Sam Burgess to use experiences in rugby and life to shape Warrington style
SAM Burgess has done his looking back now he is living in the UK again – now he is only looking forward as Warrington eye finally justifying the hype.
The dual code star ended 14 years in Sydney – barring a brief stint in rugby union – for life as a coach back in Super League.
Already ticked off are re-visiting where he grew up in West Yorkshire and amateur club Dewsbury Moor. Now to try and end the Wolves’ 69-year title drought.
And what he went through both on and off the field – the glory, the dark days, the cheers and the tears – will shape the way he works.
A reminder of why he is now a coach and not a player at South Sydney also contributed.
Burgess said: “I know I’m 35-years-old but from 15 to 35, the last 20 years, there’s been a lot crammed in. The good, bad and the ugly.
“I’ve been right at the top, right at the bottom and been in the middle for a long time. I’ve got a lot of experience in terms of life experience and you learn a lot about yourself in those moments.
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“I can share a lot of it, it’s helped me stay calm. I don’t get too high or too low. Every bit of experience I’ve gathered over the last 20 years has shaped the way I will coach.
“I’ve been to Leeds, seen my old street – I’ve not been to my old school yet but I’ve been to both my old clubs and had a look around. It’s quite nostalgic going back.
“I realised last year that I’m retired now, it took me three years to figure that out. I coached in the country leagues in Australia and almost played there, which would have been a huge mistake.
“I trained a bit at Souths and thought I could handle it reasonably well but I jumped in the centres and tore my hamstring – that was the moment I realised it was time to stop and start focussing on coaching.
“I love the game so much, I’ve been obsessed with it from birth to now, so giving it up was never easy – but coaching is the next best thing.
“It happened quickly but I don’t mind that, I like being thrown in at the deep end. I’m really enjoying what we’ve done already and looking forward to what’s coming.
“There’ll be plenty of ups and downs this year but you’ve got to manage that. I don’t know everything, but I know about team balance and I’ll definitely do it different to most.”
One thing Burgess is certainly not at Warrington for is the money. After conquering the NRL as a player, ending Souths’ 43-year drought in 2014, this is all about coming out on top as a coach.
He added: “I didn’t know if I’d come back here ever, so it’s funny how things work out.
“There are a lot of sliding doors moments in a career and this was one – things weren’t working out at Souths, this came up and it all fell into place very quickly – pretty much in a week.
“When I finished rugby union, I nearly stayed for a year. But I left to go back to Australia, so that would have been doing it for the wrong reasons, it would have been a choice based around money.
“I’ve learned that if you make a choice around money you end up paying for it in the long run. I ignored the money and went back.
“I didn’t ever think about coming back, I was really happy but this is a great opportunity. I’ve not regretted it one bit.
“And there are a lot of parallels between Warrington and Souths when I went there.
“Having that experience in breaking that drought as a player will help us on this path here. All the things I’ve done will help shape the way I coach but I’ve got to do it now.”
Burgess ended a 14-year stint in Australia, fiancée Lucy Graham’s was rather shorter but swapping a Sydney summer for a Warrington winter is not that much of an issue.
Burgess continued: “We were dreading the weather. We had two months in Sydney before coming here and were on the beach every day.
“You dread the change but after the first week, you just get on with it, right? You adapt like all humans do and I’ve actually enjoyed it.
“When it’s been minus seven and we can’t train on the pitch because it’s like a car park, you don’t enjoy that but we’ve embraced the whole change in lifestyle.
“Lucy is great, she’ll go wherever, she likes the adventure. She likes the spontaneity of the world we live in so she’s happy.”