Sam Burgess cuts down on the cutlets

Forget about the weight of South Sydney's history or the pressure to win a premiership before switching codes; there is another motivation driving Burgess. It's to make sure he doesn't pick up the bill when dining with mate and mentor Carroll.

"We bet food, of all things," Carroll said.

"We'd go to Bar Reggio's near my gym and if he didn't do 20 carries and 20 tackles a game, he'd owe me cutlets. A couple of times I got him but most of the time he gets me now."

Having run 21 times for 171 metres and completed 37 tackles in a man-of-the-match performance against the Roosters on Friday, Burgess will be hungry for more than just premiership success.

Whether the Bunnies break their drought will have no bearing on whether Burgess returns to the team or the code after his rugby sojourn. But he is leaving nothing to chance.

No more boozy nights out. No more being photographed in the social pages. No more of that dirty, niggly stuff that had begun to creep into his game.

"I've certainly sacrificed more than I have done in recent years," Burgess said.

"I've always been very dedicated to my football but the squad as a whole have made a lot more [sacrifices] than usually. That's the way the game is going."

So what has he changed?

"It might be if my mates are going out for a feed the night before the game, you just knock it on the head and stay at home and have a quiet one," Burgess explained.

"You don't catch up with your mates on a Sunday afternoon for a couple of beers, you stay out of the way. It's not just myself but the whole squad has been doing it. We've got a great team and everyone has been working towards the one goal."

While not totally abstaining from alcohol, Burgess hasn't had a bender all season. It began with a challenge from Rabbitohs rookie Luke Keary and soon other teammates jumped aboard.

"It's not been a squad thing, we've not put pressure on anyone," Burgess said.

"Every player is different, it's about getting the balance, everyone being comfortable and not feeling restricted. At the end of the day, everyone's a professional athlete and knows the difference between right and wrong.

"They are all grown men and it's their decision in the end, that's how we leave it. Everyone makes the right decision at our club."

One man who has seen the benefits the changes have brought is Carroll. When Burgess first arrived from England, Russell Crowe asked "Spud" to look after him. And that he has.

Whether it's the occasional workout at Spudds Gym at Woolloomooloo or helping the English international with goal setting, Carroll has taken Burgess under his wing. Burgess' brothers Luke, George and Tom also regularly catch up with Carroll, armed with YouTube footage of the former Souths great's battles with Paul Harragon.

"I just love the way he plays, I'm not going to put my time and energy into people who don't want to have a go," Carroll said.

On Saturday morning, Carroll sent Burgess a text: "As a kid you dream about playing first grade. Tick. Then you want to represent your country. Tick, you've done that too. But the best thing you can do in life is to win a competition with your mates you've had 11 months with ..."

Burgess appreciates the support.

"He's a good man, Spud, we're good friends," he said.

"He's a great bloke, he loves me and my brothers. He's got a great family and it's always good to hang out with great people. He always wants the best for us, he sends a few texts here and there to try and get us going.

"It's been a joy knowing him, he's a good mate and we'll be friends for a long time."

It's unclear whether we have seen the last of Burgess. When interviewed on-field straight after the game, the former Bradford Bull said the grand final would be his last game for the Rabbitohs for some time, rather than his last NRL game ever.

Quizzed on Saturday about a return to Redfern, he said: "I never say never. If you'd ask me whether I was going to play union in 12 months time 12 months ago, I'd have said you're crazy.

"Who knows? If I came back, I could see myself coming back to this club. If I don't, so be it, I've had a cracking five years. I'm not making any promises because you never know where your career will take you."