NRL star Sam Burgess reveals he got into fist fight with giant South Sydney teammate Dave Taylor
Footy great Sam Burgess reveals he got into a FIST-FIGHT with teammate Dave Taylor – and says the giant known as ‘Coal Train’ ‘didn’t throw too many punches back’
- Sam Burgess had a fistfight with Dave Taylor
- He revealed that Taylor wasn’t throwing many punches back
- Burgess said an emotional goodbye to Redfern Oval
South Sydney legend Sam Burgess has revealed he once traded punches with towering former teammate Dave Taylor at Redfern Oval, as fans gathered to say goodbye to the inner city on Wednesday.
Burgess, who played 182 NRL games for the Rabbitohs and 24 Tests for England, bid an emotional farewell to the famous ground with fellow club legends and hundreds of Souths fans.
The team will move to their new $58 million base in Maroubra, the Heffron Community & High Performance Center.
It was a moving experience for Burgess, who remembered the thousands of hours he spent in the park, in the gym under the stands – and even his previously secret relationship with Taylor.
“He didn’t hit back much,” Burgess revealed to the The Sydney Morning Herald.
South Sydney legend Sam Burgess’s fistfight with ex-teammate Dave Taylor was a secret – until the England great (pictured) spilled the beans at Redfern Oval’s farewell
Known to many as ‘Coal Train’, Dave Taylor (pictured) was one of the most dangerous and feared forwards in the NRL, playing 63 games for the Souths, as well as stints with the Broncos, Titans and Raiders
Known to many as ‘Coal Train’, Taylor was one of the most dangerous and feared forwards in the NRL, playing 63 games in three seasons with the Souths, as well as stints with the Broncos, Titans and Raiders.
The man mountain retired in 2017 but returned to the footy field in 2021 for a charity match for the Central Queensland Highlands All Stars and showed he still possesses his signature ball skills.
His playing weight was at the peak of his abilities at 124 kg.
Burgess said one of his lasting memories of Redfern Oval was receiving an incredible gesture from club owner Russell Crowe for a trial match, having just left his home in England.
‘I can never get enough of that view [to the north of the oval]. And on the other side I was with Russell,” he said.
“He gave me a membership card for my father [Mark, who died when Sam was 18]including a few lines my dad used to tell me before a game.
“Russell has given me the card every year since 2010. Dad’s chair is in the stands next to Russell’s chair.
“I remember bursting into tears. He totally caught me off guard.’
Burgess, who retired in 2019, recently revealed that his girlfriend Lucy Graham is pregnant with their first child, five months after they went public with their relationship.
Burgess, who retired in 2019, recently revealed that his girlfriend Lucy Graham is pregnant with their first child, five months after they went public with their relationship.
“We are so excited and happy to start this new chapter together…Have a great day,” he said in a statement.
Lucy, who is from the UK, recently made the decision to move Down Under permanently and it is believed her pregnancy was the reason.
Burgess is already a loving father to his two children Poppy, four, and son Billy, three, with his ex-wife Phoebe Hooke.