Ballina Seagulls players Rowan Mansfield and Liam Green prepare for ‘Sam Burgess’ visit

The next NRL stars to come from the Ballina Seagulls will have a chance to pepper NRL great Sam Burgess with questions in the hope they can realise their dream. Here’s what they plan to ask.

Sam Burgess will have people swarming him in Ballina when he arrives for a trial match with his Orara Valley Axemen on Saturday.

However, not everyone will be looking for selfies with the former Rabbitohs great. Some starry-eyed NRL wannabes will be looking for tips and guidance.

Two Ballina Seagulls juniors with NRL dreams, Liam Green and Rowan Mansfield will be peppering Burgess with questions in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a face-to-face with one the best.

The youngsters want to know ‘how do I hit the big time?’ but they are sure to puzzle Burgess when they ask their second question.

What happens when it’s all over?

Sam Burgess will have his work cut out for him during and after his Ballina Seagulls trial on Saturday Picture: Joel Carratt.

“If I was in front of him I’d smash him with a few questions,” Liam Green said.

“As a kid I always wanted to play at a high level.

“I’d ask him how hard it really is to make and if something doesn’t work out you need your ‘plan B’.”

Green, who was born in Roma in Queensland the same birthplace as Broncos legend Darren Lockyer, says he will look to get massive hits against his team but chip away at his rugby knowledge after full-time.

Ballina five-eighth Liam Green will pepper Sam Burgess with questions after the Seagulls trial against Orara Valley Axemen on Saturday.

He has won three junior grand finals with the club while Mansfield spent three years on a training contract with the Gold Coast Titans when he was in high school.

Both are young and have big ambitions in rugby league, but when they lace up their boots to take on the Axemen, they will make sure they can catch the Souths great before he gets back in the car to head home.

“My ambition is to make something out of footy,” Mansfield said

Rowan Mansfield has represented Northern Rivers Titans and NSW Country teams Picture: Amy Blanch.

“I have lots of questions I want to ask him, I want to know how we got into it and if he found himself in a period where he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pursue rugby league.

“I also want to know if he had other options or plans because rugby doesn’t last forever.”

Ballina Head Coach Justin Stewart says their determination to understand what happens after a rugby league career is over is a testament to their maturity and ambition to make a name for themselves.

Justin Stewart has taken over the Ballina Seagulls coaching role from Luke Douglas Picture: Nicholas Rupolo.

Both players are looking to cement their spot in the Seagulls first team after Luke Douglas and Oliver Reagan, two experienced players, left after last season.

Green and Mansfield are just an example of the bright young talent coming through at Ballina, backed up by players like Hamish McClintock and Newcastle Knights legend Paul Harragon’s son Luke.

Head Coach Stewart says Green will get a chance at fullback while Mansfield can slot in at centre or lock and expects big things in the future from him.

“Rowan (Mansfield) has played for Country under sixteens and also represented Northern Rivers Titans squads as a junior and development player,” he said.

“I have high hopes of building a team around him for the future.”