Tom Burgess talks Huddersfield Giants potential, retirement, Sam Burgess and his new role

Star recruit Tom Burgess has revealed how close he believes Huddersfield Giants are to being successful in 2025.

The former South Sydney Rabbitohs prop has also spoken about his return to England after 12 years away, his desire to be a leader in Giants’ pack and thoughts on facing brother Sam’s team in his Super League debut for Huddersfield.

An established front-rower at Test level, with almost 250 NRL appearances under his belt, Burgess is a statement signing by Giants after their ninth-placed finish last season – and he insists they are capable of winning trophies during the three years of his contract.

“There’s definitely potential here,” he told Serious About Rugby League. “We’ve got a good stadium and we were in the Challenge Cup final two years ago.

“We are not that far off, we just need to get a few things more consistent and hopefully I can help in that aspect.”

At 32 – and with 29 England caps to his name – Burgess is now in the senior player bracket and that’s something he relishes.

“As you get older you go into that role naturally,” he said. “I suppose I am one of the senior players now and I will try to pass the experience I’ve got from my years of playing in Australia on to the players here. I am enjoying getting to know the boys and getting among it.”

Having begun his career with Bradford Bulls and spent more than a decade at South Sydney, Burgess confirmed the move to Giants will be the last of his playing career.

“I am happy to do the three years here,” he vowed. “I didn’t just want to do one year or two, I wanted to come here and have a really good go at it. I just want to get into it now.”

The first time Burgess comes up against his older brother – and ex-Rabbitohs teammate – Sam, who is coach of Warrington Wolves, will be a headline grabber. And, almost inevitably, it will happen in round one.

It’s a tough start for Huddersfield Giants and a big one for Tom on a personal level. “Sam did a really good job with Warrington last year, as I knew he would – taking them to the Challenge Cup final and also they were one game away from the Grand Final,” he said .

“They are going to be another threat this year and we are going to have to be good first game up. I’ve told him already we owe them from last year, when they knocked us out of the Challenge Cup. It will be a bit of fun, but at the end of the day it is just another game and we’ll try to hit the ground running.”

The most recent of the new Giants man’s 42 Super League appearances was way back in 2012 and he admits he won’t know much the competition has changed until that first game comes along in mid-February.

“I’ll have to make that call when I start playing,” Burgess said. “It is hard to really get a gauge of it from watching, but I am looking forward to getting started.

“It is definitely not a step down; you are still putting your body on the line every week and having to tackle big men.

“There are different styles of play, for sure. It is a little bit different to the NRL in terms of the speed of the ruck and that sort of thing, but it is definitely not easy.

“The training has definitely not been easier, pre-season here has been very similar. Everyone’s doing similar things now in terms of training and fitness and strength, so it’s all along the same sort of lines. It doesn’t get any easier.”

Of how he is settling into life back in England, he added:  “It has been a while for me, so it is a different period in my life now, coming back with a wife and three kids and the things that go along with that. I’m getting all that sorted now and it has been a nice refreshing change.”

Even the weather hasn’t left Burgess pining for Sydney. “It was a novelty, the snow,” he said of last month’s cold snap.

“The girls loved it so that was fine. The constant rain, maybe, isn’t so good. I know I am probably going to end up back in Australia at some point, but I’ve just got to embrace it and enjoy what I am doing.”