Tom Burgess’ final game for South Sydney on Friday night will be the end of an era for his family

The Burgess era at South Sydney will end after 14 remarkable years when Tom runs out for the Rabbitohs in what will be an emotional farewell for him and great mate Damien Cook who will finish their careers elsewhere.

It was way back in 2010 when Sam Burgess came to Australia and blazed a trail for the family, with Tom, George and Luke all wearing the famous cardinal and myrtle jersey over the years.

Sam had the most decorated career and is now in the NRL Hall of Fame, while George scored one of the great rampaging tries in the 2014 grand final, but it’s Tom who will go down as the club’s second-most capped player before he heads to the English Super League next year.

The 32-year-old will fall one-game short of the magical 250-game milestone, but it’s a career he never thought would last more than a couple of seasons after he made the big call to head south.

“I don’t think many people know that I signed a 12-month contract at the start. It was minimum wage, I was on match payments. I wasn’t guaranteed anything, I had to fight for it,” he revealed.

“I had really good guidance, I lived with Sam when I first moved here. He was always confident in me that if I worked hard and did the right things at training, then good things would come and they did.

“I put my head down, I didn’t expect too much, I just wanted to work hard first and hopefully good things would come off the back of that. That’s what happened. I signed another two years, then three, then another three, then went from there.

“I never would’ve thought I’d be here 12 years on with 248 games. I’m content with what’s happened with my career and I’m also looking forward to giving back to Super League where it all started.”

Sam’s impact on the twins was profound, with Tom and George looking up to their older brother who set the tone for what the family achieved, having been encouraged by their father to head to Australia before he died.

“He played a massive role, he was our coach and our mentor as well as a brother and housemate for me when I first moved here,” Tom said of Sam.

“He was massive, he’s always had the knack of getting the best out of his players but it also helped that he’s my brother too and I lived with him. He was a massive part of my development coming over here.

“He was a one-of-a-kind player and to be able to learn from him was a massive part of my development.”

While there have been plenty of highlights for the family – none bigger than the 2014 premiership – they will never forget the night in 2013 when all four brothers were on the field at the same time in the round 25 win over the Wests Tigers.

Sam got sin-binned early before he and Luke scored tries in the comeback win in which four brothers played for the same team for the first time in 103 years.

“For us it was like a dream,” Tom said.

“It happened in the first year. The coaching staff then were really good, they knew how much it meant to us, but it wasn’t just going to be given to us. We knew we had to work hard, so when it happened it was unreal.

“We had a big week that week, then in the game Sam got sin-binned. I don’t know if we played more than 10 times together with injuries and everything like that.

“Looking back, those years were great years and something that you only appreciate when you have to look back on it.”

Burgess will finish his career with Huddersfield after he signed a three-year deal earlier this season, but he plans to return to Australia and South Sydney when he’s done, with the Englishman now looking at joining the coaching staff.

“I’ve made it well known I’m going back to England but I’m definitely coming back here,” he said ahead of his final game against the Roosters.

“I’m not shutting up shop in Australia. I’ve got my house in Cronulla and I’m pretty settled there. We’re going to rent it out then definitely come back here and maybe pick up a role back here at the club in a couple of years.”