Sam Burgess bidding to ‘change the course of Warrington Wolves history’

Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess says his side are “ready to compete” with Super League’s elite teams, ahead of their play-off game against St Helens.

Since Burgess was took charge ahead of the current campaign, he seems to have turned the side into genuine contenders, with the Wolves becoming tough to beat.

They made it to a Challenge Cup final against Wigan Warriors, where they seemed overawed by the occasion, but they have since picked off many of the league’s very best; most notably in defeating Wigan Warriors 40-4 in July.

Now, they have an home eliminator clash against St Helens, a side they defeated 16-2 earlier this month.

Sam Burgess – Warrington Wolves “ready to compete” for Super League glory

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of this fixture, Burgess said: “We are trying to change the course of history with a few things, but it has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get here.

“We have taken a step forward. It all comes down to moments. Moments will define who wins the league in the next few weeks and our guys are ready for the moment.”

He pointed to their defence as a key improvement, saying: “We haven’t conceded any points (tries) through the last three games which is a great feat and will stand us in good stead.

“It was the number one stat that I wanted to change at the club when I arrived here, a change of mindset and a change of application to that, a bit of an attitude thing.

“To win the competition, you have to have great defence so hopefully that has us in good order and we have a great defensive display on Saturday afternoon.”

Adding to this, he explained how he tried to sort the Warrington Wolves mentality, saying: “We have made a conscious effort to change our mindset and attitude and the players who haven’t done that have moved on.

“The change to that requires absolute commitment from each player.”

With his team potentially just two games away from a Grand Final, every game is now do-or-die, and Burgess concluded: “They are ready to compete at this level.

“They have shown that over the last 31 weeks. Our biggest losing margin has been 10 points, so we have never been away from a game.

“The guys are ready, they have been performing, so nothing changes for us.”