Monday 26 January 2015 16:03, UK
England prop Lee Mossop has revealed he considered joining Leeds before opting to rejoin Wigan for the 2015 campaign.
The 26-year-old cut short his stay with Parramatta Eels in the NRL to return to the Super League and was courted by the Rhinos before signing for Warriors, where he previously spent five years between 2008 and 2013.
Mossop said: "It was quite close. I spoke to a couple of clubs and Wigan as well.
"Leeds are a team that I've got a massive amount of respect for. You see every year they are fighting for the honours and (coach) Brian Mac (McDermott) sold the club to me really well.
"When it came down to it, when I was coming back to England I was coming back to be happy. I just knew for a fact that I was at my happiest at Wigan and I've got a coach in Shaun Wane who I have been with since I was 16.
Leeds are a team that I've got a massive amount of respect for. You see every year they are fighting for the honours and (coach) Brian Mac (McDermott) sold the club to me really well.
"A lot of the players are the same and so, when it came to it, it was an easy decision."
On quitting the NRL early, Mossop added: "I'm one of maybe 10 English players who have gone there and I'm the only one who has come back after a year.
"It is a great place to be. I had my wife with me and she really struggled. She'd never left Wigan until we went to Australia.
"I wanted to test myself in a different club and a different competition but I had my injuries. That was the frustrating part. It was real tough. I saw some dark times.
"But I definitely think I've improved as a player because of it and as a person as well."
