Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Feb 27, 2015 2:24 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

I can see a lot of what happened to Iestyn Harris in Sam Burgess.

Left league at arguably the peak of his career, wasted some of his prime years playing a sport he really was neither designed for nor enjoyed, then came back to league a spent force.

Great comparison!!!

And for what? A bit of extra brass...

I don't really buy the 'I'm doing it for the challenge' line that gets trotted out - it's all about exposure and the subsequent increase in earning power....

When he does retire a wealthy man, and his body won't let him play anymore, I'm sure he'll look back on whatever time he spends in Union and wish he'd had those days still in league. Our bodies unfortunately give up on us and stop us playing much sooner than our minds would prefer, and as a sportsman, he'll wish he'd spent every moment possible playing the sport he loved.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Feb 27, 2015 4:55 pm  

Superted wrote:

I totally get that, but from a 'life's too short' perspective, I view it as a waste of a couple of years enjoyment... And yeah, he might come back to league for a few years, but he'll be older and maybe less effective - he's in his prime right now and is wasting that time... He's not gonna be skint, and could be earning around $1m a season if he'd stayed...

So whilst his overall career might be extended by a couple of years (though I actually don't really subscribe to that - his body will be fooked regardless) he'll have wasted the same amount of time it will be extended in Union during his prime years. So effectively he's sacrificing a couple of years in his prime to earn extra cash and add a couple of years extra to his career whilst on decline at the end of his career.... If he wasn't a superstar I could understand it more, but he's never going to be the short on money for it to be worthwhile in my eyes.

If he had stayed at Souths he would have had 3 years at best & been to damaged for union at the level he is at now. As I see it he will have 3 years of good pay at union & still get back into League at the top level for another 3 years. Yes he is on good money but that will have to last him for maybe 50 years. He could have 8 to 10 years of good wages if he stays in union. Every one of us has to make choices to keep our family fed & housed.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Feb 27, 2015 5:20 pm  

Beverley red wrote:

If he had stayed at Souths he would have had 3 years at best & been to damaged for union at the level he is at now. As I see it he will have 3 years of good pay at union & still get back into League at the top level for another 3 years. Yes he is on good money but that will have to last him for maybe 50 years. He could have 8 to 10 years of good wages if he stays in union. Every one of us has to make choices to keep our family fed & housed.

Like i said in an earlier post, why would Sam stay till 2017, just as he has probably got to grips with the game and forego the chance to rip it up in the 2019 WC as one of Englands star men (in all probability) ? It wouldn't make any sense so he either hits the ejector button after this WC if/when he doesn't get selected and returns to NRL unscathed, or returns after THE 2019 WC the mega star face of England RU with bag fulls of cash.IMO

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Feb 27, 2015 7:23 pm  

Biff Tannen wrote:

Like i said in an earlier post, why would Sam stay till 2017, just as he has probably got to grips with the game and forego the chance to rip it up in the 2019 WC as one of Englands star men (in all probability) ? It wouldn't make any sense so he either hits the ejector button after this WC if/when he doesn't get selected and returns to NRL unscathed, or returns after THE 2019 WC the mega star face of England RU with bag fulls of cash.IMO

Samuel Burgess is not making that much more money in rugby union than in rugby league. Not 100% more, not even 50% more. Samuel is trying rugby union to challenge himself and add a new achievement to his life resume, and because he likes the experience of playing in front of 80,000 people each international game, rather than 25,000 people in most of the rugby league internationals. It was his experience of watching State of Origin (which he cannot play) and the Wembley double header (which he did play) which instilled this desire in him to play in front of a huge audience.

By 2018 the NRL rugby league salary cap will have risen so far, along with the lucrative cap exemptions for marquee players --- all in the context of an even bigger TV deal -- that Samuel Burgess will probably be as well off financially in rugby league as he could be in rugby union. Plus he loves the life style of Sydney and he has his family there. That is why, unless he can suddenly become a great star of English rugby union (which is looking increasingly unlikely), he will be back playing for South Sydney in May 2017, and for England in the RLWC in October 2017.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Feb 27, 2015 10:12 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

I can see a lot of what happened to Iestyn Harris in Sam Burgess.

Left league at arguably the peak of his career, wasted some of his prime years playing a sport he really was neither designed for nor enjoyed, then came back to league a spent force.

A spent force that won a Grand Final and a World Club Challenge. Both of which he didn't do before going to Union.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Fri Feb 27, 2015 11:50 pm  

Maccbull_BigBullyBooaza wrote:

A spent force that won a Grand Final and a World Club Challenge. Both of which he didn't do before going to Union.

You think Iestyn Harris was the reason Bradford won the Grand Final and WCC?

He was poor on his return to league. Certainly compared to before he left for Union anyway. He was signed by Bradford due to Caisley's ego. He was very much a spent force on his return to League.


Not that I'm complaining. We got Jamie Peacock out of it.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Feb 28, 2015 7:04 am  

Him wrote:

He was signed by Bradford due to Caisley's ego. He was very much a spent force on his return to League.

I'm sure you're right, although in fairness to Caisley the extent to which Harris's talent had waned could not have been predicted. I've never seen any player return from the other code so diminished.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sat Feb 28, 2015 1:57 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

I can see a lot of what happened to Iestyn Harris in Sam Burgess.

Left league at arguably the peak of his career, wasted some of his prime years playing a sport he really was neither designed for nor enjoyed, then came back to league a spent force.

That was down to appalling management by Wales. They threw him into the national side when he'd played 40 minutes of union in his entire life. That was only ever going to end badly.
I think union in general learnt what should've been an obvious lesson, players changing code need time to learn and bed down. Like I said in an earlier post I can see Sam being a really good No. 8, but that's one of the more specialist positions and he won't have mastered that in time for the union World Cup.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sun Mar 01, 2015 7:27 am  

Nonsense Jean. He has gone from earning 250k in nrl to earnng 500k playing an easier game. Of course it's about the cash you fool. The only sportsmen I can honestly say has moved to genuinely try a different sport not cash related is Hayne. He gave up a massive salary to try NFL without any guarantees and a long shot.

Re: Sam Burgess Union debut : Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:50 am  

JB Down Under wrote:

Nonsense Jean. He has gone from earning 250k in nrl to earnng 500k playing an easier game. Of course it's about the cash you fool. The only sportsmen I can honestly say has moved to genuinely try a different sport not cash related is Hayne. He gave up a massive salary to try NFL without any guarantees and a long shot.

For all he is much maligned, Id add Mundine to the list. Left RL at his prime to take up boxing.