Returning Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess said he was back in rugby league for good after arriving in Sydney on Wednesday morning.
Having secured a release from English rugby union outfit Bath one year into a three-year deal before reuniting with South Sydney, Burgess said he can't see himself leaving the NRL anytime soon.
Burgess was subject to plenty of scrutiny following England's failed Rugby World Cup campaign, which played its part in his highly publicised return – a three-year deal with Souths.
It's a return which he says will be a permanent one, alongside brothers and teammates George and Tom.
"I love South Sydney – [my return there] was never in question. I didn't look closely anywhere [else]. I spoke to Chris my manager and the first thing I said to him was 'straight to Souths, don't bother looking anywhere else'," Burgess said.
"I'd find it very hard to put a different shirt on because I love this club. The experiences I've had here over the five years there were unbelievable.
"The people of Redfern and the people in the South Sydney area, you feel quite privileged to represent them. I can't wait to do that again this year."
Having returned to Australia on the same day his former Bath coach Mike Ford said Burgess "didn't have the stomach" to fight for his future in rugby union, the 26-year-old said he wasn't concerned about how he'll remembered in the rival code.
'There's not much really there, I was only there for 12 months," Burgess said.
"How I view my legacy in rugby union is that I went there, met some cool people, I had a great time learning a new game, played 20-odd games and five games for my country in a short space of time.
"Everyone may say it was a failure but if you saw the work I put in and the commitment it took to get in that position, I'm very proud of what I achieved. Fordy is entitled to what he has to say but that's more of a reflection of him than me."
While maintaining rugby league was in his DNA, Burgess was complimentary of his time in union.
"I've improved as an athlete all-round. I've learnt a lot of good things despite the games being entirely different. But I was always a league player in union," he said.
"I enjoyed the sport but deep down rugby league offered me something different. Nothing against union at all because I respect what they go through and what they do but for me personally, you have to play with passion and heart.
"That lies in rugby league for me. The sooner I got back was probably for the best.
"For the first few months [playing union] you're battling a few mental disagreements when trying to understand the ins and outs of the game. You get over it but my levels of passion, heart and desire weren't at the levels it had been as a rugby league player."
