James Graham says St Helens fans will be “sh*tting themselves” over Sam Burgess appointment

Warrington Wolves have shocked the world by replacing former Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers coach Daryl Powell with Sam Burgess.

A huge name, Burgess has now coaching experience as a Head Coach but though arrives as assistant of South Sydney Rabbitohs.

That was the club he made his name at after leaving Bradford Bulls at a young age.

He would become an icon for the Bunnies when he won the Man of the Match in the 2014 Grand Final win over Canterbury Bulldogs despite a broken cheekbone after a collision with St Helens legend James Graham.

Graham has now had his say on the appointment on The Bye Round podcast:

“Absolutely huge. I can’t understate just how big this is for the Super League to get one of the brightest up and coming coaches, an English coach as well.

“I just love this man’s drive. I spoke to him on the phone a couple of days ago, just as it, before it was announced and the drive in this person is insane in what Sam is willing to do.

“Let’s look back at his career. Came over here as a 20 year old, shows drive, shows ambition. Then he makes a name for himself here, dominates as a young English kid, which is incredibly difficult to do, wins the Grand Final.

“But before that, he backed himself to go to rugby union, not entirely sure what happened there, but he made the English test team from what I’m seeing. I thought he did really well. That’s drive, that’s ambition.

“Then he thinks, right, I’ve got to make it as a coach. Well, I’m just going to go around the assistant jobs or whatever but no, I’m gonna go and get my own team. He went and coached the Axe Men in group seven in Coffs Harbour, that’s drive and that’s ambition That’s willing to go above and beyond and then now he’s taken up this role at Warrington.”

He even said St Helens fans would be “sh**ting” themselves about it:

“For me as a St Helens fan, like I’m sh**ting myself because I hate Warrington and I’m really worried that he’s going to deliver them a premiership and St. Helens fans won’t be able to sing ‘It’s Always Your Year’ ay them anymore because it might actually be with him going there. So watch out for that.

“I’m delighted for him and I think he’ll go over there, be great for that experience. I don’t think it’ll be long before we see him in an NRL coaching position. It’s quite interesting to look at the contrast between a man like himself and Benji Marshall, who I consider a friend as well.

“His pathway to coaching, there’s not one pathway, there’s no cookie cutter approach, there’s different ways you can go to become an NRL coach. Sam’s taking on a big job over there, but he’s an ambitious person, this will not phase him.”