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Thought I'd make a proper thread for departing player tributes so they're all in one place. I know the players will never see this, but I thought it would be cool to share some memories and all say bye in our own little way.
Tom Burgess
Firstly, to Tom. You know, it's really hard to believe that I'm actually here typing a tribute to him as a departing player of our great club. To think that he's the last of the Burgess brothers, the last of a great era for our club, and his departure signals the end of that era, is hard to get my head around. It's sad too. The Burgess' have been such a huge part of our team for 14 years now. For some fans, that'd be all they've known and now it's over. That's crazy but I'm grateful to have experienced it.
Hard to believe Tom's career in the NRL is done too. I still remember his debut in 2013 against Parra on that rainy afternoon game at Accor like it was yesterday. I remember exactly where I watched the game, and I remember my excitement that we had a fourth Burgess brother about to play for us! Never did I dream that is career would reach the heights it did. I guess it's fair to say that he began his career as the 'lesser' Burgess brother, certainly the least well-known as Sam, George and Luke had established themselves by then. However, he went on to become a genuine modern-day legend of Souths and have just as big, if not the biggest impact on our club as any of his brothers. 249 games in the Red and Green is insane, especially for a guy of his size. A premiership winner. With that, he etches his name in South Sydney folklore as the second-most capped Rabbit of all time. One hell of an achievement.
Once he built into his career, he became an icon, a stalwart and cornerstone of our pack with his barnstorming runs where he rarely lost a collision. His massive, momentum-generating carries will be missed big time. The great thing about Tom is that I really do think he got better with age. His 2021 and 2022 Seasons were some of his best. But he was one of the best forwards in the comp his entire career. Rarely injured, he ultimate professional.
My best memories of Tom will be his debut of course and the 'Burgess set' later that year against the Tigers, a history-making moment. Sam and George largely stole the limelight in 2014, but his performance in the Grand Final is massively underrated by many in my opinion. I'll never forget that. I won't forget a lot of his barge over tries, the odd linebreak he had where he looked like he was running in quicksand haha, and of course, that amazing try in golden point against the Tigers in 2021 to win the game. One of the highlights of his career that one.
But Tom won't just be remembered for his on-field contribution to our club, it was who he is off-field that was amazing too. Just a great guy! A bit of a larrikin, always bringing the vibes and boosting moral. The players have said there's never a dull moment around him. But the way he interacted with fans was special. I've had the pleasure of meeting Tom a few times and I always thought he was amazing to talk to. Like, in the time I had with him we actually had a genuine conversation, and he took a bit of time to ask about me and get to know me too. You don't get that from all players.
Tom is someone who from now on, I think deserves to be in the conversation as up there in our greatest players of all time. A genuine modern-day legend. I'm going to miss him so much. Thank you for everything you have done for our club Tommy. I feel extremely privileged to have lived in a time where I got to watch your career.
Damien Cook
Now, to Cookie. Again, it's sad and hard to believe that his career at Souths is done. It certainly hasn't ended in the way he'd hoped, in the way we'd all hoped, and I'm sure he would have wanted to retire here. However, that's Footy. He's had an amazing career here and he deserves to be up there with the modern-day greats of our club too. It's a shame he never won a comp, despite getting damn close in 2021, and that probably puts him just below the top rung of players, but he's still one of the greats.
I still remember the day in 2015, late in the Season against the Dogs where he absolutely carved us up. I said to myself that from now on, I'll despise that guy ahaha. But then, a couple of months later, he signed with us! He came with not a lot of fanfare and to be honest, I don't think he made a huge impact in 2016 or 2017, his first two years here. Cookie was mainly and impact bench player who shared the role with McInnes, then Farah. However, all that changed very quickly and 2018 was his breakout year. An incredible year that elevated him to one of the best hookers in the game. From there in the years that followed, he reached legendary status and went on to play 207 games all up for us. I think that has him near 9th all time or something like that. He played for NSW for a long time, at played for Aus too in his time at our club, such was his status. He will almost certainly go down as our best modern-day hooker alongside Issac Luke.
I will never forget his speedy darts from dummy half. He was lethal in that area and somewhat revolutionised the game with that in 2018 and 19. Fast, but deceptively strong too. My best memories of Cookie include that famous 2018 try against the Storm. Wowzers. There was a breakaway try against the Knights in Newcastle that same year that has always stood out to me too. I vividly remember a try he set up for Cody against the Warriors on the Sunshine Coast in 2019. His near career-best performances against the Knights in Week 1 of the 2020 Finals, and again in Week 2 against Parra, and then some of his craftier plays in the later years. That try against Penrith in Anzac Round last year was a beauty.
Like Tom, he was an even better bloke off the field than he was a player on it. Always had a smile and cracking a joke, always gave his time for the fans. The ultimate professional with his fitness and training and he was rarely injured. barely missed a game in his nine Seasons here.
I know he was much maligned at times with some fans, and you can say what you like about him, but to me, he's a legend and I absolutely love the bloke. Very sad to see him go and he's going to leave a huge hole next year. Thank you for everything Damien, you won't be forgotten.
I love both Tom and Cookie so much, and I hope they return once their playing days are over.
Other Players
To Hawko, Deaon, Izaac, Leaon, and Cheeks, I don't really feel like they need a big tribute, but I do want to thank them all for their services and I wish them all the best in the future.
Tom Burgess
Firstly, to Tom. You know, it's really hard to believe that I'm actually here typing a tribute to him as a departing player of our great club. To think that he's the last of the Burgess brothers, the last of a great era for our club, and his departure signals the end of that era, is hard to get my head around. It's sad too. The Burgess' have been such a huge part of our team for 14 years now. For some fans, that'd be all they've known and now it's over. That's crazy but I'm grateful to have experienced it.
Hard to believe Tom's career in the NRL is done too. I still remember his debut in 2013 against Parra on that rainy afternoon game at Accor like it was yesterday. I remember exactly where I watched the game, and I remember my excitement that we had a fourth Burgess brother about to play for us! Never did I dream that is career would reach the heights it did. I guess it's fair to say that he began his career as the 'lesser' Burgess brother, certainly the least well-known as Sam, George and Luke had established themselves by then. However, he went on to become a genuine modern-day legend of Souths and have just as big, if not the biggest impact on our club as any of his brothers. 249 games in the Red and Green is insane, especially for a guy of his size. A premiership winner. With that, he etches his name in South Sydney folklore as the second-most capped Rabbit of all time. One hell of an achievement.
Once he built into his career, he became an icon, a stalwart and cornerstone of our pack with his barnstorming runs where he rarely lost a collision. His massive, momentum-generating carries will be missed big time. The great thing about Tom is that I really do think he got better with age. His 2021 and 2022 Seasons were some of his best. But he was one of the best forwards in the comp his entire career. Rarely injured, he ultimate professional.
My best memories of Tom will be his debut of course and the 'Burgess set' later that year against the Tigers, a history-making moment. Sam and George largely stole the limelight in 2014, but his performance in the Grand Final is massively underrated by many in my opinion. I'll never forget that. I won't forget a lot of his barge over tries, the odd linebreak he had where he looked like he was running in quicksand haha, and of course, that amazing try in golden point against the Tigers in 2021 to win the game. One of the highlights of his career that one.
But Tom won't just be remembered for his on-field contribution to our club, it was who he is off-field that was amazing too. Just a great guy! A bit of a larrikin, always bringing the vibes and boosting moral. The players have said there's never a dull moment around him. But the way he interacted with fans was special. I've had the pleasure of meeting Tom a few times and I always thought he was amazing to talk to. Like, in the time I had with him we actually had a genuine conversation, and he took a bit of time to ask about me and get to know me too. You don't get that from all players.
Tom is someone who from now on, I think deserves to be in the conversation as up there in our greatest players of all time. A genuine modern-day legend. I'm going to miss him so much. Thank you for everything you have done for our club Tommy. I feel extremely privileged to have lived in a time where I got to watch your career.
Damien Cook
Now, to Cookie. Again, it's sad and hard to believe that his career at Souths is done. It certainly hasn't ended in the way he'd hoped, in the way we'd all hoped, and I'm sure he would have wanted to retire here. However, that's Footy. He's had an amazing career here and he deserves to be up there with the modern-day greats of our club too. It's a shame he never won a comp, despite getting damn close in 2021, and that probably puts him just below the top rung of players, but he's still one of the greats.
I still remember the day in 2015, late in the Season against the Dogs where he absolutely carved us up. I said to myself that from now on, I'll despise that guy ahaha. But then, a couple of months later, he signed with us! He came with not a lot of fanfare and to be honest, I don't think he made a huge impact in 2016 or 2017, his first two years here. Cookie was mainly and impact bench player who shared the role with McInnes, then Farah. However, all that changed very quickly and 2018 was his breakout year. An incredible year that elevated him to one of the best hookers in the game. From there in the years that followed, he reached legendary status and went on to play 207 games all up for us. I think that has him near 9th all time or something like that. He played for NSW for a long time, at played for Aus too in his time at our club, such was his status. He will almost certainly go down as our best modern-day hooker alongside Issac Luke.
I will never forget his speedy darts from dummy half. He was lethal in that area and somewhat revolutionised the game with that in 2018 and 19. Fast, but deceptively strong too. My best memories of Cookie include that famous 2018 try against the Storm. Wowzers. There was a breakaway try against the Knights in Newcastle that same year that has always stood out to me too. I vividly remember a try he set up for Cody against the Warriors on the Sunshine Coast in 2019. His near career-best performances against the Knights in Week 1 of the 2020 Finals, and again in Week 2 against Parra, and then some of his craftier plays in the later years. That try against Penrith in Anzac Round last year was a beauty.
Like Tom, he was an even better bloke off the field than he was a player on it. Always had a smile and cracking a joke, always gave his time for the fans. The ultimate professional with his fitness and training and he was rarely injured. barely missed a game in his nine Seasons here.
I know he was much maligned at times with some fans, and you can say what you like about him, but to me, he's a legend and I absolutely love the bloke. Very sad to see him go and he's going to leave a huge hole next year. Thank you for everything Damien, you won't be forgotten.
I love both Tom and Cookie so much, and I hope they return once their playing days are over.
Other Players
To Hawko, Deaon, Izaac, Leaon, and Cheeks, I don't really feel like they need a big tribute, but I do want to thank them all for their services and I wish them all the best in the future.
