Steve McNamara spent last season working under Burgess at Warrington Wolves
Sam Burgess and Steve McNamara spent one season working together(Image: Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Warrington Wolves boss Sam Burgess has paid tribute to Steve McNamara after seeing him leave the club to join up with Hull FC.
McNamara got to work in East Yorkshire on Monday morning when he welcomed his first-team squad back for day one of pre-season. It comes just four weeks after his final game as Burgess’ assistant at Warrington as the Wolves took on Wakefield Trinity in the Super League Grand Final.
He spent just one season with the Wolves, joining Burgess’ staff following his 2025 exit from Catalans Dragons, but he has been credited as making a big impact at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
The experience he possesses as a head coach certainly helped Burgess lead Warrington out of their 2025 slump and he played a vital role as the club made it through the play-offs to the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
McNamara has been replaced on the Warrington coaching staff by the newly retired Sam Powell heading into 2027, but as the 55-year-old gets started at his hometown club, Burgess has spoken about the impact he made in Cheshire.
“Steve’s been great,” Burgess said in a video posted on Warrington’s channels. “More than anything he’s been good fun, he’s a great character amongst the group.
“Without speaking for him, I think he’s really enjoyed himself this year without being the head coach. It’s given him some time to relax and sit back and build some great relationships with the players.
“He’s been fantastic and in the pre-season we had together I learned a lot from him with his organisation and meticulous planning and getting things right early on in pre-season, things that you can’t really make back up during the year.
“And, during the season he was very experienced, he’s been a head coach for 300-400 games and with that comes great experience at managing scenarios.
“It was great for him to be around for a year, I’d have liked the two but he’s gone off back to Hull. I wish him all the best with that move and we’re very thankful for what he gave to the club over the 12 months. He had a real positive impact.”