Canberra forward Ryan Sutton says George Williams will thrive in the NRL if the Raiders can successfully sign the England international halfback.
A transfer fee is all that stands in the way of Williams becoming the fifth Englishman on Canberra’s books. He’d join Sutton, Josh Hodgson, Elliott Whitehead and John Bateman.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is slowly building a formidable international contingent, and Sutton, playing in his first NRL season, backed the club to seal a deal with his former Wigan teammate.
“I think he’d be good out here, he’s a great player. He’s an England international and has done a lot of special things at Wigan,” Sutton said.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Canberra, not only was it it a good club but just having familiar voices around the place.
“There was definitely other options but it was also the fact that Ricky had the decency to come out and meet us. I think that really spoke a lot about the character he has as a coach.
“He put a lot of time into us and it’s lived up to everything I thought it would be, Canberra.”
Sutton defended the standard of the English Super League but admitted playing the NRL was a “massive” incentive to move to Australia.
“It is the most competitive league in the world and to be at the top of your game you’ve got to play against the best,” Sutton said.
“It’s the fact that every week is a tough week, you can’t have a week off, I’ve noticed that. Getting your body used to the impacts and getting your body ready for every tough game is tough.
“It’s a learning curve for me at the minute but I’m enjoying every bit of it.”