Warrington Wolves have their issues but Sam Burgess is ready to lead

10 September 2023 , 09:08

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England's Sam Burgess after the 2017 World Cup semi-final win over Tonga (Image: Getty Images)

It's going to be interesting to see if Warrington Wolves can make the play-offs - and perhaps even still make a push for Super League.

But one thing is for certain, Sam Burgess is a great appointment as their next head coach. After being an assistant at South Sydney, he is probably now ready for a head coach’s role. He’s had one before, albeit in the lower Aussie leagues, but I do believe he has everything needed to be a good boss. Presence is absolutely key as is personality and Sam has both. But also you need the ability to inspire and he has that by the bucketload. We saw it when he was a player and it will be the same as a head coach.

The way Sam acts, conducts himself and speaks is inspiring but he also has a very good knowledge of the game: he is high in rugby league IQ. What he does lack is experience but the only way of sorting that is by, yes, getting experience. The head coach role is always different to the assistant but I’m sure Sam will prosper. From my experience of playing alongside Sam, what always stood out was his honesty.

I’ve seen plenty of super-talented players but they have not always had the standards of people like Sam. He demands them. When they look at themselves in the mirror, things don’t always hold up. But with Sam, it wasn’t only his physical stature and presence, he went out and delivered on his words and actions.

That will help him as a coach: I know he won’t compromise. He’ll set high standards and won’t compromise on that. He lives and breathes rugby league, been there and done it. He’s coming in for 2024 but could Warrington still do something in 2023? They need to beat Salford on Sunday first-up. That will go a long way to seeing them into the play-offs, at least.

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But, for all they were Super League leaders early on, they are a real long shot to do something now. They must find some defensive steel. At this time of year, heading into the play-offs and wanting to win a Grand Final, that’s what you must have. It’s time to see it from Warrington. And so far we haven’t.

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Jamie Peacock