The Salford captain was among a group of notable names who voiced their displeasure to the Rugby Football League over new rules on head contact.

2

And if anything, he was surprised to find the governing body willing to take their concerns on board.

Just as much as the fact those who take the field, who have never really got their act together in the past, found a common voice.

Watkins said: “It definitely makes a welcome change.

“It was a really good chat. As players, we felt things lacked consistency and we wanted clarity.

“The biggest thing, though, was the players having a voice. We’ve a good core group and if everyone buys into it, we can have a voice and help make the game better.

“At the end of the day, we’re out there playing and can see it day in, day out. What more do you need in terms of voices?

“And us being proactive and getting together, with the teams agreeing to it too, is a big thing. It can bring clarity to the sport.

“The Rugby Football League now has people in it who are willing to listen, which is great. We don’t want to be against each other. We all want what’s best for rugby league.

“There have been times where we’ve tried to build something in the past but sometimes, it’s been down to a lack of communication.

“Things would get decided but the players wouldn’t know about it. If we can communicate more together, we can make good decisions that we can all agree on.

“Long may this continue. We’ll sit down with them again in a couple of weeks to talk about other issues.”

2

The players’ concerns even sparked talk of possible strike action. Although SunSport understands that was never really a serious proposition.

One thing former England star Watkins believes is in their hands, though, is the power to make rule changes work and understanding how referees see things.

The 32-year-old added ahead of tonight’s trip to St Helens: “For me, when something new comes in, it’s always going to be implemented strictly early in the season.

“The refs have got to get used to that as well. They’ll interpret things differently too, they’re not all going to view things the same way.

“We’ve got to get used to that and be proactive in what we do so penalties don’t get given.”