James Graham comes clean on contentious 2014 GF tackle, adamant he didn’t intentionally head butt Sam Burgess

It was the sledgehammer 2014 grand final tackle which rocked Sam Burgess and smashed his cheekbone, now James Graham has revealed what really went down.

Sam Burgess hugs Greg Inglis after winning the 2014 Grand Final in which he was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.

James Graham has admitted he tried to hit Sam Burgess with everything in the first tackle of the 2014 grand final but he remains adamant he didn’t intentionally use his head in the incident which smashed the Souths star’s cheekbone.

Speaking on Fox League’s Face-To-Face with Matty Johns, Graham opened up about the moment he, quite literally, butted heads with his fellow Englishman.

“The head clash was an accident,” he said.

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“I’ve gone down there and he’s running it back with no fear and I’ve tried to hit him with everything I’ve got.

“But there was no intent to use my head.”

Burgess remarkably picked himself off the canvas and played the entire match, taking home the Clive Churchill Medal in the clash Souths won 30-6.

Prior to 2020, the luckless Graham had played in — and lost — six grand finals in a row.

He also admitted how the late scratching of Michael Ennis in the lead up to the 2014 decider had such an emotional toll on him.

“Another subplot is Michael Ennis is our captain who goes down against Penrith,” he said.

“What a lot of people didn’t realise is the emotional toll that took on me.

“I travelled with him every day, every week.”

Graham also admitted to Johns he is considering a move into coaching following his retirement from rugby league last year.

The 35-year-old opened up about his life and times as a St Helens, Bulldogs and St George Illawarra player.

From a being the only student at his Liverpool high school who played rugby league to strapping up the boots for 423 first grade games across both the Super League and NRL, Graham has pretty much done it all.

Sam Burgess and James Graham come together in the 2014 grand final. Picture: NRL Photos

Graham said he hadn’t regretted one moment of it.

“I’ve exhausted myself,” Graham told Johns.

“When I was finishing up, I put a finish line on it.

“It was important that I gave one last all-in push (when I played at St Helen’s).

“(I have) no regrets and with how it finished, I’m at peace with a lot of things.

“I don’t think there’s any going back.”

However, he has left the door ajar for a return to footy — but in a coaching capacity.

“I think I’d like to get into coaching,” he said when asked what he planned to do next.

“I’ve had a peak behind the curtain on how it all works.

“I’ve got my coaching badges and that’s been on my radar.

“But I just don’t know — you see how it affects people and I’ve already sacrificed so much and understand the sacrifices that you’d have to do in order to become a top coach.

“I don’t know how long I can sustain this feeling of safety before I need another football fix.”

Originally published as James Graham comes clean on contentious 2014 GF tackle, adamant he didn’t intentionally head butt Sam Burgess