Big Jim Mills hails catalyst for glory years

Dec 18 2008 by Dave Bettley, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

ANOTHER of Vince Karalius’s inspired signings, Jim Mills, believes the great man will be sorely missed.

Mills said: “I was very close to Vinny and still spoke to him every few weeks.

“He would have been a great player in any era and I know he used to run to St Helens and back for training in his early days from Widnes, which not many other players would do!

“Vinny was before his time, as although today’s players look after themselves and keep fit, he was doing that 40 years ago.

“He was very sad when Widnes didn’t make it into the Super League this year and, like everyone else, he believed that they should have been in it because of the club’s great history and he was really the catalyst for all that success.”

Terry ‘Tucker’ Karalius, who also played at Widnes under the stewardship of his uncle and now continues to run the family scrap metal business, said: “I was lucky enough to play under some great managers like Doug Laughton and Frank Myler and my Uncle Vince was up there.

“There was just something about his training that brought the best out of you and he turned a mediocre team into a great one.”

Vikings’ player performance manager John Foran played under Karalius at both Widnes and Wigan.

He said: “He was like the Bill Shankly of rugby league. Before he came, Widnes was going nowhere as a rugby team and he changed the whole ethos of the club.

“His influence lasted for more than 20 years because when he left, he’d put structures in place. Frank Myler took over and carried on winning and Laughton did the same. From 1972 to 1993, we were a very successful club.

“He was an inspirational figure. He hadn’t had any coaching experience when he took over Widnes but he just put into plan everything he did when he was a player.”

Karalius’s first ever club, West Bank Bears, will now honour the former Widnes and Great Britain number 13.

Club secretary Paul Farrell said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be able to say that a player of Vince Karalius’s stature began playing at our club.

“We had intended to invite him to come and officially open our new clubhouse next year, but now instead we will rename one of our end-of-season awards after him.

“Vinty’s great nephew Ben Karalius signed for St Helens this year from West Bank.”

Send us your memories, stories and reminiscences about Vince. Readers can leave their own tributes at www.runcornweeklynews.co.uk

Widnes Vikings’ Co-operative Championship opener at home to Toulouse has been brought forward to Thursday, March 12 for ‘live’ coverage on Sky Sports.

Also rescheduled for Thursday evenings for the same reason are the away games against Halifax (now March 19), Whitehaven (May 7) and Leigh (May 14).