McNamara laments Bulls lost Burgess brothers

The national chief made history yesterday by naming three brothers in an England squad for the first time as he announced his 24-man party for the tournament that starts later this month.

Sam Burgess, 24, was joined by his two younger siblings, the 21-year-old twins who have set the NRL alight this season in South Sydney colours.

George was named NRL Rookie of the Year yesterday after the towering prop terrorised opponents with his thunderous running while Tom has made a decent impact of his own in his first season since leaving Bradford.

All three started their careers at Odsal with McNamara signing the twins when they were 16 years old and he was in charge of the West Yorkshire club.

“Tom and George were at Leeds (Rhinos) at the time and we had to fight extremely hard to go get them,” McNamara told the Yorkshire Post, about the only uncapped players in his squad.

“It wasn’t due to finance. It was time, effort and persuading them to come join Bradford Bulls back then and it wasn’t a certainty those two would make it.

“Some people suggested we shouldn’t sign them and some suggested Leeds didn’t want them.

“But you could just see they had some serious potential in them especially with their physical shape.

“I’m really, really pleased they’ve come to this level now and it’s a shame all of them couldn’t have stayed at Bradford. That’s probably the biggest disappointment.”

McNamara admits he considered including ex-Leeds prop Luke Burgess, too, the eldest of the remarkable Souths quartet who all played together for the first time against Sydney rivals Wests Tigers in August.

However, the major exclusion is Huddersfield Giants prop Eorl Crabtree, the experienced forward who made the Super League Dream Team this year but has effectively lost out to Tom Burgess’s surprise inclusion.

“There are a number of players who are unfortunate not to make the squad which is great for our England programme,” admitted McNamara, with veteran prop Adrian Morley, Leeds’s half-back Danny McGuire and Warrington’s Richie Myler other notable absences.

“It’s been a difficult selection but there’s a Grand Final still to play yet and our game against 
Italy so if there’s any injuries there’s some very capable players ready to come in.”

When asked what the Dewsbury-born twins would offer to his squad – who fly out for a high-altitude training camp in South Africa today – McNamara added: “They can all bring so much – so much size, strength and power,

“We’ve seen the damage all three have done in the NRL this season and that bodes well for us.

“George and Tom played for the England Knights last year – Tom was still a Bradford player at the time – to have a look at the England set-up with one eye on this World Cup.

“There was an outside chance (World Cup) at that stage, but the development of both has pushed them right up into this squad.”

The trio will now aim to emulate the Hendersons – Kevin, Ian and Andrew – who all played for Scotland in the last World Cup in 2008.

Tom, meanwhile, was only cleared of a serious neck injury yesterday to take his place in the squad which McNamara admitted had been a tough process narrowing down.

“There’s been different combinations and permutations, a lot of time and effort has gone into it, but you’ve got to get to 24,” he said. “I made my final selection on Saturday and mulled it over and slept on it before making the calls on Sunday.

“I can only imagine what it must be like for Luke, having three younger brothers in a World Cup and not be part of it, but he understands.”

The average age of the squad – which will be led by Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield – is just 25 but it certainly has a strong feel to it as England prepare to make their bid for glory on home turf.

“Whether it’s the strongest I’ve had is for others to debate,” added McNamara.

“It is certainly a strong squad in terms of quality but when you look at the experience we have lost out of it recently – Jamie Peacock and Gaz Ellis retiring, Adrian (Morley), Garreth Carvell and Jon Wilkin not selected, and Jamie Jones-Buchanan unavailable due to injury – there has been a lot.

“Yet part of the ETS (Elite Training Squad) idea was for all these to be available in the squad at the same time as people like Lee Mossop, Chris Hill and Liam Farrell were coming through.

“So, when we lift the World Cup, these players that aren’t there are still just as much a part of it for what they’ve done.”

Huddersfield’s Dream Team second-row Brett Ferres is another who is perhaps unlucky not to be included,

He does, however, travel to South Africa as part of England’s advance party of 16 flying out to Johannesburg ahead of the later arrival of the Grand Finalists next week.

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