Jason Clark hails Greg Inglis after Warrington Wolves debut

The Australian icon credits the forward – a close friend and former teammate at South Sydney Rabbitohs – as a key reason for his decision to come out of retirement to join The Wire for this year.

When he crossed the whitewash against Hull KR on Saturday, one of the first there to celebrate with him was Clark himself.

“He’s put in a lot of work since he got here in January,” the 31-year-old said.

“Coming over here to play is not something he had to do – with the records he holds in the game, he didn’t have to prove anything to anyone.

“What he’s done in coming here is a big challenge, he’s left his kids behind.

“It’s not just himself either but our staff who have worked really hard with him.

“They’ve all done a lot in the game but I imagine it will have been hard to be telling Greg Inglis what to do and how to do things.

“He’s kept ticking all the boxes to get where he needed to be and I think that showed at the weekend.”

As Clark mentioned, Inglis has been a part of the Wire squad since joining them for pre-season training in January.

As he made slow but steady progress towards being ready to play, those at the club were keen to talk up his impact on those around him – in particular promising outside backs such as Matty Ashton and Josh Thewlis.

Clark believes that influence can already been seen in these early stages of the 2021 campaign.

“When Greg Inglis walks in a room, everyone stops and looks.

“Every now and then I have a chuckle to myself that he’s here wearing Wire colours. It’s something that’s so exciting.

“A lot of our young blokes have been willing to ask him questions.

“I think that’s what he’s learnt back in Australia doing coaching – how to pull kids aside and tell them where they need to be at what time.

“He’s taken a few of the boys under his wing and showed them things that are hard to coach.

“Because he’s got that natural ability to read the game, it’s easier for him to get across.”