The inside story on Warrington’s journey back to the Grand Final under Sam Burgess
Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess applauds supporters following a game in 2026
Eight years on from their last Super League Grand Final, Warrington Wolves will grace the Old Trafford stage again on Saturday evening: with Sam Burgess guiding them to the edge of glory.
Steve Price’s first season in charge of Wire ended with an Old Trafford defeat to old foes Wigan Warriors back in 2018, though the Australian managed to deliver a Challenge Cup the following year with a shock win against St Helens at Wembley.
Since then though, the years have been fallow, with no major honours delivered – with relegation even flirted with in 2022.
But the mood around the club has changed of late, with this England and NRL icon Burgess’ third year at the helm: and in truth, it feels now is the time to make all the months of progression count.
‘When he first came, there was this big aura about him being Sam Burgess because we’d all seen the player’
Burgess famously won the 2014 NRL Grand Final with South Sydney Rabbitohs, winning the Clive Churchill Medal with a man-of-the-match display despite having fractured his cheekbone within the opening ten seconds of that showpiece Down Under.
Forward James Harrison has been at the Halliwell Jones Stadium for the duration of Burgess’ tenure having joined Warrington ahead of that dire 2022 campaign which saw them narrowly escape relegation.
Speaking to a selection of media – including LoveRugbyLeague – earlier this week, the 30-year-old reflected on Burgess’ tenure, detailing: “He’s changed a lot over the three years.
“When he first came, there was this big aura about him being Sam Burgess because we’d all seen the player and nobody really knew him other than George (Williams) and Ben Currie.
“It was a bit like, ‘wow, he’s Sam Burgess’.
“But now, he’s the head coach and he’s got a good relationship with all of the lads. We’ve got a good relationship, I love playing for him.
“He’s just about getting your job done. We know what could happen at the end on Saturday, but that’s not going to happen without us doing what we’ve done all year to get us to this point.
“Sam speaks a lot about no regrets and leaving everything out on the field, and he did that day (the 2014 NRL Grand Final) and got into the history books.
‘That’s why I’m staying here and I want to coach with him’
12 months ago, Wire’s season had long ended after finishing eighth in a 12-team competition, ten competition points below sixth-placed Wakefield Trinity, the side they will line up against in Saturday evening’s Grand Final.
A long and arduous pre-season schedule followed, with a number of changes made to personnel.
Veteran hooker Sam Powell has seen his game time limited this season, but has been a key cog behind the scenes in keeping things ticking throughout 2026 – a campaign which has been far from plain sailing amid plenty of long-term injuries.
Powell – who joined Wire after his exit from Wigan at the end of 2023 having won a third Super League title – will retire after this weekend’s showpiece and join the Wolves’ coaching team.
He detailed: “”It’s been great (playing for Burgess), that’s why I’m staying here and I want to coach with him.
“Looking back at it now, we’ve been in three finals over the last three years, so we’ve not been too far off.
“It’s third time lucky, maybe!”
