KEVIN Brown admits he is “grinning like a Cheshire cat” at the prospect of playing for Warrington Wolves in 2017.

Brown finalised his move to The Wire from Widnes upon his return from holiday on Friday and trained with his new teammates for the first time on Monday.

The England international says he wanted to get into training as quickly as possible to maximise the time he has to prepare for the new Super League season.

“I’m loving it so far. I find myself grinning like a Cheshire cat on my way into training,” he said, “I probably could have had a bit more time off if I’d wanted but I was mindful of time being tight.

“Playing at half-back, you have to know your plays inside out and have a strong understanding with the people around you.

“With the possibility of an England training camp in January, I may not have had much time to build those relationships so I wanted to get started as quickly as possible.

“The facilities are something else, the lads have all been brilliant and it’s allowed me to settle in very quickly.”

Brown, who can also list Wigan and Huddersfield among his former clubs, recently ended a six-year international exile when Wayne Bennett recalled him to the England squad for the Four Nations.

He featured in a pre-tournament Test against France and started the final group game against Australia, scoring his first England try in the former.

The 32-year-old believes he is getting better with experience and believes Wolves fans will see the full benefit of that.

Brown also expressed his excitement about linking up with fellow half-back Kurt Gidley, whom he described as one of his toughest opponents in 2016.

“I played for England in 2010 and the difference in my game now is noticeable,” he said.

“I believe I’m playing my best rugby right now and I understand the game a lot better than I used to.

“That comes from playing 300-odd games. Your vision and awareness develops and when you come to the back end of your career, you start to see things you might not have seen in your early 20s.

“I haven’t met Kurt personally yet but he’s got a superb reputation from playing in the NRL.

“A lot of half-backs who come over from Australia can be underwhelming but Gids certainly wasn’t one of them. Of all the half-backs I faced last year, he put the most graft in.

“I think we’ll work well together. I spoke to Chris Houston at Widnes about him and he has nothing but good things to say about him.

“I’ve played with some really good half-backs and I’m sure Gids will be up there as well.”

As well as former Australian international Gidley, Brown will also find competition in the pivots from the likes of Stefan Ratchford and homegrown star Dec Patton.

Brown says he has been impressed with what he has seen from Patton so far and even says there are things the youngster can teach him.

He also admits to being excited at being on the right end of Wolves’ passionate support.

“I was quite impressed with the way Dec filled some big boots last year and he stood up really well,” he said.

“Of course I’d be more than happy to help him along if he needs it but, at the same time, I’m sure there are things I can learn from him as well.

“Having played against Warrington for years, I know how passionate the fans are and the atmosphere they can create.

“They haven’t been on my side in the past but I’m looking forward to playing for them now.”