where we're at. Obviously at the moment we're not up to their standard.
"We just need to find a couple of things and I know we've got it in the team to find that. We'll just do the right thing in training."
Gower is leading by example, according to London Broncos coach Rob Powell.
"He's a real competitor in every sense of the word. He's challenging in training, he makes other people accountable; he's very accountable himself to his own standards and when he gets things wrong he's humble enough to put his hand up and say 'that wasn't good enough from me'.
"That's the sort of leader that I like and that the team needs. What we need to do is have people like that who are willing to be accountable to each other and challenge each other but also do it in a way that gets the best out of people and people respond to. I think he's that sort of person."
Boots pundit Terry O'Connor said Gower's powerful presence is exactly what the Broncos need right now.
"We talked last year about a lot of the youngsters coming through at London and playing in the first team but when the games were getting tough and they were coming thick and fast, they were losing games and getting blown away in games where they needed some senior players to be around. Rob Powell has dipped into the market and recruited very well, I think. "
