First posted on PATREON and SUBSTACK
BY JOHN DAVIDSON
IT’S AN enduring image that none who were lucky enough to be there, or who watched on the box, will ever forget. Sam Burgess, with a broken cheekbone and black eye, in tears on the field as South Sydney finally broke their 43-year premiership drought.
Back in 2014 when Burgess’ Bunnies met Canterbury-Bankstown in the NRL grand final. When the fairytale finally came true, when Souths – once known as ‘the pride of the league ‘- finally returned to the winners circle after so many decades of hurt, pain, and rejection.
And Burgess did it the hard way, both physically and mentally.
In the first carry of the match his face was split by the giant melon of his good mate, and fellow Pom, James Graham. But Burgess battled on, refusing to leave the pitch, and bravely led his teammates to glory.
It was a historical moment, and one that almost seemed destined when the Bradford Bulls enforcer swapped the motherland for the colonies in 2010. That night at ANZ Stadium was when Burgess wrote his name in history, when he reenacted John Sutton’s own iconic grand final moment of years gone by with a broken jaw, and seemed to do the impossible.
Russell Crowe once coined Burgess as the “Sparkly Eyed Man”, and there has always been something Hollywood, something special, something unique about the man from Liversidge.
Destined for greatness.
It hasn’t been all plain sailing for the former NRL great, far from it, with a rollercoaster life and career in both hemispheres, and more than his share of controversy. But 12 years on from that famous night in the Harbour City and history beckons once again.
This time it is at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United.
In 2014 Sam Burgess led the Bunnies to their first grand final since 1970, and his first as a professional player. Tomorrow the 37-year-old leads Warrington to their first grand final since 2018, and his first as a professional coach.
The parallels between the Wolves and Souths, the Wire and the Rabbitohs, are strong.
Warrington haven’t won a premiership since 1955, back when Gerry Helme, Brian Bevan and Harry Bath were the stars. Back when the Warsaw Pact was signed and Winston Churchill resigned as Prime Minister.
Like Souths, Warrington are a proud club with a long history. The Wire go back to 1876, while the Bunnies are a foundation club established in Australia in 1908. The supporters of both clubs have experienced the pain of prolonged disappointment, of struggle and heartache. The two have also shared many players over the years as well, whether it be Roy Asotasi, Matt King, Jason Clark, Darren Burns, Bryson Goodwin and many others.
Now they share Samuel Burgess. Once a star and am assistant coach at South Sydney, and now the head coach of Warrington.
When the forward was forced into retirement early through injury in 2019, many predicted a great coaching career ahead of him. That his on-field presence and aura would transfer to the bench.
“What he has in his favour is a presence and a stubborn will to succeed,” ex-Great Britain international Brian Carney told The i Paper in 2024.
“Can he buy time through his force of personality to improve as a coach while also improving an underachieving side? Well if that’s the challenge it won’t be the biggest he’s faced in his life and overcome.”
It hasn’t been easy for the son of a former Rochdale, Dewsbury and Hunsletplayer. Let go by the Bunnies as an assistant, he started strongly at first at the Wolves in 2024, getting them to the Challenge Cup final and into the Super League semi-finals. They reached Wembley again the following year, but again couldn’t get the result. Then things at the Halliwell Jones Stadium fell apart, and Warrington missed the playoffs in 2025. The squad was unsettled and fans were livid.
Burgess was close to getting sacked.
This year, the Wolves quietly rebuilt, recruited well and flew under the radar. They finished third in the league, ending the regular campaign with seven wins from their last eight matches. They will arrive at Old Trafford having knocked off Hull KR and then Leeds in the space of a fortnight.
Under Burgess, Warrington have steel, grit and determination. They have blooded young players, and have a game-plan based around hard work, physicality and toughness. An image more in tune with their rookie mentor.
Now they have a date with destiny, a fixture against Wakefield, with the chance to break a 71-year drought.
“It was one of the most appetising things about the job – I’d be lying if I wasn’t very interested in breaking the drought when I took the job,” Burgess said this week.
“Without saying too much, there’s a lot of similarities [with Souths]. It’s not been won here for 71 years and we’re aware of that, but it’s exciting.
“As a player at Souths, we lost the prelims in 2012 and 2013 before we won it in 2014, and I feel all of that talk of drought and expectations weighed heavy.
“It’s not heavy on us, because we’ve kept it that way. It’s more about this new group creating our own bit of history rather than being weighed down by the past.
“From my point of view, since I arrived at the club it’s been about trying to create a new identity and trying to build something that lasts a long time.
“The emotion and everything else is a thing we’re in control of and we’ve managed it well all year.
“We’ve played in a few big games over the last few years, so we have experience but we’ve matured as a group and a club. Whether it counts for much on Saturday, we’ll see.”
Now with Warrington, Burgess has the opportunity to make history again. To break another huge drought. To do something special, something unforgettable.
Their oppontents, Wakefield Trinity, of course have their own proud history and their own long drought to end. One of This Sporting Life, of Don Fox, Neil Fox and Geoff Oakes. It is fairytale for the Trin as well.
Tomorrow all eyes will be on Old Trafford to see which streak, which run, finally and dramatically comes to a close. It promises to be an occasion for the ages.
