First domino falls in possible Tom Burgess switch to Super League

For much of the past two seasons Tom Burgess has been linked with a  move to Super League, both Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors have been named as possible destinations, but a switch could now be closer with Burgess’ ‘successor’ being brought in by South Sydney Rabbitohs.

At one point the Bunnies boasted a squad featuring all four Burgess brothers, famously taking to the field all at once and with all but Luke starring in the 2014 Grand Final win. However these days just Tom remains with the Rabbitohs, yet that could be coming to a close too.

Burgess’ contract expires at the end of the upcoming 2024 season but teams are free to approach and speak with him following the passing of the November 1st deadline, given that he has less than a year left on his current deal.

As he highlighted during England’s successful series win over Tonga he’s still dominant on the field and would be a coup for any NRL team, not least a Super League team which he’s been so consistently linked with.

Despite his current dominance he’s set to turn 32 in the upcoming season and with over 200 NRL games on the clock he’s certainly closer to the end of his career than the start. That’s why his Rabbitohs side have made a move for what they could view as the Englishman’s ‘successor’, as per Wide World of Sports.

The Mole, reporting for WWOS, has reported that the Bunnies have signed 19-year-old Jason Hallie, a New Zealand-born prop who is expected to push on and do big things in the sport.

Hallie has been playing against men in Cairns’ A-Grade competition during both the 2022 and 20223 season and is highly regarded in the state, but he’s now swapped Cairns for Sydney as he links up with the Rabbitohs.

The Mole even previews Hallie as the man who: “could well develop into the successor to Tom Burgess as the Rabbitohs’ main go-forward man in coming years.”

With brother Sam now in England coaching Warrington Wolves there’s an obvious link for if Tom would want to finish his career in England, but that could be along the line given the young age of Hallie who the Rabbitohs may view as a long term project.

Even so Burgess and Super League links will continue given his brother’s involvement at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and based on the comments Tom made post World Cup in 2022, expressing a desire to play for Leeds Rhinos.

Burgess is set for a record-breaking season with South Sydney as he’ll likely become the man to make the second-most appearances for the club, surpassing Brisbane Broncos’ Adam Reynolds who made 231 appearances, with Burgess just behind on an incredible 225.