Greg Alexander has suggested he would be concerned as a Dolphins fans after watching playmaker George Williams struggle in the second Ashes Test with reports the NRL club will sign the star. The Kangaroos won a dull and physical game against England to seal the Ashes series 2-0 with the Aussies looking to make it a clean sweep next week.
While there are calls for Kevin Walters to make changes to an uninspiring Aussie side, the Australians battered the English side into submission in a 14-4 win. And Shaun Wane’s side offered very little in attack for the second game in a row.
Greg Alexander has questioned the reported move from the Dolphins to sign England captain George Williams (pictured far right) after his struggles in the second Ashes Test. (Getty Images)
Williams is the captain of England and managed to hold onto his five-eighth role for the second-straight game, but once again offered up very few attacking stats of note. In Game 1 at Wembley, Williams ran for 118 metres, but didn’t record a line break, line break assist or try assist.
And not much changed in Game 2. The Kangaroos suffocated the English side even though the hosts had plenty of possession in the first 40 minutes. Williams once again struggled to create any chances , while running for 102 metres. He also missed five of his 11 tackles.
England lacked any X-factor and Williams was expected to ignite his side’s attack. And it has raised concerns over his reported move to the Dolphins. Kristian Woolf is reportedly set to bring Williams to the club in 2027, according to reports from News Corp. Williams is 31 and the move from the Dolphins has many scratching their heads.
The move was expected to see Williams potentially partner Isaiya Katoa in the halves. And speaking on SEN Radio, both Andrew Voss and Alexander were unimpressed with Williams’ performances and doubted whether it was a good move from the NRL club.
“Dolphins fans… just want to remind you, George Williams has signed with the Dolphins not for next year, but the year after,” Voss said. And Alexander was critical of the move.
“He will be 33. And not getting any better. His best footy was five years ago. In two years time, I don’t know if he will make it. Surely they will find someone better in the meantime. Voss added: “I was most disappointed with George Williams who I thought played pretty well in the first Test.”
George Williams critical of England performance
Speaking after losing the series against Australia, Williams admitted his teammates thought the gap between the two sides was a lot closer. “We’ve got loads to work on and we’re probably not as good as we thought we were heading into this series,” Williams said after the 14-4 loss.
Williams admitted his side were very sideways in attack, which didn’t help the side against a solid defence. “Then we’re chasing points, we’re very lateral, and our attack wasn’t very clinical at all, so I’m really disappointed,” he added. “We’ve shown improvements in the first half, but not good enough at this level.”
George Williams (pictured) is reportedly going to join the Dolphins in 2027.
Raiders and George Williams part ways
Williams has played in the NRL before under Ricky Stuart at the Canberra Raiders. But the relationship with Williams and club ended abruptly. Williams was battling homesickness and wanted to return to England, but ended up playing through the 2021 season.
But he left the Raiders in acrimonious circumstances amid reports of a 20 second phone call with Stuart before Canberra agreed to grant the England international a release. Williams will still play with English Super League club Warrington next year, before the reported deal is confirmed. He will be 32 when he joins the Dolphins in 2027 on a reported two-year deal.
The move for Williams raises concerns over Kodi Nikorima’s future, despite striking a solid combination with Katoa this year. But Nikorima’s contract runs until the end of 2026.