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Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess says he feels the “town deserves better” as he prepares for his first season in charge of the club.
The 34-year-old England dual-code international retired from playing in 2019 and has since been assistant at NRL side South Sydney Rabbitohs.
His appointment comes after successive poor seasons for the Super League club.
“I’ve got self-belief and I know what this club is capable of,” Burgess told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“I was in Warrington maybe 18 months ago doing some talks and I sensed there was some disappointment in the town, and I felt they deserved better.”
In recent seasons Warrington have had mixed fortunes with player recruitment, with NRL legend Greg Inglis having a short stint with the club.
Meanwhile, moves for Greg McGuire last season, as well as Billy Magoulias in 2022, failed as the Wire stagnated on the pitch.
“I think the biggest challenge is that we need to be better. I have to tidy up some technical things but it’s not drastic changes,” Burgess added.
“I’ve not come here to blow this place up, I’ve come to make them better. I’m confident in the squad, I think we’ve got a great squad.”
‘Crowe was encouraging about Wire move’
Burgess credits his relationship with Rabbitohs co-owner and Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe for giving him the encouragement to move back to England to take the Warrington job.
Burgess had two stints at South Sydney and remains close with Crowe despite his return to the northern hemisphere.
“Russell’s guidance was that Warrington have a strong place in the community, he’s huge on that,” he added.
“Obviously we’re good friends and he urged me to be myself as well. I think he understands and has been very encouraging really. I’m really lucky I’ve got great people around me.
“I went almost straight into coaching after retiring and I instantly knew it was what I want to do. I realised pretty quickly that I’m a better head coach than assistant coach so here we are, and let’s see how it goes.”
When asked about speculation that Leeds Rhinos legend and England rugby union defence coach Kevin Sinfield would be joining as his assistant, Burgess denied the rumours.
“I’ve spoken to Kevin. That’s it. We are going to catch up for a coffee. But I’ve not said anything about coming to Warrington. That’s a good rumour,” he said.
