Could Warrington be Anthony Gelling's last professional club?

He admits that himself, and he wants to make them count.

His move to Warrington Wolves gives him a route back into Super League – a competition he helped old club Wigan win at The Wire’s expense in 2016.

When he returned to his homeland to play in the NRL for the New Zealand Warriors, he went back a World Club Challenge winner.

However, what awaited him was a brutal reality check.

“My first week at the Warriors was a trial. I think I signed on the Wednesday and by Saturday I was ready to give the contract back and say I couldn’t do it,” he said.

“I’d just turned 28 and I thought I’d missed the bus and had left it too long to have a crack at the NRL.

“I spoke to some of the boys and they told me to hang in there as it gets easier.

“I picked up a lot of things. If I had those tools when I was at Wigan, I could have done a lot better.

“I surprised myself. I definitely levelled up while I was there.”

The first glimpse of Anthony Gelling in a Warrington Wolves shirt

It was just the one year in Australia’s top-grade competition for the Cook Islands international, though, as he returned to the UK to join Widnes Vikings.

Spending this year in the second tier made it clear to Gelling, who turns 29 next week, where he needed to be.

“Things got tough,” he said.

“The situation was I could stay at Widnes for the remainder of the year, but only if I agreed to cut the second year of my contract.

“It was a bit unsettling as it took ages for my family to get their visas.

“With all that in mind, moving to the next town over was a very easy decision.

“The Championship was never where I wanted to be.

“I signed for Widnes in mid-June last year and they went on a 20-game losing streak. It was hard to get my head around playing in the Championship for a year.

“We had our eyes set on going straight back up to Super League initially but I didn’t think I could cope with another year in the Championship.

“I felt like I’ve worked to hard for it to end like that.

“I said to my partner ‘if these are the last two years I play rugby league professionally, I want it to be at the top.’

“Mentally, I feel like I’m coming into my prime.

“I wouldn’t say I’m declining physically, but there is a bit of a plateau. You start to change the way you train and be smart with it.

“Super League is a long season and everybody’s different – there’s no one set programme that will work for the whole team.

“I’ve been in the game long enough now to know what my body needs and how to get it right.”

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com

Off the field at least, Gelling appears a good fit for The Wire.

His extroverted character has become clear – his promotional videos with a comedy element have become notorious in rugby league circles and helped unite people behind what at times seemed a pretty desperate Widnes cause this year, with the club flirting dangerously with extinction.

Combine that with The Wire’s creative marketing strategy and you appear to have a match made in heaven.

While he says he is happy to help out in that respect, Gelling is not here to boost social media impressions.

“All the best players have that switch when it’s time to work and get serious,” Gelling said.

“I’m not naturally fast, strong or fit. For me to be better than the guy I’m facing at the weekend, I need to do that extra stuff.

“Swimming is my big thing – I hate swimming.

“I feel really uncomfortable and I get panicked with the breathing, but I’ll go twice a week and add a lap every time.

“If I can do that, rugby league feels like a piece of cake.

“At Widnes, the media department was a one-man band so I just tried to help out where I could.

“Warrington look like they’ve got their own thing going, so that might take the pressure off me! I’m happy to chip in, though.”