Matt Cook enjoying his time at Widnes under former teammate Simon Finnigan

After five years at Castleford Tigers, Matt Cook made his moved to Championship side Widnes Vikings.

He admitted going from full time at the Tigers to part time at the Vikings has been a change, but one he has enjoyed.

“I am really enjoying it. It is a bit of a change going from full time to part time, but other than that I have enjoyed it and getting to know the boys. It is really convenient as it is on my doorstep as well, I used to do a long commute from Warrington to Castleford, so Widnes is a lot closer for me.”

His new side joined up with Warrington Wolves this week for a behind closed doors training session, with a lot of teams struggling to get pre-season friendlies in due to covid restrictions.

“The teams looked towards each other to get as close to a game as possible. We started with Warrington, which was an ideal opportunity, as we are close to each other. It was a good dry run for both teams, we went through all the Covid regulations and tests, and we then managed to get a game on. We had a referee as well- it was as close as we could get to having a preseason friendly.”

Having joined Widnes ahead of the 2021 season, Matt will be linking up with his former teammate Simon Finnigan. The pair played together at Bradford Bulls in 2008.

“Simon is great, it was like rolling back the years in a weird way for me, as I played with him at Bradford Bulls. We used to commute together to Bradford from Warrington, so I know Simon very well from my time then. When I signed for Widnes Tim Sheens was in charge, but he moved on, and when it was announced that Simon Finnigan was going to be coming in I was really excited, and a bit relieved that it was someone I knew, and had history and a good relationship with.”

It has been over a year since the last time Championship sides were able to take to the field. The Vikings will start their 2021 campaign next weekend in the first round of the Challenge Cup against West Wales Raiders.

“I was fortunate enough to get a few games in last year with Cas during Covid time, but I am itching to hit the ground running and play. I have been missing playing my rugby myself, so I think all of the rest of the boys that have had pretty much a whole year now of no games, they are going to be ready to go, and I’m sure they will all be very excited.

“West Wales is going to be a hard trip, the possibility of Rangi Chase playing for them is excited. You can never take him for granted, he is one of the most skilful players I have graced the field with, He is the master of trickery, he turns that ball into an illusion at times, so we will keep a close eye on him.”

Come the end of the season, Matt Cook believes with the quality his side has in the squad, promotion back to Super League is definitely an achievable target, but he will be taking it one week at a time.

“I want to add a big contribution to the side, stay fit and get the club in a good position to be looking for promotion. We want to be in the playoffs at the end of the season.

“I think some teams without spectators may not rank us as one of the top teams within that league, alongside teams such as York City Knights but I think we could surprise quite a few and be sitting right near the top of the table, so the priority is to try and get the club promoted back into Super League where we belong.

“It is such a massive club and has a lot of history with the Widnes Vikings. It is huge, and in my eyes, they belong in Super League, so it is all about getting them back up there.”

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