South Sydney champion Sam Burgess may not have left the club on the best terms last month, but the premiership-winning striker has debunked claims he fell out with club co-owner Russell Crowe.
Burgess spent the 2023 season as assistant coach at the Bunnies before mutually agreeing to part ways with the club he won a premiership with last week.
It came after Burgess and head coach Jason Demetriou reportedly disagreed over the special treatment of star players Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker – and just days before South Sydney’s season ended after a defeat to the Sydney Roosters.
It was reported that Hollwood star Crowe hung up on Burgess after a heated phone conversation during the meeting where Burgess opted to leave the club, but the outgoing coach said that was far from the truth.
“That’s bulls***,” Burgess laughed when asked about it on The Sunday Show with Matty Johns.
Burgess and Crowe have a long friendship which remains intact despite the former Souths assistant coach leaving the club
Crowe and Burgess celebrating in 2014 when the Souths skipper won the Clive Churchill Medal in the Bunnies’ grand final over the Bulldogs, playing with a broken jaw
“I’ll clean this up. It was bulls***, there was no hanging at all,” Burgess continued.
“We had a good chat and he said, ‘Okay man, cool, see you later.’
‘Someone has to hang up. I don’t remember whether I pressed the red (button) or him.
“But there was definitely no animosity whatsoever.
“I’m supposed to be at his farm this week, but we’re expecting a baby this week.”
Burgess said he made the decision to leave his beloved Bunnies out of respect for the club.
“I don’t really want to go into the details of it, Matty. “I went in that morning wanting to do the best I could for the club and the team at that time,” he said.
‘I thought that because I was there, and the distractions that were there. I just made what I thought was the best decision for the team at the time, to get away with some of the things that had happened behind closed doors.
“I think it’s best to leave it at that and let everyone go beyond themselves.”
Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker have come under scrutiny as South Sydney crashed from top spot on the NRL ladder to miss the finals altogether
Burgess has reportedly complained about a disproportionate amount of power between players and the club, with accusations that Mitchell and Walker have different standards to the rest of the playing group.
But Burgess said there was no animosity between him and the star players after his departure.
“I wouldn’t say (there’s a disproportionate amount of power) that they have a great leadership model and there are some great guys in there,” he said.
“I also want to say that there was a lot of speculation in the media about Latrell, Cody and I trying out. That is not the case. I love Latrell, I love Cody. They’re great guys and great people.
‘There are things we have disagreements about, of course. I think a lot more has been made in the press from me, Latrell and Cody, but that’s not the case. I love those guys, they’re great guys.
‘Can I do things better? Yes, of course we can.
‘But that’s not my job. It’s up to me to tell the head coach and for him to kind of steer that ship. ‘
Burgess spoke at length about his departure from Souths and his relationship with players and power brokers at the Bunnies
Burgess insisted that Walker and Mitchell did not have too much power and that he was still on good terms with them
Head coach Jason Demetriou (right) and Burgess reportedly had a falling out, but the outgoing assistant coach said their relationship was ‘professional’
Burgess emphasized his relationship with Demetriou was professional despite the argument.
‘It’s professional. “We kind of left there on mutual terms,” he said.
“I wish him all the best and I love the club, I love South Sydney. It’s part of the DNA and I want them to always get it right.
‘I wish Jason and the team and the club all the best for next year and hopefully Jack (Wighton) doesn’t spend too much time on the sidelines either (for an alleged bite on Newcastle player Tyson Gamble).
“I guess I’d probably call it a professional relationship.”
Burgess leaves with the cherry on top of a horror season for the Rabbitohs, which saw the club crash from top spot on the ladder to missing out on the finals entirely.
Asked if he saw the collapse coming, Burgess replied: “It’s difficult, isn’t it? As an assistant coach you can only give your opinion.’
“It’s difficult because some games were exciting and some things were also out of character.
‘I feel for the team, I really do. You see all the effort, you see all the hard work that goes into it.
“There are definitely some disappointed guys. I saw Cameron Murray this morning and I just felt the disappointment from him.
“It’s sometimes trust and belief that if that’s the case, it’s hard for some teams to grasp.”
Souths players after their final round loss to the Sydney Roosters which cost them a place in the NRL finals
Sam Burgess and heavily pregnant fiancée Lucy Graham are expecting their first child this week
There are also rumors that Burgess may return to South Sydney as head coach if Demetriou fails to deliver in 2024.
However, Burgess said he had signed a two-year contract with English Super League club Warrington and planned to sort that out.
“Yes, look, I signed there for two years, I will definitely stick with those two years,” he said.
“(Warrington) has been courageous and brave to give me this opportunity so I’m going to repay that with loyalty and if things go well there’s no reason why we shouldn’t stay there.
“I would probably say Australia is my home, my whole family is here.
‘But I have a great opportunity there, it’s a great club… I’m really looking forward to going there and getting my hands on that team and seeing what we can build.’