Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis fire as South Sydney smash Canberra 42-22

SAM Burgess destroyed Canberra in the Rabbitohs 42-22 victory, but the English international faces a nervous wait following a brutal high tackle on Aidan Sezer.

Greg Inglis of the Rabbitohs reacts after scoring a try during the Round 7 NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canberra Raiders at the Central Coast Stadium in Gosford, Saturday, April 21, 2018. (AAP Image/Daniel Munoz) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

SAM Burgess could be set for another lengthy stint on the sidelines after the Rabbitohs enforcer was placed on report midway through the second half of his side’s 42-22 win over Canberra for a swinging arm that floored Raiders halfback Aidan Sezer.

The Englishman was always going to fire up after two weeks out of the game and Burgess didn’t disappoint with 203 metres and 27 bruising tackles, although his aggression might cost him after he sparked a melee in what his his first match back having missed the past fortnight for an elbow to the throat that left Bulldog Josh Morris struggling to breathe.

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The powerful Pom was right when he said footy players were auditioning for careers in Hollywood as he and his teammates wowed the Central Coast faithful with a performance David and Margaret would have given five stars.

With the speed of Apollo Creed, the power of Ivan Drago and the desire of a young Tommy Gunn, the Rabbitohs produced an 80-minute onslaught that would have made Rocky Balboa proud as they trounced Canberra in front of 15,134 fans.

Burgess had one of the best games of his career.

Elliott Whitehead looked to have gotten his side back in the contest when he crashed over on the stroke of half-time, but the Englishman went from hero to villain when he collected Tom Burgess high and off the ball. Despite the calls from the crowd, he wasn’t sent from the field, unlike Jarrod Croker who was marched for 10 minutes for tackling Angus Crichton on suspicion.

Those stuck at the all-you-can eat buffet at the Leagues Club next door rued that extra plate of spring rolls as Alex Johnston powered through Blake Austin to give Souths the lead after three minutes.

The afternoon didn’t get much better for the Raiders five-eighth as his opposite number, Cody Walker, pushed away from another feeble attempt before Johnston and Robert Jennings combined to make it 16-0.

It was a stirring return to form for Inglis.

The Bunnies had the Green Machine on the ropes, but instead of landing the knockout blow, they opted for a penalty goal, allowing Ricky Stuart’s men to claw their way back as Nick Cotric crashed over to cut the gap to 12.

Script writers love reverse momentum, but this wasn’t going to play out like any of the Mighty Ducks films.

Doing his best Rocky impression, Inglis traded the Philadelphia docks for the green pastures of Gosford as he intercepted an ambitious Sezer pass to score a trademark runaway try.

It was a dominant and brutal performance from the Rabbitohs.

Showing no signs of the predictable attack that averaged a tick under 20 points a game in 2017, the Rabbitohs continued to run riot with both wingers trading tries before fan favourite Jason Clark broke through for his first of the season.

Raiders fans had something to cheer about when Croker and Whitehead added some respectability to the score, but all eyes will be on the charge sheet on Sunday morning to see whether Burgess and his lawyers will need to front up to the judiciary for the second time this season.

SOUTH SYDNEY 42 (R Jennings 2 J Clark G Inglis A Johnston R Kennar C Walker tries A Reynolds 7 goals) bt CANBERRA 22 (E Whitehead 2 N Cotric J Croker tries J Croker 3 goals) at Central Coast Stadium. Referee: Adam Gee, Ziggy Przeklasa- Adamski. Crowd: 15,134

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Originally published as Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis fire as South Sydney smash Canberra 42-22