Quote: easyWire "A way for Powell to test which players were the most committed to the cause. 'Team/Club first' mentality.
I'm 100% certain that had Wane/Peet or Woolf asked the Wigan or Saints players at the time to do this to buy into the 'one team' ethos, they'd have duly obliged. It's in their DNA. For our players it seems it's just another job/club to bide their time at, on a better than average RL wage.
I'll be very interested to see which approach Burgess uses to revolutionise the 'comfort zone club' issue. I've seen his interviews where he talks about his time in Rugby Union. He was furious about losing a final because in the week building up to it, some team members were focused on what was happening further down the line with internationals, and didn't have the passion to commit every last breath to the task that week.
Good luck Sam. You'll need it.'"
It's all about standards and legacy. A player joining Wigan and Saints will be joining an organisation of serial winners. They know what is needed to win and have players and staff in the camp that have won the biggest honours - multiple times. They will know the club is far bigger than them, competition for places is high from the junior ranks and that they need to knuckle down and perform. The DNA and culture will be pervasive.
A player joining Warrington may hear some half d comments from a clown with a crucifix earring about "wanting to be the best" and "US franchise model" then will look around and see a few good players, some decent players near the end of their career who have failed at crucial moments, and a good number of journeymen players here for the wage and some taking the . Lines of authority will be blurred with players having long term relationships with directors outside of that with the coach. If they don't like something they can probably lean on a director at a common place drinking session to get their way. They know the club Chairman is now seeking to restrict the freedom of the coach. They will see players who never get dropped on form. They may even start to believe the hype that is pumped out from HJ HQ about how good they are. They will have knowledge of our monkey on the back (and how we tolerate it so long as we are plucky losers). They may even find it funny. They will be mindful of our innate ability to collapse under mild pressure and so confidence in their team mates won't be high. They will look at the recently appointed DoR and maybe even dimly remember a journeyman prop forward from the 1990s who now represents the sporting profile of the club.
However Sam Burgess is the ray of hope in all of this and he stands out as different. He has X factor. Let's hope it's enough.