ZAK Hardaker is determined to show how much he is a changed man after earning the Great Britain call-up even he did not expect.
There will be no drinking all the way home from Australia for a start!
The Wigan full-back is in line for his first international appearance since playing for England against Samoa in May 2017 – he has served a drugs ban since then.
But the days of being a hellraiser are well and truly over. Being in bed at 7.30pm while the Warriors were on their ‘Mad Monday’ end of season celebration illustrated that.
However, he did reveal just how ‘old Zak’ got over his last Test in Sydney.
“In 2017, I finished the game and I think I drank for three days solid afterwards,” Hardaker recalled.
“It wasn’t just me, there were about 13 other lads. We went straight through drinking – drinking on the plane, then drinking when we got home.
“We started in Sydney and finished in Manchester. I went straight through – drank in Sydney, drank to the airport, free drinks in the airport then on the 24-hour flight back home.
“Some of the lads even went into Manchester straight after landing!
“But that’s not what I’d do now. It’s always a work in progress, it still will be when I’m 80-years-old.
“I’ve had a drink this year but it’s not been a big deal. I’ve not been getting home at 6am or anything. It’s been about choosing the right time or right place.
“I’ve just been really clued up. I’ve now got all the tools to make sure I’m all right – I’ve probably had two nights out all year and I’ve been home at 12.
“On Mad Monday, I was in bed at 7.30pm. That was a first for me for 10 years, there’s a bit of a switch in the back of my head now.
“I’ve not been that person who is chugging drinks back all year. There’s nothing to worry about with me.”
Hardaker, 27, served a 14-month suspension after testing positive for cocaine in 2017 while at Castleford and after restarting at Wigan, he was left out of every international party until the Britain squad was named on Monday.
He appeared to be so out of the picture, he thought of joining up with his dad’s 50th birthday celebrations in Cape Verde but was warned by football manager Jamie Peacock to keep his options open.
Now he is travelling to New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, he is determined to repay the faith and is prepared to pass on what could happen if anyone falls out of line to team-mates touring for the first time.
Hardaker added: “I got a phone call to say, ‘Don’t book anything.’ Jamie just said, ‘Don’t book a holiday.’ I didn’t know.
“After not being picked in squads throughout the year, I just generally thought I wouldn’t make it and I’ll be chilling.
“I’d have been pretty disappointed if the feeling from England was I’d blotted my copybook because of the drugs ban but with Great Britain, maybe it was because I’d had a slow start. I was comfortable with not getting chosen.
“Through my experiences on and off the pitch, good and bad, I’m equipped with knowledge and maybe advice if anyone wants to talk to me.
“I’d like to think I’m a comfortable guy to talk to. I’ve toured with England before and Wayne Bennett’s good with things like that. If you’re not playing he likes you to go out and not be cooped up in your room stressing about it.”
