Sam Burgess knows more about Warrington’s players

SAM Burgess’s personal touch can make Warrington victorious and Wembley wonder if the saying ‘It’s good to talk’ proves true.

Because it’s not his way or the highway, the way wolves do things is largely based on consensus.

The England legend arrived with a huge reputation after playing in the NRL and for his country for more than a decade.

But winger Josh Thewlis discovered there’s more to his boss than the hulking brute meets the eye.

He revealed: “He tries to touch you on a personal level first. I’ve never had anything like this with my trainers before.

“Sam got to know me as a man before he got to know me as a player and I have to do the same with him.

“He’s very approachable – anyone from team number one to 38 can walk into his office and talk to him.

“He’s being honest with you. I like straight to the point and he delivered that. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the England set-up, the number 32 team, whatever, he treats you exactly the same and expects the same standards.

“It was very different from what I thought it would be. From his first day, he made that connection with the team and I’ve built a real bond with him now. It’s something we’re very proud of as a group and we understand how he wants to play.

“He puts his strategy out there and says, ‘What do you think?’ It depends on the boys then. We find the best way as a team rather than just having a coach telling us what to do.

“It’s a discussion, not his opinion against everyone else’s, and he says, ‘At the end of the day, you’re the ones out there, you make the call.’ That’s to Sam’s credit and it’s good, it’s healthy.”

Thewlis are flourishing under Burgess as Warrington look like genuine contenders, as their quarter-final win at St Helens showed.

Now to do Wembley by beating Huddersfield today. Even if they do the June 8 show, little will change.

Thewlis, 22, added: “Sam is going huge week in week out. Even if we get to Wembley, we won’t look at it until that week.

“In every match, the opposition comes to take the win away from us, that’s how we see it. That’s our mentality.”