How Tom Burgess went from a player on match payments to a club legend at the Rabbitohs – as decorated prop prepares for his final NRL game

The Burgess era at South Sydney comes to an end after 14 remarkable years as Tom leaves the Rabbitohs. It will be an emotional farewell for him and his good friend Damien Cook, who will be finishing their careers elsewhere.

It was in 2010 that Sam Burgess came to Australia and left a mark for the family, with Tom, George and Luke all wearing the famous cardinal and myrtle shirt over the years.

Sam had the most decorated career and is now in the NRL Hall of Fame, while George scored one of the most successful tries in the 2014 final. But Tom is the one who will be the club’s second most capped player before he moves to the English Super League next year.

The 32-year-old will be one game short of reaching the magical milestone of 250 games, but he never expected his career to last more than a few seasons after making the decision to head south.

“I don’t think many people know that I signed a 12-month contract at the beginning. It was minimum wage, I got match payments. I didn’t get any guarantees, I had to fight for it,” he revealed.

‘I’ve had really good guidance, I lived with Sam when I first moved here, he always had faith that if I worked hard and did the right things in training, good things would come and they did.

‘I put my head down, I didn’t expect too much, I just wanted to work hard first and hopefully good things would come from that. That’s what happened. I signed for two more years, then three, then three more, and then it went from there.

‘I never thought I would be standing here 12 years later with 248 games under my belt. I’m pleased with what’s happened in my career and I’m also looking forward to giving something back to the Super League where it all started.’

Burgess made his NRL debut for the Rabbitohs in 2013 and will finish with 249 appearances to his name (pictured, with wife Tahlia Giumelli)

Sam’s influence on the twins was great. Tom and George looked up to their older brother, who set the tone for what the family achieved. Their father encouraged him to leave for Australia before he died.

“He played a huge role, he was our coach and mentor, but also a brother and roommate when I first moved here,” Tom said of Sam.

‘He was huge, he always had the ability to get the best out of his players, but it also helped that he’s my brother and I lived with him, he was a massive part of my development when I came here.

‘He was a unique player and being able to learn from him was a hugely important part of my development.’

While there were plenty of highlights for the family – none bigger than the 2014 championship – they will never forget the night in 2013 when all four brothers were on the field at the same time during the round 25 victory over the Wests Tigers.

Sam was quickly eliminated from the competition, before he and Luke scored a try in the comeback victory that saw four brothers play for the same team for the first time in 103 years.

“For us it was like a dream,” Tom said.

“It happened in the first year. The coaching staff was really good then, they knew how much it meant to us, but it wasn’t going to be given to us. We knew we had to work hard, so when it happened it was surreal.

In 2013, all four Burgess brothers played together in a win over the Wests Tigers

“We had a big week that week, then Sam got thrown out of the sin bin in the game. I don’t know if we played together more than 10 times with injuries and things like that.

‘Looking back, they were great years that you only appreciate when you look back on them.’

Burgess will end his career at Huddersfield after signing a three-year deal earlier this season. However, he plans to return to Australia and South Sydney afterward. The Englishman is now considering joining the coaching staff.

“I’ve made it clear I’m going back to England but I’m absolutely coming back here,” he said ahead of his final game against the Roosters.

“I’m not going to close my shop in Australia. I’ve got my house in Cronulla and I’m pretty settled there. We’re going to rent it out and then definitely come back and maybe take up a role here at the club in a couple of years.”