Tom Burgess won an NRL Grand Final with brothers Sam and George in 2014. Now the England prop wants to win a second premiership himself.
Burgess is one of three survivors from South Sydney’s last premiership winning team seven years ago in the team to play Penrith at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, along with captain Adam Reynolds and winger Alex Johnston.
A 22-year-old in just his second NRL season in 2014, Tom was the last of the four Burgess brothers, including Luke, to make the move from England to Redfern but he has now stepped from their shadows to become a key player for the Rabbitohs.
"Obviously I had that period there with my brothers and I look back on that with pride and it was a great time in my life," Burgess said. "This is a new chapter for me now and I am really enjoying it.
"I'm at a different stage of my life and my career. I have got two kids and a partner, and you share it with them. If you look back to 2014, I was a young lad with not many games under my belt, enjoying being there and playing footy.
"I speak to my brothers every day, we are really close and we still chat all the time. They give me bits of advice all the time so we always lean on each other as brothers and that never going to change even though they aren’t in the team anymore.
"But these boys that I moved up to Queensland with, they are my brothers as well, so I am really just enjoying this period and getting to know these boys even deeper and closer, and I am building something special with them every day."
Souths qualified for the grand final after thrashing Manly 36-16 last weekend, while the Panthers eliminated minor premiers Melbourne 10-6 in a gripping preliminary final.
The toll of that match and a tough finals campaign since losing 16-10 to the Rabbitohs in the first weekend of the play-offs has cost Penrith the services of Tongan strike forward Tevita Pangai jnr (knee) and interchange forward Mitch Kenny (ankle)
Kiwis forward James Fisher-Harris (knee), interchange prop Moses Leota (calf) and fullback Dylan Edwards (foot) are racing the clock to take their places in the grand final.
The biggest concern for the Rabbitohs is whether Reynolds can kick after suffering a groin injury at training last week and undergoing a fitness test on the sideline before the match against the Sea Eagles.
Reynolds, who is departing for Brisbane after 231 NRL appearances with his junior club, relinquished the goal kicking duties to rookie fullback Blake Taaffe and did not kick in general play until late in the first half.
Former England coach Wayne Bennett, Queensland Origin centre Dane Gagai and second-rower Jayden Su’a are also leaving the Rabbitohs, while former Kiwis playmaker Benji Marshall has refused to confirm whether he plans to retire.
Marshall, 36, will set a record for the longest period of time between grand final appearances after leading Wests Tigers to the 2005 premiership under the coaching of Tim Sheens.
Taaffe is the most inexperienced Grand Dinal player of the NRL era, which began in 2008, after being called up to replace suspended fullback Latrell Mitchell six weeks ago and will be making his ninth appearance for Souths.
Despite the grand final being played outside Sydney for the first time, the Rabbitohs have strong support in Queensland and more than 3,000 fans turned up to watch them train on Tuesday.
Students from Keebra Park High, the Gold Coast school attended by Marshall when he debuted for Wests Tigers in 2003, performed a haka in honour of the veteran playmaker who is credited for inspiring more kids to play the game than any player.
However, Burgess isn't among those who recall the stunning try Marshall set up in the 2005 grand final for former Wigan winger Pat Richards with a spectacular flick pass after receiving the ball from Brett Hodgson - the current Hull FC coach - near his own line and racing into the clear.
"I was 13 so I would have been in school and just doing my own thing in England. He is just an old bloke to me," Burgess said.
"Honestly, everyone knows about him in England and I was overjoyed that he signed for Souths this year because he has had such a great career.
"You can't underestimate what he has bought to this team in terms of experience and he has really done a job for us this year. I am not sure we would be here without him."
The 2021 NRL Grand Final is scheduled to kick off at 9.30am on Sunday and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
