Sam Burgess to go down in rugby league folklore after playing grand final with fractured cheekbone
SOUTH Sydney fans have spent the past 44 years talking about John Sattler’s courage, now the Rabbitohs have another epic grand final performance to laud.
SOUTH Sydney fans have spent the past 44 years talking about John Sattler’s courage to play with a broken jaw in the 1970 grand final.
Now the Rabbitohs have another chapter officially lodged in rugby league’s book of bravery.
Sam Burgess, you bloody legend.
Has there ever been a more deserving Clive Churchill medallist in an NRL grand final?
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As Russell Crowe stood on the field hugging the big Englishman in the wake of Sunday night’s 30-6 victory over Canterbury to put an end to 43 long suffering years, the full enormity of Burgess’ heroics were there for all to see.
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His right eye was almost completely closed by the swelling after he suffered a fractured cheekbone in a sickening head collision with his countryman James Graham from a brutal collision on the first hit-up of the match.
Burgess revealed how it left him feeling “like I cracked my eyeball”.
After the match, Burgess revealed the pain was starting to set in, and that he will require surgery, possibly as early as Monday.
He was asked how he managed to stay on the field.
And he put it down to this.
“I just played on adrenalin,” Burgess said, “and my teammates talked me through ... but I’d do it again tomorrow.”
But Burgess won’t have to because South Sydney finally have their premiership and the boy from the tiny town of Dewsbury in the north of England has a place in our history.
What a night for the Rabbitohs. What a night for rugby league.
While Burgess will now leave the NRL to return home to England to play rugby union, what he leaves behind is a legacy that they will probably talk about at least for 100 years to come.
Because what Burgess did just to stay on the field Sunday night would have to go down as one of the most incredible acts of courage ever seen on a rugby league field in the game’s 106 years of being played in Australia.
With Rabbitohs’ legend Sattler sitting high in the ANZ Stadium grandstand alongside fellow Rabbitohs great Bob McCarthy, South Sydney completed a comprehensive 30-6 victory and Burgess was a thoroughly deserving man of the match.
And after the game even Sattler could hardly believe the tremendous performance of his beloved Bunnies and in particular the courage showed by Burgess.
“It was just wonderful stuff,” Sattler said.
“They were never going to be beaten tonight.
“But the big fella (Burgess), he has just absolutely blown them out of the water.
“He doesn’t look real bright at present with the eye the way it is.
“But he has played through and he has come through and I wish him all the best and his teammates.”
Asked if it was Sattler’s inspiration that had pushed him through, Burgess said: “We do draw a lot of inspiration from John and especially the team they played with back then.
“I am just really proud of the team. Not only the 17 tonight but the whole 30 we have involved and all the staff.
“My face is a bit of a mess but I will take it for the win.
“I am just really honoured to be a part of this.”
And the game should be honoured to have had him.
Crowe also spoke about that very first call he ever made to Burgess when he was just out of his teens and playing for Bradford in the English Super League.
At that stage not many in Australia knew who Sam Burgess even was.
But he goes home now not just as a legend of South Sydney but a legend of the game.
“I met him when he was 20 years old and he just had this ambition,” Crowe said.
“And I recognised what that level of ambition was. I have described him as the sparkly-eyed man.
“The guy that can be as hard as he needs to be on a football field but as gracious as he can be off the field.
“And he has carved his name deep in the history of rugby league.”
And who could argue with that.
After the initial impact with Graham there was almost immediately a noticeable depression fracture in the right side of Burgess’ face and blood was dripping out of his nose and mouth.
But while the shock initially stunned Burgess for several minutes the effort he fired back with was testament to his enormous heart.
By half-time last night Burgess had still clocked up the second most metres (108m) of any forward on the field with 15 carries.
In fact, the only forward on the paddock ahead of him was his younger brother George with 118 metres from 13 charges — and don’t forget George also spent a period in the dressing rooms for a concussion test after he was also cleaned up while returning a kick off because of another accidental head clash.
By the end of the game Sam and George had racked up 186 and 187 metres respectively.
But those figures don’t even go close to explaining the inspiration they provided their teammates just by staying on the field.
And then playing the way they did. Incredible is an understatement.
George’s barnstorming second half try to break a 6-all deadlock will go down as one of the great tries from a front rower in a grand final.
And Sam’s overall performance the stuff of legend.
People often talk about the great Englishmen who have come to play rugby league in Australia.
Names like Malcolm Reilly, Tommy Bishop, Ellery Hanley ... has there ever been better than Sam Burgess.
Souths fans could perhaps rightfully have that argument with anyone this morning after Burgress’ performance last night.
Few if any would stand any taller than the man from Dewsbury.
We were lucky to have him.
Originally published as Sam Burgess to go down in rugby league folklore after playing grand final with fractured cheekbone