GRANT Millington may sound as Australian as they come but he is about to become a true Brit.
And the Castleford star has revealed he probably knows more about this country than team-mates who were born and brought up here!
The forward is about to make it official by becoming a British citizen and getting a passport – but do not expect him to suddenly come into the reckoning for England, Wales or Scotland.
“It was a big process,” said the 31-year-old. “I had to do a fair bit of studying for it and there was a lot of questions that a lot of the English blokes couldn’t answer!
“I can’t remember them exactly but one was along the lines of, ‘Which king hid in an oak tree from someone in the year 1705?’ (It was Charles II in 1651).
“Also I had to remember all the kings and queens and certain years and dates when things happened.
“But it was good to learn a bit about the country I’m going to reside in and get a passport for. It was a lot more involved than I thought it would be though. It involved learning a lot of obscure stuff.
“When I told some of the English lads some of the answers to the questions, some of them were like, ‘You what?’”
Now Millington, who is under contract at Castleford until the year 2020, is awaiting his paperwork to make his British citizenship official, what about pulling on an international shirt?
However, despite being one of Super League’s more impressive performers, there is no chance of that, even though he qualifies.
“I don’t think I’d play for England if I’m honest as there are English forwards who deserve a call up more than me,” Millington admitted. “Also, I think English players should wear and England jersey.
“And I don’t have any grandparents or heritage in Scotland, Ireland or Wales. If I did, I definitely would enjoy playing for them but I don’t.”
Leave a comment