Sam Burgess - Fresh Young Talent, Hard Man On The Field

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sam_Chalmers]Sam Chalmers
20-year-old Sam Burgess is one of the hottest professional rugby league stars to watch out for. The prop and back rower, who used to be under contract to the Bradford Bulls of the Super League until the end of the 2010 season, recently transferred to the South Sydney Rabbitohs. By inking a deal with one of the most popular rugby clubs on the planet, the young Burgess was able to fulfill his dream of finally penetrating the Australia National Rugby League. After being swooned by a host of other clubs, he was convinced by no one else but actor Russell Crowe (who has controlling interest in the Rabbitohs) to sign with the South Sydney club.
Burgess owes a portion of his success on the field and in the career side of things to the careful guidance of his manager, Chris Caisley. Caisley saw a lot of potential in Burgess even before the latter made his Great Britain debut and snagged in 2007 the Super League's young player of the year award shortly thereafter. Before joining his present club, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, he played for England in the end-of-the season Four Nations tourney where he scored two tries in spite of England's submission to Australia. Although he missed the 2008 World Cup in Australia due to an injury, he contributed in England's win over France 66-12 in June of the present season. He is set to make the final cut for the next Four Nations series having been selected by Coach Tony Smith to be a part of the train-on squad.
Only two other Englishman has a spot in the NRL in 2010 and Burgess is one of them. Loose forward Wigan favourite Mark Flanagan will be joining the Wests Tigers next year and incidentally Gareth Ellis, Burgess' England team-mate has just finished an initial season with the same club. Burgess admits that leaving England for a chance at NRL wasn't an easy decision, but he has been thrilled at the idea of playing in Australia. This is understandable since he made his grand debut when he was 14 at Bradford and has many mates at his original club. With a new chapter of his life at Souths, Burgess fulfills a wish that he has had since he was 15. He credits the Bradford Bulls for shaping his career, notably the coaches and the staff of the England club. He names Steve McNamara as having a great influence over his athletic career.
Even if it was a tough decision to accept, Peter Hood, Bradford's head chairman, said they couldn't stand in the way of Burgess' dream. Although they did everything they could in order to convince the player not to leave, they respect Burgess for being honest about his ultimate objective of testing himself in the Australia playing field.
For more information on   Sam Burgess you should check out his profile on Footysocial at http://www.footysocial.com.au/players/samburgess
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Sam-Burgess---Fresh-Young-Talent,-Hard-Man-On-The-Field&id=6563251] Sam Burgess - Fresh Young Talent, Hard Man On The Field