He requested a release and it has been granted, with Gareth Widdop to depart the St George Illawarra Dragons to return home to play for the Warrington Wolves in 2020.
Countless reports of his apparent desire to return to England emerged, with release now officially confirmed by the Dragons.
There is a condition on the release, however; should Widdop return to the NRL, it must be with the Dragons and no other team.
Moving to Australia at a young age to play with the Melbourne Storm, Widdop eventually moved to the Dragons with 119 club games to his name to date.
The Englishman admits that it was not an easy decision but that he always wanted to play in the Super League.
“I’ve made a big decision in my career having decided to move back to England next year,” Widdop said.
“It certainly hasn’t been the easiest decision but sometimes in life we have aspirations and playing in the Super League has been one of mine for a while now.”
With his decision made, Widdop thanked the Dragons for how they dealt with the situation in allowing him to leave.
“The Dragons have played a big part in my career,” Widdop continued.
“I’ve been here a long time now and to get to where we have with the roster we’ve got, to leave it all behind especially being the captain will be difficult.
“This situation has been handled in the most professional way possible.
“I worked really closely with the club who have been great. We worked towards getting the best outcome and I thank the Dragons for that.”
When it came to picking a club, the Wolves felt like the right fit for Widdop due to several reasons.
“With decisions like this there are a lot of things to look into. I think Warrington, in terms of the club itself, has got a lot of history, is a great team and is run very well,” the half continued.
“I have a lot of mates in the team and it’s been a top club for a number of years. It’s a club I want to be a part of and win some silverware with.”