The last of the “Burgi” are poised to disappear from the Sydney scene.
Tom Burgess, one-quarter of the famous footballing family, has confirmed this will be his last season in the NRL before finishing his career in England. His departure will bring an end to a sibling story that is pure Hollywood, one that began when South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe prised Sam Burgess from Super League battlers Bradford in 2010.
Before long, siblings Tom, Luke and George also made their way to Redfern, where their exploits on and off the field have filled countless news pages. Perhaps appropriately, George has embarked on an acting career.
Their remarkable journey, which culminated in the quartet playing together in the Rabbitohs’ drought-breaking 2014 grand final victory, is about to come to an end. Tom’s next stop is Huddersfield, where Sam is the head coach.
Tom’s departure, just a year after Sam left after an apparent fallout with some powerbrokers at Souths, will leave a void not only in the Rabbitohs roster but also the harbour city. These were big men with big personalities. Dubbed the “Burgi”, the quartet has provided fodder for the sporting press and gossip gatherers in equal measure, as their triumphs on the field and missteps off it titillated the masses.
Sam, in particular, kept the scribes busy. He was Crowe’s “sparkly eyed man”, who played through the pain of a horrific facial injury in the 2014 decider to etch himself into rugby league folklore. Told by the club doctor he could lose one of those sparkly eyes should he play on, Sam returned to the fold and was later awarded the Clive Churchill Medal. On that same night, George scored one of the great solo tries, sealing a win he was able to share with his sibling teammates.
Even before he had arrived in Sydney, Sam had captured the public’s imagination. The forward had represented his country, saved a life using the Heimlich manoeuvre and watched helplessly as another – that of his father – was lost to a cruel degenerative disease, all while in his teens.
Before long, Sam became the NRL’s premier forward and his brothers soon reached a standard that made them automatic selections beside him at South Sydney. Between them, they have made 638 NRL appearances, as great a contribution as any footballing family.