NEW Warrington Wolves signing Jason Clark has answered questions posed by fans.
The Australian forward, recruited from South Sydney Rabbitohs, highlighted how he will be able to help his new team while also being grateful to the Goodwin family for their support since arriving in Warrington.
Talking live on our Warrington Wolves-Warrington Guardian Facebook page from the club's training camp in Portugal, the 29-year-old revealed what he has learned about the squad, club and town in the two months he has lived here.
Read the full Q&A session below. You can also watch a section of the chat in the video above. For the full Q@A interview, visit Warrington Wolves-Warrington Guardian
Q: How have you settled down with the lads and how has training been so far?
Clark: It’s been really good. I got here a week before the pre-season started.
Obviously the weather is a bit different in England but I’m settling in really well and I’m really enjoying it.
> READ: Portugal diaries, day one
> READ: Portugal diaries, day two
They’re a great set of blokes and I couldn’t be happier.
Warrington are a great club and they’ve been really accommodating for myself and my family.
Luckily I’ve had Bryson Goodwin helping us, Blake Austin has come as a new signing and also Lama Tasi, who I butted heads with back home, so there’s a few familiar faces and they’re a great bunch.
Q: Has it been beneficial for the boys having the training camp in Portugal?
Clark: I think so. It’s the first kind of camp I’ve done like this, where I’ve been in such a cold environment and then come to somewhere warmer, which makes it a little easier.
Obviously the pitches are a little different over here. Back home in England, the pitches are a bit softer underfoot and a bit muddier compared to here, where they’re pretty firm and it’s nice weather.
> VIEW: Photo gallery from Wire training camp in Vilamoura
A few of the boys from back home are getting a sun tan and a bit red at the moment, like Kev Brown and Charners (Josh Charnley), but it’s been a good change for us to get a little bit of heat before we get into the season.
Q: You’ve been with the squad for a few months now. Which player has impressed you so far?
Clark: To be honest everyone has. The boys that are in the rehab group at the moment are coming along really well.
Ben Currie and JJ (Jack Johnson) have been in there quite a bit and it’s good to see them working as hard as they are.
I know the club have got Danny Walker back, who is a young kid from Warrington, so to see the club get a local kid back is something I always like to see.
He reminds me a lot of Damien Cook (South Sydney Rabbitohs) with the way he plays and moves, so he’s doing really well.
I’ve been impressed with a lot of the old blokes as well as the young kids. Even Bennie Westwood!
I’ve been looking forward to getting next to Bennie in training because I’ve heard so much about him.
Q: Souths went so long without a Grand Final win until 2014. What do you think it will take for the Wire to win their first title in 64 years?
Clark: I think it will take 2019’s team.
We’ve got a great team here, great staff, great facilities and everything is in place for it to be a good year for us.
That's as long as we keep our heads down and work hard.
There will be highs and lows during the season, but as long as we make it more highs than lows then it will be a good season for us.
Q: It seems you were so loved by so many Souths fans and they didn’t want you to leave. How good would it be if the Wire fans took you to their hearts in the same way?
Clark: I’d like to think that I’ll have the same effect.
I’ve definitely bought into the culture of Warrington and I’m out and about in the town a lot, especially Golden Square, because my three daughters love it there and my wife has been there to do a bit of shopping.
I love being out in the community, doing as much as I can, and as the year unfolds I’ll be able to do more to help out. I love being a part of Warrington in general.
Q: Is it good to be teaming up with Bryson Goodwin again?
Clark: Yeah, Bryson has been really good.
I’ve been so lucky to have him here, not just for myself but for my wife and my three daughters.
He has three kids himself, so both of our lives have really gotten closer.
His kids are a similar age to ours and he helps me by picking me up for training every day.
Without him and his family we’d be a lot more lost, so it’s great to be teaming back up with him.
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve discovered about living in the UK so far?
Clark: Away from football, there’s so many countries that we’re close to.
We were lucky enough to go to France over Christmas, Wales for New Year and right now I’m in Portugal for a pre-season football camp, so that’s definitely a bonus of living over here.
I just love the history that England has as well.
I haven’t had too much chance to do some travelling in England myself. I’ve been to York which is a lovely place, but now I’m living here I can do a lot more travelling and learn a little more about it because it’s a great area.
Q: What are you most looking forward to this season?
Clark: Definitely as a Warrington player it is to get out and play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
I’ve heard so much about the fans and members when we play and how loud they are.
As much as it’s a small stadium of about 15,000 the boys have said how good it is and how you get such a good feeling, so that’s definitely one thing I’m looking forward to this year.
Jason Clark's first outing in Wire colours is expectd to be in Ryan Atkins' Testimonial game against Widnes Vikings at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Sunday, January 20. Picture: Mike Boden
Q: What do you feel you can bring to the team?
Clark: I think the team has had a good mix in the past.
Chris Hill and Mike Cooper in the forwards are very gifted players. They can do a lot more than just cart the ball up and they’ve got great hands.
I’m learning a lot from them and I’m looking forward to getting out there.
I like to do a bit of ball work, passing and offloading, so hopefully that will unfold as the year goes on.
Linking up with those boys, Stef Ratchford at the back and Daz Clark at nine, will hopefully lead to a good combination.
Q: You can play anywhere in the pack so do you think you’ll get through a lot of different positions now the interchanges have been reduced from ten to eight?
Clark: To be honest I’m not too fussed where I play.
Eight and ten are your traditional front rowers, and with 13 they are quite similar positions in the middle of the field.
The only difference will be the back row, but if the coach wants to put me there I’m not going to knock it back.
Daz (Clark) or Danny (Walker) will play nine, but if they need a break I can play there and I’d be happy to do so.
I don’t think I’d have the speed to play wing or full back, but whatever the team needs I’m happy to do it.
Q: How are you coping with the commute with Warrington’s traffic?
Clark: It’s been really good. I actually love the traffic here.
The people are so polite and cars are happy to let you in and give you a wave, and I’m really big on saying thank you and letting people in.
The only thing is that I live in Grappenhall, so the thing that gets me sometimes is the swing bridge that lets the boats up and down the Mersey (Manchester Ship Canal), but apart from that it’s fine and I’m loving it.
Q: Which team are you most looking forward to playing against and why?
Clark: I’m looking forward to a lot of games, especially round one which will be good to kick things off.
Learning more about Warrington I hear that their biggest rivals would probably be Wigan, so that’s probably a game I’m looking forward to as well.
Q: Just like Warrington, Leeds Rhinos have got some high profile recruits from Down Under, so how do you see the first game of the season going against them?Clark: Clark: That’s one game I’m definitely looking forward to.
Obviously wearing the new colours for Warrington is a big thing for myself and my family, but I’m looking forward to the game in general as well.
Their new coach, Dave Furner, is someone I know from my time at Souths. They’ve also got Trent Merrin as well, who I’ve known since we were very young and Konrad Hurrell, so we know it’s going to be a really tough game but one we’re looking forward to.
Q: What’s the last gig you went to and what will be the next?
Clark: It would have been Ed Sheeran back in Oz at the ANZ Stadium. That was great and it was actually my first one.
My three young daughters are keeping me really busy at the moment here in Warrington, but I like any sort of music. I do quite like acoustic style bands as well, so I’ll have to keep my eye out and see if I can get to one.
Q: Would you rather have fingers as legs or legs as fingers?
Clark: Probably fingers as legs, because then you’d still be able to use your hands. It would probably be harder to get around but you’d still be able to use your fingers.
Q: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or a hundred duck-sized horses?
Clark: I’d have to go with a hundred duck sized horses, because you’d be able to kick them away surely.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here