Warrington Wolves boss Sam Burgess has admitted that he had planned to win the Super League Grand Final in his first year, explaining that he had to come in and convey that attitude so that players would buy into the project.
The players have certainly bought in and it’s a project that’s not the same as it has been at times in the past at Warrington. Instead of spending big to build a Grand Final-winning squad, lots of effort has gone into the club’s youth systems and they are proving fruitful.
18-year-old half-back Ewan Irwin will play in the halves with George Williams on Saturday night, with Wire confident enough in his ability to allow last year’s mid-season signing Marc Sneyd leave the club.
Speaking at Tuesday’s Grand Final media event, Burgess was asked if he was satisfied to have been proven right in respect to the club’s focus on youth, to which he quipped: “Not really. I’m pretty satisfied to be here. I guess we’ll find out how satisfied I am on Saturday at about 8 o’clock.”
Speaking more on that trust in youth, he said: “I could see a lot of green shoots last year where we were going. I can be biased as well at times, so I do appreciate that but you’ve got to be able to believe it to do it.
“I believed in the club, I believed in the players we had, and I believed in the philosophy that we’ve got. I guess we’ve been very consistent all year without jumping out at anyone, which is a good sign.
“We’ve had a lot of challenges throughout the year, but we’ve managed them well as a club, which has been important. We find ourselves here last week of the year, and we’re looking forward to putting our best foot forward on Saturday.”
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Sam Burgess admits he expected Grand Final win in year one at Warrington Wolves
Managing those challenges has seen them move within 80 minutes of a Super League title, something that has escaped them so far despite making it to Old Trafford on four separate occasions.
Asked hypothetically if he would be pleasantly surprised that a Grand Final win had come within three years of being a head coach, Burgess admitted: “I don’t really like talking about the ifs and buts. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made as a club.”
He’d admit that winning on Saturday would be the ‘icing on the cake’, though it’s silverware that has come two years later than his ambitious expectations.
“If I’m being honest, I planned to do it my first year. That was my goal,” Burgess explained, with Warrington falling short at the semi-final stage to Hull KR that year.
“Then the second year was disappointing and then, obviously, it makes the third year a bit more enjoyable. That’s the way I thought, I wanted to come in and do it in the first year. I feel like you have to live in that place otherwise the players will sense it.”
The players have clearly sensed his hunger and desire this year and he’s explained that the goal now turns to now harnessing a fresh identity as a club that have won the biggest prize and can continue to do so.
He explained: “It’s never a project in terms of taking time to win one but the project is, over time, creating an identity that lasts forever. I’m not saying there wasn’t one beforehand but I want something that stands strong, even when there’s a storm – to still stay calm and remember who we are as a town, what we stand for.”
