2008 Match Day Q&A - Luke Burgess
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IT AIN’T HALF HOT
Match: HSBC Waratahs v Lions
Date: April 19, 2008
Interview: BEN KIMBER
Images: GETTY IMAGES & Djuro Sen - NSWRU Media Unit
DOWNLOAD as a PDF (525kb)
IT took the best part of five years to happen but you’ve got to agree that the wait was well and truly worth it.
Scrumhalf Luke Burgess made his run-on debut for the Tahs two weeks ago against the Blues at the Sydney Football Stadium and immediately made a difference to a team that all agree was spluttering along.
His quick service and scything runs help straighten and spice an attack that had kept the majority of their cards close to their collective chest until then.
Burgess is enjoying the ride but hasn’t forgotten the people that have helped him to become an overnight success over the past five years.
WARATAHS MATCH PROGRAM: How different is it being at the Tahs instead of your first Super 14 team, the Brumbies?
LUKE BURGESS: They’re very different. It’s one thing just being in Sydney which makes it a different environment, but the makeup and dynamic of the playing roster between the two sides is very different. In Sydney there’s no George Gregan or Stephen Larkham like there was when I was at the Brumbies. The ultra experienced guys you have here are your Phil Waughs and Dan Vickermans, but being in the forwards the nature of their experience and leadership mean a very different affect on the side.
WMP: What does that mean for you as a player?
LB: It kind of means that there’s a bit of a vacuum of experience being in a younger backline where as a halfback I can endeavour to assert myself more and be a leader. In Canberra there was a guy in front of me in George who I knew I could never realistically get past at that stage, but in Sydney there was always talk of me having a chance. Which is not to say I was struggling in Canberra. Being behind a guy like George Gregan was great in terms of someone to really learn from, and the experience of being in that situation taught me a lot as well. In the end though I grew up as a New South Welshman so joining the Tahs was genuinely like coming home.
WMP: You’ve had around five years of being called the next big thing, but your first Super 14 run-on was here at NSW, how hard has that been waiting to make your mark?
LB: It was tough but you never can go around thinking there’s something you deserve, you have to progress at your own pace and see how things go. I think I have let it affect me in the past, thinking I should have been somewhere or done something sooner, but that negative focus is counter-productive and it wasn’t enjoyable. I righted the ship from that period though and I think that made a lot of difference.
WMP: How do you right the ship when things go wrong, who has been a big influence?
LB: My mum and dad (Rowan and Cathy) have been and still are major influences on me, they’ve been fantastic. I tend to let stuff well up for a while and then blurt it out at them and they help me deal with things. Their support has been great. In a football sense probably the biggest influence for me was Nick Ryan the colts coach at Sydney University. He was great and we still catch up and have coffee and chat.
WMP: Your parents help you through the rough times, but you also seek a bit of inspiration in other places as well such as Buddhism?
LB: Yeah, I just picked up a book on it, I’m not a Buddhist, but I was interested to read about the way they see things and what their faith is like. I really do enjoy self-improvement and that sort of thing. I enjoy reading inspirational books like ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ about Nelson Mandela, that was great. I just have a lot of respect for other points of view and I know I have a lot to do and I like to think I have a lot to learn in life and can learn from everything.
WMP: Do you have a personal motto?
LB: Not really a motto, but I’ve been working on living in the moment, enjoying each moment that you have.
WMP: And does that translate to your Rugby? What do you think you bring to the field as a halfback that might be a bit different?
LB: Probably in my enthusiasm, which maybe comes through in my speed to the breakdown and the way I’m always looking for opportunities to run. I’ve actually had to be careful with that as I’ve found I can lack control, and I’ve had to really work on keeping it to the right opportunities. When it comes to that, it’s almost like you have to see the future to know when the best time is to go, but what that means is you have to have a plan and be aware of everything going on in the game.
WMP: People seem to talk about your speed, are you one of the quicker players?
LB: People think I’m quick, but I think it’s basically that I like to run when everyone else is looking the other way so it looks like I’m off the mark quickly. I think Tom Carter is probably the quickest in the team, at least over the first ten metres, and I tend to keep up with him to start with so I’m not too bad. He was calling himself Phar Lap the other day at training but I told him he was more like a mule.
WMP: In that backline there are a number of new faces as you mentioned previously, how has that affected the team?
LB: There really is a great energy there, and that really is the word, the energy is definitely a factor. And we draw on the experience of the guys who have been there and done that like Lote Tuqiri, Sam Harris and Brett Sheehan, they’re all great.
WMP: What about your combination with Kurtley Beale? Is there a feeling you could build that into something long term that could help you both progress to the next level?
LB: Potentially. It is a team game but those combinations can develop over time and be good for that kind of thing. I’m getting used to Kurtley now, he’s an eclectic player, he’s got a lot of rhythm and timing and I love watching him play. He just goes and I just get the ball out to him and watch it happen.
WMP: Finally, how has the off field turmoil that’s been reported including the decision not to renew Ewen McKenzie’s contract affected you and the team?
LB: I’ve just been riding through it all, you can’t let it affect you. I’m fully supportive of everyone there and I just want to keep things positive. The only problem might be that I haven’t told Link yet that it could be my fault. My first year at the Brumbies was the year David Nucifora was moved on, then I arrive here and the same thing happens. It’s a bit of a coincidence.
TEN ON THE SIDE
- If I wasn’t a Rugby player I’d be ….. still studying science.
- My mates think I look like ….. George Michael from his Wham days.
- I think …..Tom Carter…… is funny because …... he reminds me of Dicky Knee off Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
- The best game I’ve seen is ….. the 2003 world cup final between England and Australia.
- The last book I read was ….. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman.
- In 20 years time I’d like to be ….. retired, on a yacht in the Caribbean sipping Magheritas.
- I couldn’t live without ….. Banana bread.
- My worst habit is ….. untidiness.
- You wouldn’t know it but I’m good at … squash.
- The non-sportsman I would most like to put a big hit on is ….. David Brent from The Office.