In our latest in-depth interview, second rower Josh Wilde tells us about coming through the academy system at Widnes Vikings and breaking into the first team this season.
Wilde names Assistant Coach Ryan O’Brien as the biggest influence on his career, and discusses his journey to the first team alongside long-time teammates Will Tilleke and Ollie Brookes.
He talks about making his first-team debut alongside Will against West Wales Raiders at the beginning of this season and also discusses his run in the first team this year.
You can watch the full video on YouTube, or read the full transcript below.
Josh Wilde is proudly sponsored by Stephen Hindley for the 2021 season.
FULL INTERVIEW
Tom: Josh, good to speak to you. Obviously you’ve come into the team this season, how’ve you found the step up to the first team this season?
Josh: At first it hits you all at once. It’s pretty tough, pretty fast, but the more games you play, you sort of ease yourself into it, get more confident and you just sort of get used to it after a couple of weeks.
T: How did you find coming in to your first pre-season and when did you hear that you were going to be playing with the first team?
J: It was pretty late to be honest. Obviously when Tim (Sheens) was here, he was the one who gave me a call and said that I was going to step up next year and join the boys in the first team so that was obviously a big surprise. Coming in, I knew a couple of the lads anyway from the academy and reserves and stuff like that but it was good to get used to the lads and get to know them a bit better.
T: Let’s take you back to your early days then. When did you first start rugby league?
J: I was probably a bit of a late bloomer. I only started playing when I was around 13. The first session I ever did was at school in a P.E session and I didn’t really know what I was doing, I was just diving on top of people! That was probably it, I think I was about 12 or 13.
T: Who was your first team once you got into it?
J: Shevvy (Shevington Sharks). I only ever actually played for one team. I think I went to a training session once at St. Pats and I just didn’t like it there, and a couple of the lads I went to school with all played for Shevvy and it was just easier getting lifts to training so I used to just join them.
T: Then you heard of the interest from Widnes Vikings obviously. How did that come about?
J: They’d done all the under-14’s camps, every club done them. With the couple of lads I was with at Shevvy, they used to go to different ones – the Wigan, St Helens ones. I just jumped on, didn’t really know what it was, didn’t really know what a scholarship was or anything like that, I just joined one of the camps and ended up doing a few sessions here and got a bit of interest from Raz (Ryan O’Brien, Assistant Coach). He told me he wanted me to come down and sign on so that was about it.
T: You came into the Academy, you’ve mentioned in the past Raz as one of the biggest influences on your fledgling career, what was it like with him and the other coaches in the Academy?
J: I’ve known Raz now about six or seven years. He used to come down and watch our games down at Shevvy, the under-14’s and under-15’s. I used to always chat to him after the game. I think I was actually the first person Raz ever recruited as a coach. So just chatting to him after the games and getting a bit of wisdom and knowledge from him on what I could do better. I sort of see him as a friend as well as a coach now, I can always go to him for anything.
T: Then as you came through this pre-season as we mentioned, who was making you feel welcome in the team and what were the lads like when you first joined the first team?
J: To be fair, all the lads are really welcoming anyway. They’re all a good laugh and they all welcome you with open arms. Probably the biggest one who influenced me mostly is (Danny) Craven. Now especially, linking up with him on the left-hand side, I probably chat to him a lot more and with him being a senior player as well, if I’ve got any questions or issues, he’s probably one of the ones I’d go to the most from all the boys, and Ste (Tyrer) as well.
T: You’ve come through with Will (Tilleke) and made your debut together of course. What was it like going all the way through the Academy and now playing with him in the first team?
J: It’s a good feeling. You’ve mentioned Will there, but Brookesy (Oliver Brookes) as well, I actually played for Shevvy with Brookesy. Me and Brookesy have been playing together now since we were 13, 14 years old so that’s a nice feeling as well. With Will, he’s probably one of my best mates here. He came through the Academy late on but we just clicked straight away, so it’s good to have those lads still around because you can always go to them properly.
T: You made your debut against West Wales at the start of this season with no crowd, but what was that like to make your debut?
J: It was immense, it was a weird feeling. It didn’t seem all real at first. Obviously I came off the bench, and it was a game you’ve got to whelm into. It was nice though, it was a good feeling.
T: You got your chance in the team this season with some injuries to forwards. How’ve you found the step up after being thrown in?
J: It was just a lot faster at first. I’d not played 80 minutes for a long time so when I got told I was doing my first start, that was something which hit me quite hard. Now I’ve got used to it and hopefully I can keep that starting position for the rest of the season.
T: At the start of the season you were playing with no crowd but now we’re starting to welcome some more fans in, we had a few more in as well at the weekend. What’s it been like playing in front of a crowd compared to when you first started in the first team?
J: It’s mental. It is pretty weird, obviously we’ve got a couple of fans every now and then through the Academy – you’ve got your family and friends but a big massive crowd and you hear a couple of people shout your name in the crowd it’s a bit of a weird feeling, but it’s really good. They give you all a really big boost and a big lift, especially when you’re coming through the tunnel in the game.
T: Just to mention something earlier in your career, a bit of info on you, you were invited to England under-16 trials, and you had an injury at the time, can you tell us a little bit about that?
J: Each club sent two or three players forward so there was me and two other of the lads who were here at the time. I’d picked up an injury, I’d displaced my clavicle against Bradford. I was really fighting to try and go and I really wanted to go because to myself I was better than the two lads who actually ended up playing, but it was just one of those things. It wouldn’t have been the right thing to do, I wouldn’t have been performing at my highest level so I spoke to Raz, I think two days before, and just said I don’t think it’s right that I go because I couldn’t really do anything. I couldn’t move my arm properly or anything like that. It was gutting, but it is what it is.
T: How was it recovering from that injury and how long did it take to get back?
J: To be fair, it’s still not quite right now. I do a couple of pull-ups and it clicks every now and then, but it healed pretty well. I like to think I’m a fast healer, but it just wasn’t the time to go and try and perform at a trial with lads from bigger academies so it was just one of those things.
T: You also went through administration with the club which must have been a really difficult period. How did you find that when you were coming through the Academy?
J: It was a weird feeling. We weren’t even allowed to train. We used to all turn up, come in, and I remember once we actually came out to train and then one of the administrators told us we weren’t allowed so we used to just sit in a classroom. It was a weird feeling not knowing if we were going to be there tomorrow. You didn’t know if they were just going to can the full thing. It was just sort of, take everything day by day and just hope that we could make it through it. Obviously we did which is the good thing.
T: You came out the other side when fans’ support brought the club through. What do you think the club can achieve going forward and potentially get back to Super League in the future?
J: Definitely. We’ve obviously got stepping stones in place, different team, different coach. It’s just going to all take time. Building that relationship with the new coach, new players, new teammates, eventually we’ll just keep growing and growing and we’ve got the stepping stones moving forward ready for it.
