Is Burgess the greatest Englishman to play in the NRL?

With Sam Burgess’ career now over, is it time to officially declare the powerful forward as the best Englishman to play in the NRL?

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With Sam Burgess’ career now over, is it time to officially declare the powerful forward as the best Englishman to play in the NRL?

Burgess, who played 182 NRL games over two stints for South Sydney, announced his retirement yesterday after battling recurring shoulder injuries for much of the season.

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It closed the book on a career that took the Dewsbury lad from Bradford, where he debuted as an 18-year-old already dubbed the next “Sonny Bill” and played 88 Super League games for the Bulls, to rugby league’s proudest club.

SAM BURGESS LEGACY CARVED IN BLOOD AND BONE

He played alongside his three brothers – Tom, George and Luke – in the cardinal and myrtle, and produced one of the all-time grand final performances when he led Souths to their first premiership in four decades – despite playing with a broken cheekbone suffered in the first tackle of the game – when they won the title in 2014.

South Sydney's Sam Burgess is chaired from the field after the Rabbitohs won the the 2014 NRL Grand Final between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium .Picture Gregg Porteous

He was the first Rabbitoh to be awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for the best player of the grand final since 1971.

A switch to rugby union followed in 2014-15, during which he represented England five times, before a return to the NRL in 2016.

Burgess retires with 24 caps for England (and two for Great Britain), on top of his 270 first grade games. He undoubtedly retires as a South Sydney great, and has to be the first name when discussing the greatest Englishmen to play in the NRL.

Burgess was a monster on the field. He was equally hard and unforgiving in attack and defence, and while he contributed to plenty of fans’ grey hairs for the repeated penalties he gave away and sloppy ball carrying, the Burrow always knew what he’d more than make up for the mistake.

The 30-year-old was always a key figure: the Rabbitohs instantly became more beatable without him in the lineup.

Burgess’ impact on Souths is similar to that of fellow Englishman James Graham, another forwards leader during his time at the Bulldogs and currently at the Dragons.

The likes of Gareth Ellis (Wests Tigers) and Adrian Morley (Roosters) at their prime would give Burgess a run for his money, while Canberra’s cavalcade of Poms who steered them to the grand final, led by John Bateman and Josh Hodgson, will almost certainly be considered alongside those champions in years to come.

For mine, Morley would be the closest rival to Burgess in this debate for the modern era.

He played 114 NRL games at the Roosters, with whom he won the 2002 grand final, as part of a first grade career in which he played 488 games across the NRL and Super League between 1995 and 2015.

He never had a quiet game, and often ran foul of refs.

But, like Burgess, he’s a player you’d love to have on your side. Let the debate begin.

Originally published as Is Burgess the greatest Englishman to play in the NRL?