Sam Burgess at the Rabbitoh party after confirming that he is expecting a child with his girlfriend Lucy Graham

Sam Burgess has dated for the first time since he announced that his girlfriend Lucy Graham is pregnant with their first child.

The retired NRL star attended the NRL fourth round match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Manly Sea Eagles at Accor Stadium in Sydney.

The 34-year-old participated in the tribute to the late John Sattler, joining Rabbitohs head coach Jason Demetriou and members of the Sattler family as they formed an honor guard.

Sattler put rugby league fans in mourning after the legendary tough man died aged 80 on Monday.

He racked up 197 games and four premierships for South Sydney from 1963 to 1972 and will always be known for his incredible heroism in the 1970 decider against Manly.

The 34-year-old participated in the tribute to the late John Sattler, joining Rabbitohs head coach Jason Demetriou and members of the Sattler family as they formed an honor guard.

The enforcer from the town of Kurri, New South Wales, helped lead the Bunnies to a famous victory despite having his jaw severely broken by a punch from Sea Eagles forward John Bucknall roughly 10 minutes after the kick off. game.

Sam announced the happy news of his impending fatherhood for the third time five months after going public with his relationship with Lucy Graham.

“We are very excited and happy to start this new chapter together… Happy days,” he said in a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

Lucy, who hails from the UK, recently made the decision to move Down Under permanently and her pregnancy is believed to have been the reason.

Sattler (pictured) put rugby league fans in mourning after the legendary tough man died aged 80 on Monday.

Sam announced the happy news of his impending fatherhood for the third time five months after going public with his relationship with Lucy Graham. The couple is pictured in 2022.

Burgess is already a father to his two children Poppy, four, and son Billy, three, with ex-wife Phoebe Hooke, and while he can’t see them as much as he’d like, he cares for them unconditionally. .

The friends say they are “beyond excited” Sam is starting a new chapter with Lucy by his side.

He’s crazy about Lucy. He’s been a whirlwind, but she’s a fantastic woman. They get along so well. All of her friends are very excited to see how happy she makes her,” a close friend said.

“The Burgesses are very family oriented and I think there was always a plan to start a family. From what I hear, she’s genuinely good for him. When they are together they apparently laugh all the time, she makes him laugh out loud.

He confirmed the happy news to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

“We are very excited and happy to start this new chapter together… Happy days,” he said in a statement.

Lucy, who hails from the UK, previously made the decision to move Down Under permanently, and her pregnancy is believed to have been the reason. She is depicted holding a friend’s baby.

Burgess, who was born in West Yorkshire, England, has known Lucy for around 20 years.

Her identity was revealed in October last year, after he took her as a chaperone to the premiere of Russell Crowe’s film Poker Face in Rome.

Lucy is the co-founder of the sustainable fashion brand Sentenced, which launched in September 2019.

Sam found love with Lucy after a series of flings that followed his acrimonious split from Phoebe in January 2019.

Burgess is already a father to his two children Poppy, four, and son Billy, three, and although he can’t see them as much as he’d like, he cares for them unconditionally. Burgess is pictured with Poppy and Billy.