- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
On February 17, my heart broke. News came through that Sam Burgess was to depart at the end of the season and return to the land of tea, the Duchess of Cambridge and Geordie Shore.
I braced myself for the inevitable backlash- the cries of “sell-out”, the accusations of greed and disloyalty. At the next Rabbitohs home game I waited for the jeers, the banners and the disgruntled sighs when he took to the field in red and green.
But none came.
At first, I was somewhat annoyed. Did no one else care that one of the greatest players in the modern game was fleeing from the NRL to join some rugby union team in Bath?
To me, Sam Burgess marked a shift in culture at the Rabbitohs. Sure, he wasn’t there when good old Rusty took over. But it was a huge moment in the club’s history when Sammy B chose to call Redfern home instead of Brookvale.
It wasn’t very long ago that Souths were considered to be a retirement home for players who were past their prime and needed to be put to pasture.
Signing Sam meant that the Rabbitohs took a place on the international stage. A certain Russell Crowe as the club’s owner was the subject of American talk shows, but Sam was a big buy and a man that was on the radar of those who knew their stuff in sport.
Not only that, but his brothers Luke, Tom and George also made the move and are now a part of one of the most revered packs in league history. And the fact that four brothers hadn’t taken to the field together for the same team since 1910 indicates how rare a moment this was.
I then realised that the reason fans seemed more relaxed about Sam’s departure was because loyalty has become an estranged concept in rugby league.
Fans cannot afford to be loyal to the face, but only the jersey running around on the field.
Since that incident in 2008 when Sonny Bill Williams fled the country midseason, sans-notice and yada yada yada, the average rugby league fan was rather cranky, but for some Bulldogs fans, it was completely devastating.
The fact that Burgo has been open with his decision to move – and has really stepped up his game since this all came out – has made it hard for the supporters to hold any grudges.
So while it won’t be the same after five years of Sam Burgess donning the Cardinal and Myrtle, I just want to wish him the best of luck in the future. As long as George Burgess stays here, that is.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.