Settling in at Salford

Goodbye Good Coast... hello Salford

By Julian Shea

If asked to pick their dream honeymoon destination, many couples would probably choose somewhere like the Caribbean, the Seychelles, Canary Islands or Tuscany.

But a week after their New Year's Eve wedding in the sunshine of Australia's Gold Coast, Mark Henry and wife Jade headed for a new life in Salford.

Coming from the sweltering humidity of Cairns, the couple's first sight of their home for the next two years left them in no doubt they were somewhere very different.

"When we came here, it was snowing!" new Reds signing Henry tells BBC Sport. "It was pretty. I think that took our focus off how cold it was - and that was probably not a bad thing."

Once they had landed, the Henrys faced the challenges of establishing their entire lives in a country neither had visited before.

Myself, Ray Cashmere, Luke Swain, Jeremy Smith and Jon Wilshere all live in the same apartments, so it's a bit like Ramsey Street Mark Henry

"I've moved around a bit in Australia for footy, so I've packed up and moved before, but obviously not to this scale," says Henry, who has joined Salford from North Queensland Cowboys.

"Organising things like your phone and internet and a bank account has been very different to back home."

Henry says the club have done their best to help, with Ian Watson and Steve Simms ensuring they had somewhere to move into and food in the larder.

And if the couple need any reminders of home, they only need to open their front door.

"Where we're staying, myself, Ray Cashmere, Luke Swain, Jeremy Smith and Jon Wilshere all live in the same apartments, so it's a bit like Ramsey Street," says Henry.

"We had a rissole-making contest the other day and we got Shaun McRae, the coach, to come and taste them and then pick the winner."

As someone who is in his third stint coaching in Britain, fellow Australian McRae knows all about the problems players can encounter when they relocate to a new country.

Henry and his wife, Jade, had not been to England before

"There's a lot of upheaval which you wouldn't know if you've not done it," he says. "Even the way central heating works in the houses is different. Some of the road rules are different, some players have never seen snow before or never driven on on slippery roads.

"These are things that people take for granted and which seem mundane but can be big things in the overall picture."

McRae says he has never suffered from homesickness himself and does everything in his power to ensure that players are spared any unpleasant surprises when they arrive.

"I don't try to sell a club, I tell them the truth," he says.

"Selling sometimes means exaggerating, but I try to play things down. I try to compare areas and say 'you're not going to get waves rolling in on the beach as you watch the sun set' etc.

"I paint the picture about the bleak, dim, dark months at the start. But then I tell them about the longer days when the clocks go forward and we talk about those sort of things.

"I also talk about what they want and what I can help them achieve as a coach. My job isn't to sell someone a house or a car but to paint a picture and not have them come back later in the year and says 'you didn't tell me this'."

But sometimes there's nothing a coach can do if a player is unhappy.

"I don't necessarily look out for signs of homesickness among players, but if it's there, it finds you pretty quickly," he says.

"I had a player last season who came round to see me and asked me about it. I said I didn't understand it as I've never had it, but he said he was starting to feel like he'd got it.

You're here because it's your choice, and you're here to do a job. No-one's holding a gun to your head. That's the philosophy I try to instil in the players. Shaun McRae

"He spoke about it like it was a disease, and the longer he went on, the more I realised that it was.

"He ended up going home. He couldn't be away from family any longer. He didn't have a problem with the club, the country or his team-mates, he just felt he needed to be closer to his family."

The environment of professional sport can help players to settle in two ways. Firstly, they are immediately thrown into a team environment. Secondly, they often see familiar faces on opposing sides who keep them in touch with home.

But McRae admits that, in the depths of the northern hemisphere winter, the sight of southern sun does tug at the heart strings.

"We all go through periods where it's a bit wet and gloomy, and you don't see the sun for days," he says. "Then you see the cricket from Sydney or Melbourne on television and see the weather.

"That's not homesickness, it's just a reminder of what you could have, but you should be grateful for what you have here.

"You're here because it's your choice, and you're here to do a job. No-one's holding a gun to your head. That's the philosophy I try to instil in the players.

"It's easier with single players. With a wife or partner or kids it can be very difficult, but there's a lot of positives.

McRae - a big fan of Wishere's rissole

"It's a way to see part of the world you've never seen. The same goes for your friends and family. It gives them a reason to travel and see the sights, so there are many pluses."

The Henrys are certainly keen to make the most of their time in Britain - and once their internet connection is established, they can start to make travel plans for exploring Europe.

Until then, they have rissole-making contests to keep themselves entertained.

"I had a sample of each one and Jon Wilshere won," reveals McRae.

"His appealed to me the most. I didn't know whose was whose, they were just numbered. I gave them a little critique and Jon was delighted.

"I didn't stay and have dinner with them, but they demolished the remainder. I think it was just one of those things where players decided to get competitive. I think it helps with bonding and team spirit. They were all edible, I can tell you that."