Group 11 secretary Paul Loxley thinks having someone the calibre of Sam Burgess coaching a bush footy club would be like "winning the lottery".
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It was reported earlier this week the NRL premiership winner and South Sydney great would be interested in starting his coaching career in the bush.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported the former English international is eager to become a coach and his brother, Tom, said regional areas could be the prime launching pad.
Loxley said the appointment of someone like Burgess at a Group 11 club could do wonders for the entire competition.
"It would just rekindle another point of interest and it would be a great talking point and selling point. And imagine the young blokes who would want to come along and learn from Sam Burgess," he said.
"If they had the time and the means and it was worthwhile I think it would be a good first place because there wouldn't be the time and pressure.
"I think we'd have won the lottery if we had Sam Burgess out here."
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Controversy has surrounded Burgess since his medical retirement in 2019 but the Herald reported he was eager to start his coaching career after a stint in a rehabilitation clinic.
He stood down from an off-field role the Rabbitohs earlier this year due to court proceedings but prior to that he had reportedly been in line to coach the club's SB Ball under 16s side.
NSW Rugby League officials confirmed Burgess would be allowed to coach a NSW club if he is not facing any criminal charges.
"He won't go [via] the NRL just yet, he will start his apprenticeship somewhere else," Tom Burgess was quoted as saying this week.
"It won't even be in the NRL junior [leagues]. It will be more rural. He's interested in that sort of thing.
"We'll see what happens, but that's the next step for him."
Loxley can see the bush as a perfect place for prospective NRL coaches to begin, largely due to the more relaxed atmosphere.
Training is regularly twice a week for clubs in Group 11 but coaches can have much more of a hands-on role and learn about all aspects of a footy club.
Narromine Jets recruit Isaac Thompson was speaking as a player only last week and said the move back to the bush from Sydney didn't mean the end of his dreams of playing in the NRL.
"I believe it can do wonders for my footy. There's great exposure out there and I get the chance to lead a team and I'm looking forward to that," the 23-year-old Thompson said.
The same can go for coaches, with options to be involved with the Western Rams representative set-up while a potential future league in the region involving clubs from both Group 11 and Group 10 would immediately become one of the premier country competitions.
And while someone the calibre of Burgess would be welcome, Loxley was keen to point out the quality of coaches already in the region.
Forbes mentor Cameron Greenhalgh is a hugely respected coach and has been involved with numerous representative teams and the same goes for former CYMS mentor, Tim Ryan.
They're just two coaches in the region who have played a huge role in getting a number of juniors from the Western Rams region to the NRL.
"You look at the (NRL) game we've got coming here," Loxley said of the May 23 clash between South Sydney and Penrith at Apex Oval.
"Brent Naden and Braidon Burns could play in that and Charlie Staines, Isaah Yeo, and Matty Burton will.
"They started off as juniors under people like Tim Ryan and Cameron Greenhalgh."
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