Burgess bros put Sam behind them

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HOW many Burgesses does to take to win an NRL trophy?

Last year it was Sam and George doing much of the heavy lifting on grand final day but with Sam headed back to England to play rugby union, it is now up to George's twin brother Tom to fill the void.

That's the way he sees it anyway, and he was planning to set the ball rolling with a big game off the bench for the Rabbitohs against Super League champions St Helens in the World Club Challenge tomorrow morning.

"Everyone is a leader in this team and with Sam leaving, me and George realise that we can take more of a role now," Tom said.

"My goal is to play more time this year with Sam gone and I'll probably play a bit more coming off the bench."

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For George, who wasn't far behind big brother Sam in the grand final man-of-the-match calculations, it isn't so much a case of establishing himself as the number one Burgess in the game, as becoming more of a leader.

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"I don't think of it that way to be honest," he said. "I just concentrate on my job and see what happens.

"What I do want to do this year is to take on a bit more of leadership role, with a few older heads missing, and I feel that I'm ready to do that.

"Things are different every year. Teams change, players move on to new clubs and it's hard to keep everyone together for a long amount of time, but it's still pretty special what we've got this year.

"We've got a new team and I'm looking forward to getting out with the boys against St Helens and showing what the new team is about."

George Burgess trains in preparation for the World Club Challenge. Source: Getty Images

He isn't the only one. The game, at St Helens' new home ground Langtree Park, has been sold out for months, and the reception the South Sydney players received in the north of England was nothing short of rock star status.

As the Burgess brothers spoke to the media at a meet and greet function at the St Helens Hall of Fame room during the week, the line of local junior players waiting for Greg Inglis's autograph stretched halfway down the grandstand steps. Several of the kids were wearing Rabbitohs jerseys.

While most of the sellout crowd will be there to see how the local heroes, such as boom hooker James Roby (described by Tom Burgess as "England's version of Cameron Smith") shape up against the likes of Inglis and co, South Sydney fans will be more interested in the way their new-look team performs with an eye to Thursday week's NRL opener against Brisbane.

Tom Burgess wants more minutes in 2015. Source: Getty Images

Hooker Isaac Luke believes the Rabbitohs' supporters will be pleased with what they see.

"There's a lot of people doubting us because we've lost Sam and Benny Te'o from our grand final side but Glenn Stewart and Tim Grant have really stepped up and fitted straight into our structure and what we strive for as a club," he said.

Luke, who missed the grand final through suspension, has more reason than any other player in the club to want the Rabbitohs to make it two premierships in a row, but he says he has long put the disappointment of last year behind him.

"We really haven't been thinking about going back to back," Luke said. "We're just worried about St Helens.

"I left that (disappointment) back behind in October. My main thing was to get back on the field and I got to do that in a Kiwi jersey, so it's all good."

As for Big Sam, he won't be able to be at St Helens for the match, but he is keeping up with team news through his brothers, just as they are following his progress in rugby union.

"I speak to him quite a bit," Tom said. "He's enjoying the challenge. He's obviously not going to get there straight away but he's enjoying learning the game and he's taking his chances when he gets them."

So is making this year's Rugby World Cup a realistic goal?

"Yeah, of course it is. That's what he's got his eyes set on. He wants to play for England, so knowing Sam you'd be stupid if you didn't back him to do it," Tom said.

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