BRAD ARTHUR’S Super League rival, Sam Burgess, is now being tipped to become head coach of the new Perth franchise for 2027.
That’s according to The Australian Associated Press, which has claimed that Burgess has sought ‘high-profile individuals’ to lead a campaign to have the current Warrington Wolves boss at Perth from 2027.
Burgess is out of contract at the Halliwell Jones Stadium at the end of the 2026 Super League season after signing a one-year extension with Warrington last season.
It’s been Arthur’s name that has been most heavily linked with a move to the new NRL franchise, with the former Parramatta Eels boss out of contract at Headingley this year.
And the 50-year-old has been honest and vocal about his desire to one day return to the NRL, where he made his name for over a decade as Parramatta head coach.
However, Burgess has been backed to become an NRL boss by his former mentor Wayne Bennett, who currently coaches the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
“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 told the AAP.
“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.”