Sam Burgess was a surprise appointment, but he has had a stellar first season at Warrington Wolves hi. The Englishman has now revealed how he landed the job.
After Daryl Powell was sacked following his seventh consecutive loss and Warrington’s slide down the Super League table, the club began their head coach search in Australia.
It was assumed they found Sam Burgess there, but Burgess revealed that he actually approached Warrington, not the other way around. Speaking after his new one-year contract extension, which keeps him at the club until the end of the 2026 season, Burgess told Eddie Hemmings on Hemmings’ podcast that he reached out to Warrington’s owner, Simon Moran.
“I rang Simon Moran. I rang Simon and told him I could help the club. I believed I could break the drought,” Burgess explained.
That drought is Warrington’s 69-year wait for a league title, despite reaching four Super League Grand Finals.
Burgess’ name emerged early on as a contender for the job, alongside Justin Holbrook. However, Warrington went with Burgess, and the decision was made quickly after he texted Moran.
“I don’t know if he took me seriously at first, but the next day I sent him another message and told him I was serious,” Burgess explained on The Eddie and Stevo Podcast. “I knew it was a long shot because I’m a young coach and my coaching credentials weren’t well-known, but I believed I could connect with the playing group. We had a formal interview, and it moved quickly.
“No one had to sell me on Warrington; I knew about the club and had known Simon for about 10-15 years. I know how passionate he is about the club, so I called him directly, and that’s where it started.”
Two weeks after landing the Warrington Wolves job, Burgess left his role with South Sydney Rabbitohs. Now, Warrington face the London Broncos this weekend, with Burgess’ side aiming to get back to winning ways after losing to Hull KR on Friday.
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