Slammin’ Sam’s path: English quartet to follow Burgess to Bunnies
Four English imports have landed at the Townsville Blackhawks, chasing NRL glory in the footsteps of Sam Burgess. Can they handle the heat and prove themselves to the Rabbitohs?
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A quartet of Englishmen have signed on to join South Sydney’s northernmost feeder club, the Townsville Blackhawks, with a dream of following in the footsteps of Slammin’ Sam Burgess towards the Rabbitohs.
Former Super League players Robbie Storey (London Broncos) and Tom Nisbet (Leigh) have swapped the UK for NQ, joining teenage Warrington products Pat Irwin and Alfie Mather for a sweltering summer they hope will mark the start of their march towards their NRL destinies.
“That’s their dream,” Blackhawks coach Terry Campese said.
“They’ve all come over to have a crack at the NRL like everyone else. They have an opportunity in front of them but they need to be successful at this level.
“People in the NRL and player managers will be watching but first things first, they need to be selected in the team.”
Storey and Nisbet have settled in well to the group since joining after the Christmas break but have become embroiled in North Queensland’s flooding.
Jack Manski Oval, the home of the Blackhawks, has been too wet to train on for much of the past week, putting a dampener on the pair’s momentum.
Blackhawks football operations manager Adrian Thomson said although it was likely to be the highest percentage of Englishmen in a Blackhawks squad in club history, it had not been by design.
“It wasn’t really intentional,” Thomson said.
“There was no plan (to sign English players). All of them have got to prove themselves and stand up because even though they’ve come out of Super League clubs they are still unproven at Queensland Cup level.
“We’re expecting them to.”
Heavily tattooed centre prospect Storey, 25, played 16 matches for the Brisbane Broncos’ English cousins in 2024, scoring a try on debut to finish with four in the club’s wooden spoon season.
Nisbet, two weeks Storey’s elder, made his Super League debut for St Helens in 2020 before adding another four appearances in England's top flight to his name with Leigh.
Teenagers Irwin and Mather are tipped to begin the season playing locally in Townsville as they acclimatise to Australian rugby league, with a 2026 push for Queensland Cup more likely.
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Originally published as Slammin’ Sam’s path: English quartet to follow Burgess to Bunnies
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