Sam Burgess is aiming to return to the NRL as a head coach, with the Perth expansion job high on the agenda.
AAP has been told the 2014 premiership winner has high-profile individuals pushing his case behind the scenes, for when the NRL expands to Perth in 2027 and PNG in 2028.
Ex-Parramatta coach Brad Arthur has been touted as the front-runner for the Perth job, but AAP has been told that his candidacy is yet to be formally discussed by the ARL Commission.
The coach of the Perth franchise will be decided by the club’s board, which the NRL will appoint, but league officials insist it will operate at arms-length from head office.
Burgess, who quit his post as an assistant coach at South Sydney in 2023, is currently the head coach of Warrington in the Super League and his deal expires at the end of 2026.
Part of the Burgess-to-Perth pitch is an argument the former England star would be a magnet for international players.
Sam Burgess (pictured with his wife Lucy) has thrown his name into the hat to take up a role as a coach of one of the NRL’s newest expansion sides in either Perth or Papua New Guinea
It is understood that Burgess has high-profile individuals pushing his case behind the scenes
The 36-year-old is currently in his second season in charge at the Warrington Wolves
Souths coach Wayne Bennett is a huge fan of Burgess and believes he will be an NRL coach in the future and do a sterling job.
Bennett told AAP he had not been engaged to push the Burgess barrow for an expansion job, but insists he will coach in the NRL.
‘Of course Sam Burgess has a coaching future in the NRL but I wouldn’t want to see him go to a start-up club,’ Bennett said.
‘I am sure Sam will come back to the NRL one day.
‘Where he will come back I don’t know and he doesn’t know at this stage of his career. Sam is a great person, full stop.’
Burgess admitted last year, upon returning to Australia to become the first English international to enter the NRL’s Hall of Fame, he still had a burning desire to be a head coach at NRL level.
The dual international has established himself as a coach on the rise since being fined $30,000 by the NRL in 2022 after multiple code of conduct breaches.
Trent Robinson, Michael Maguire and Kristian Woolf are among the NRL coaches to have coached successfully in Super League in their formative years.
Part of the Burgess-to-Perth pitch is an argument the former England star would be a magnet for international players
He had previously worked as an assistant coach with the Rabbitohs but quit his role in 2023
‘That is a great pathway,’ Bennett said.
Bennett does, however, have reservations around the challenges for any coach at an expansion club.
The seven-time premiership winner is the only coach to mentor two expansion clubs – Brisbane and the Dolphins.
‘The problem with a franchise club is that most blokes aren’t going to make it in coaching. Simple as that,’ Bennett said.
‘If you look at the franchise clubs you will see how many have made it. It sounds like a lot of fun but it can be a journey to nowhere.
‘You have got to have really good management behind you because they have got to stick with you in tough times. The Warriors, Gold Coast and Cowboys have had a lot of coaches.
‘It’s an extremely tough gig and it’s not something I would recommend for anyone to take up.
‘Brad Arthur might do a good job. They all do good jobs but it is all about bringing a team together.
Ex-Parramatta boss Brad Arthur is seen as the front-runner to take over the position in Perth
Burgess’ (pictured) contract with Warrington is set to expire at the end of the 2026 season. He has also received the backing of Souths boss Wayne Bennett
‘Everyone wants results. If you haven’t got them in two or three years you are not much chance of surviving.’
Bennett coached Burgess at South Sydney and tried to get him to the Dolphins as his assistant.
He declared last year the Englishman has the leadership qualities required to return to the NRL as a head coach – and could choose where he wants to go when that time comes.
‘Sam Burgess is a nine-and-a-half-out-of-10 bloke. His passion for what he does is unequalled in my experience and I have worked around a lot of men,’ Bennett said in 2024.
