‘Should have listened’: Souths’ CEO grilled over Burgess’ ‘home truths’ club allegedly ignored

Souths CEO Blake Solly has been grilled on NRL 360 including about a Sam Burgess’ warning that wasn’t heeded by the club.

Braith Anasta and Blake Solly.

Souths CEO Blake Solly has been grilled over Sam Burgess’ exit from the club and the former assistant’s contention that the player led culture of the club was a disaster in the making.

Burgess reportedly warned the club that a worrying level of player power could potentially undo the values and success the club has had since their last premiership in 2014.

Braith Anasta who is close friends with Burgess, former teammate James Graham, James Hooper and Michael Carayannis put the blowtorch on Solly on NRL 360.

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James Hooper: “Blake, Sam Burgess delivered some home truths last August, and the club responded by sacking him. Do you now admit that a lot of what Sam said was right?”

Blake Solly: “The conversations that Sam and I had in private will remain in private.

“Sam assures me that he never spoke to anyone in the media, so I don’t know what the conversations he may have had outside these four walls, but what Sam and I discussed in private will remain in private.

“But we didn’t sack Sam. Sam made the decision to go to Warrington, and we always had a role for him here if he wanted to stay.

“And again, anything that Sam and I have discussed in private will remain just that way.

“Sam went to Warrington with our best wishes. We would have liked him to stay, but he saw an opportunity to further his career and I think further his own development as a head coach at Warrington.”

Braith Anasta and Blake Solly went toe to toe.

JH: “If you sign Wayne Bennett, is Sam Burgess also welcome back at the club?”

BS: “I think from my understanding, and I haven’t confirmed this with Sam, but everyone else tells me he’s got a two-year deal at Warrington, which doesn’t allow him to break that, to come back and coach in the NRL.

“And we’ve got a huge amount of respect for the whole of the Warrington Wolves club, so there’s no way we’d seek to disrupt that contract with Sam.

“And if he’s got a contract with Warrington, we’re going to accept that.”

Braith Anasta: “Sam identified some home truths and he had some pretty clear observations, and I know you’ve said you’ve had the conversation with him and it stays with you.

“I actually had a conversation with him too, because I’m close mates with him. And he kind of predicted what was about to happen.

“Do you think that you should have done more about that? You should have listened to a club legend.”

BS: “First of all, I’m surprised, because Sam’s always assured me that he never spoke to anyone in the media.”

BA: “But I’m a good friend of his and I haven’t been for a very long time, so it was just more a conversation between mates and a concern for a club that he loves, that he’s won a Grand Final for and really wanted to spend the rest of his career there.

“It’s not journalism here. It’s just a conversation between mates and talking about what was actually happening in that club.”

BS: “That’s fine, Braith. But I think you’re a commentator and you’re hosting a show, so I’d accept that you’re a journalist.

“But look, on that point, Sam’s commentary or what Sam told me was important and we recognised it in some of the ways in which we attacked the pre-season and some of the ways in which we changed some of the structures around the club, reflected his commentary and his concerns about where we were going.”

Sam Burgess left the Rabbitohs in late 2023. Picture: Julian Andrews

Michael Carayannis: “Blake, did Jason give the players too much power?”

BS: “I don’t think Jason gave them too much power.

“I think that’s an unfair characterisation of what happened. Jason certainly believed in the playing squad.

“He’s done a lot of work with Shane McCurry who has worked with Richmond Football Club. He’s certainly believed in a player-led leadership model.

“I don’t think that necessarily means he’s given them too much power, but he’s certainly believed in what their leadership could do and what it could achieve on the field and off the field for them as people.”

James Graham: “The whole Sam Burgess situation, was it addressed with the group?

“Because this is a unique situation where he leaves in that playing roster, his brother and former teammates of his.

“He goes and he leaves, like you say, with the club’s blessing. But was that addressed with the group? Because obviously those conversations, like you say, they’re going to remain in those four walls, but you’re going to tell your brother when he leaves and goes to another country.”

BS: “Yeah, I think we tried to address them as a group and as I said to the players today and I’ve said over the time that I’ve been here, the door’s always open.

“So if anyone’s got any questions about any issue at all in this club, they’re more than welcome to walk into my office and have that conversation or stop me in the corridor and do it.

“And I think our track record in terms of our dealing with the players show that we can always have those open, honest and direct conversations.

“So from my point of view, it was addressed, but if there’s players who didn’t feel it was addressed, they’ve always got that opportunity to grab me and have that conversation.”

Originally published as ‘Should have listened’: Souths’ CEO grilled over Burgess’ ‘home truths’ club allegedly ignored