Luckily, for him and the Dragons faithful, he’s produced far more good performances than poor ones; by a fair margin to boot.

Still, it’s a heavy week-to-week burden to carry but, after all, it’s what prompted him to move away from the anonymity of Melbourne three years ago to make his own mark.

That pressure has only heightened this season with the c next to his name each week. Add the fact that Ben Creagh hasn’t played since round three and Benji Marshall has missed more than half the Dragons games and the leadership screws tighten that little bit more.

It’s also seen a lot of the finger-pointing for the Dragons attacking woes directed at the skipper, for the first time in his career but, 11 weeks into the new gig, Widdop is still enjoying the responsibility.

“It’s certainly been an inconsistent year from the team so far and as captain you probably take it a bit more personally because you put a lot of responsibility on yourself,” Widdop said.

“You expect that to happen but probably not as much as you actually do. That’s another learning curve you just have to get through. 

“When you’re a half and the teams not playing well you’re going to get criticised anyway. That’s just the way it is and that’s the way it’s been forever. When you’ve got the c next to your name even more so. 

Anyone getting criticised you take it to heart a little bit because you want to be better. When everything’s aimed at yourself...people handle it differently but the best thing for me was just to respond and play my role in the team.

“I think early on I probably was worrying about everyone else making sure they were alright rather than worrying about myself.

“At the end of the day I’ve just got to do my job for the team and if I’m doing that that allows everyone else to do theirs.

“I said from day one it was going to be a big learning experience but it’s something I really enjoy.”

With the Dragons anything but finals certainties this year, a win over a Cowboys outfit minus five Origin stars at home is an absolute must on Saturday.

With the Cowboys star halves missing, Widdop knows the onus will fall on he and Marhall to get the Dragons home. 

“They’ve lost a lot of experience, a lot of their key players so for us as play-makers we need to direct the team around,’ Widdop said.

“Whoever they put in they’re going to do a good job and they’ll be enthusiastic because a lot of them haven’t played this year so we’re going to need to turn up with the right attitude.

“We are playing good football at times, we’re right in the games, our starts have been good we’ve just been dropping off. You look at the top teams they play for 80 minutes, that’s why they’re at the top.

“It’s those little things that have hurt us in those fade-outs and we need to be better and do those things for 80 minutes. This week we’ve got an opportunity at home heading into a bye so it’s a four-point game for us.”