One thing about Sam Burgess is for sure: he has never been boring.
He gives 100 per cent to whatever he does. There is no grey area.
However, there is now a lot of grey area around his future in the game.
It seems that a chronic shoulder injury may bring the curtain down on the career of the big lad from Dewsbury in Yorkshire, just shy of his 31st birthday.
He still has a contract with the Rabbitohs for three more years for a reported amount of $1.2 million a season. Burgess is highly unlikely to walk away from that.
However, the Rabbitohs can’t afford to have ten per cent of their salary cap tied up with one player if he is likely to miss a large amount of the games.
The best scenario is for the NRL to allow the Rabbitohs to pay out Burgess the reported $3.6 million so he can retire, without it counting towards their salary cap.
A similar situation occurred with Greg Inglis at the beginning of the 2019 season. It made lots of people unhappy. A lot of the other teams and their fans thought the NRL showed the Rabbitohs undue favouritism and gave them an unfair advantage.
As a result, the NRL may well be hesitant to allow the Rabbitohs to pay Burgess out.
(Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
My understanding is that it may hinge on whether the injury is considered to be a new injury or an existing one.
There is contention that, while the injury may have worsened as a result of an infection following surgery, Burgess has been carrying the issue since 2016.
The best result for all parties is that Burgess overcomes his injury and is able to play out his contract.
Sam Burgess is an enormous presence on the field. There is no question that he leads the way for his side. He is an alpha wolf and a bully. He regularly dominates his opponents and seizes the ascendency for his team.
This season he was the leading metre-gainer for his side, running the ball an average of 15 times a game and averaging 70 minutes of game time. He also gave away a penalty almost every game. However, that was often a demonstration of his strategic nous.
In Round 10, I witnessed Burgess personally leading his side to victory. With his side exhausted following a glut of possession to their opponents, the Canberra Raiders, Burgess ensured that the Green Machine couldn’t capitalise.
He – ably assisted by his little brother George – gave away eight penalties in a 17-minute period. It totally disrupted the Raiders’ attack. That the Rabbitohs came away with a four-point win owed no small part to the interference he deliberately caused.
There is no question that he has had a massive impact on South Sydney’s fortunes.
Since his return to the cardinal-and-myrtle in 2016, the Rabbitohs have had a 51 per cent win ratio (52 wins from 102 matches). When Burgess is not playing, their win ratio drops to 43 per cent.
The problem with Burgess is that there is a very good chance that he’ll be missing more games in the future.
Of the 14 matches he has missed, they only won six. While nine of those absences have been as a result of injury – that troublesome shoulder frequently featuring – five have been because of suspension. And it could have been a lot worse, too. Those five games missed were the result of three suspensions.
Burgess has been charged ten times by the match review committee since the start of 2016. Five times he has entered an early guilty plea to avoid suspension. One time he beat the charge at the judiciary, and in Round 20 this year he managed to argue a charge down from a suspension to a fine.
He wasn’t so lucky with his hair-pull on Billy Smith, getting a one-game suspension. In his absence the following week, the Roosters whipped the Rabbitohs 30-6.
The very manner of Burgess’ game means that he is likely to be the subject of plenty more charges. Mixed with his dodgy shoulder, the chances are high that he’ll be missing more football than he plays. Possibly lots more.
As the Rabbitohs’ marquee player, that’s something they cannot afford – and they know it.
As much as the South Sydney faithful will hate this reality, the best option is for Big Sam to hang up his boots – as long as the Rabbitohs still are able to use that considerable chunk of salary cap to lure the likes of young David Fifita down from the Broncos.
The whole matter hinges on whether the NRL will allow that to happen.
While it’s a very safe bet that the Redfern club will be strongly lobbying for that outcome, it is an equally safe bet that influential clubs like the Broncos and Roosters – who have players that might be tempted away by big money offers – will be lobbying just as hard so that Todd Greenberg’s administration don’t allow it.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Mate Pickett, why would George Piggins have any "blind hatred borne out of envy" envy for what??? George is a malty millionaire and a very successful businessman in the South Sydney area and very rich man, why would he have any envy for Anasta and the Chooks???? You have to be kidding, no one has envy for the Chooks in this area, we just don't like them buying premierships and stealing our playas, simple!!!
Pickett
Roar Rookie
You do realise O'Neill (and Branighan) went to Manly and McCarthy went to the Berries. It's only because Ron came to the old enemy, Easts. You are sounding like George Pig-headed Piggins who told his nephew, Braith Anasta, he can play for any club in the comp except for Easts. Just blind hatred borne out of envy
steveng
Roar Rookie
Yes mate but, a true Bunnie "DOES NOT DO THAT" he started it, I remember when he dogged it, which was the biggest shock to me as I'm sure to all Bunnies’ fans. I lived all my life and played all my RL in the Eastern Suburbs, it makes no difference, Ron Coote only thought of his pocket and not loyalty, that was a real shock to me ‘I was flabbergasted and shocked’ when he made his disgraceful move to the enemy! As that is when the Bunnies started to tear apart and struggle! He started it and I will never evr forgive him, as he was a legend of the Bunnies, right up there with Saddler, Simms, O’Neill, McCarthy, Lisle etc you just don’t do what Coote did! Anyway its all done and dusted, he can make all the excuses he likes!
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Steveng Wash your mouth out with soap re: Ron Coote. This bloke is 100% football royalty. He always publically says he loves both Sou ffs and Easts. I remember in 2014 just before Easts played Sou ffs someone asked who he was going for and he said 'Sou ffs because Easts won the comp last year and he wants to see Sou ffs win it this year'. His dad Jack played for Easts and was a passionate Easts man, and it was because Sou ffs sneakilly redrew the boundary lines that Ron's club Kensington United got classifed as Sou ffs juniors.
steveng
Roar Rookie
Ok, so what would you put him on? He was on that money since he made that silly rara swap in 2015, it just dosen't make sense and it would be an insult to offer him 500 to 750k as he was Souths leader and an integral part of leading that side, look at his last 2 years and where Souths finished, we were right up there and Sam was one of our top players!
The Barry
Roar Guru
Four year contract is fine....at 1.2M a season though... that’s having a laugh
Footlong
Roar Rookie
Such a sad person...
steveng
Roar Rookie
TB, I think that SamB who is unquestionably one of Souths greatest players 'surely deserves' a 4 year contract at the age of 30! He's not 32 or 34, yes Souths knew that he had some shoulder injuries but, it wasn't as serious as it panned out in late 2019, as Sam always pulled through and was still the best forward in the game! The contract that Sam got at the beginning of 2019 was not a 'rort' this is doing the right thing to a legend and a long and loyal player of the club and not like other clubs do, and have no loyalty considerations e.g. chooks and Pearce, Napa, Guerra and SKD! We at Souths are "LOYAL" (never mind the players that have dogged us e.g. Coote circa 1975, who started this) as once a Bunnie always a Bunnie, just look at all our fans and past and present players like Reno and Sutto, who are a perfect example of what I mean.
Steve
Guest
What if.....only one year contracts were allowed and they were all public and no third party deals? Ok, Roosters might squeal but...........
Chris.P.Bacon
Guest
:laughing: :stoked:
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Mate said to me yesterday"It appears that the good old Lebanese back is now the Bunny Shoulder" If the shoulder is as bad as being made out in the media I can assure you that a shoulder does not get so unstable that it is bone on bone in just one season. You have had to have torn tendons off the bone and if you tear a tendon off the bone you know you have done it and that is from personal experience having torn both the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons off the bone simultaneously
The Spectator
Roar Guru
Insurance cough cough !
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
At least I have an idea Nat. ;-)
Muzz
Guest
Sam may be heading over to Manly. He has told Bennett that he feels stale. A new club may reignite his love for the game. Fifita and JWH are on Bennetts wish list. Murray may be a Bulldog next season on a 5 year mega-deal.
Nat
Roar Guru
Still quoting NEW IDEA Paps?
The Barry
Roar Guru
Yep. Petero and Gallen weren’t on 1.2M a season contracts either Burgess is nowhere near his prime.
Albo
Roar Rookie
What facts would they be Papi ? Signing 30 year olds to long term lucrative contracts in a tough physical sport is always a big risk that the Clubs have to carefully weigh up. The fact that all the talk is now around the 30 year old Burgess maybe giving it away due to injury, only proves the point. Sometimes it pays off for a Club . Sometimes it doesn't . If it doesn't pay off , I don't think the NRL should have to compensate the Clubs with Cap relief for those Clubs losing the punt they took on their old boy. Otherwise it will become a trend that could threaten the financial viability of the game.
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
Yes. It happens every year to most clubs - a player or players suffer a long term injury and a bunch of the salary cap ends up sitting on the bench. Why do you think every club has a squad of 32 (or whatever) players?
paulie
Guest
You really don't have a lot of credibility in your nonsense ramblings about the Salary Cap. Dane Gagai would would be on what Manu and Mitchell are combined which is why they are in the news as lilkey to leave because their contracts finish next year. Gagai was already on 800k a year at the knights before Souths poached him.
Chris.P.Bacon
Guest
"There’s a view the Dogs are still very much at the negotiating table but what happens next is anyone’s guess." .....every dog has its day! (Trbojevic boys, Fifita, Mitchell.....sounds about right) ;)