What’s the Buzz: South Sydney Rabbitohs’ grand final roster built on medical retirements

Sam Burgess showing remarkable strength and resilience on the Channel 7 TV show has reopened debate over medical retirements and Souths’ management of their salary cap.

Sam Burgess in action on SAS Australia.

The conversations around South Sydney’s management of their salary cap and grand final roster in recent years will not go away.

Sam Burgess may have finally explained how he medically retired from the NRL with a multimillion-dollar payout ... but is still able to complete the most arduous drills on SAS Australia.

Burgess’ payout — along with Greg Inglis’ medical retirement — was deducted from the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ salary cap and allowed the club to sign the likes of Latrell Mitchell and Jai Arrow and upgrade Blues Origin forward and future captain Cameron Murray.

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Despite chronic shoulder injuries that forced him out of the NRL, Burgess has shown remarkable strength and resilience on Channel 7’s TV show. Your columnist watched last week. Seriously, he looked fit enough to play against Manly on Friday night.

Former Souths star Sam Burgess has been a standout on reality TV show SAS Australia.

The Rabbitohs also had the Inglis medical retirement in 2019. Another multimillion-dollar contract that was taken off their salary cap.

Yet 18 months later he is okay to make a comeback in the UK Super League with Warrington. An incredible recovery!

Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly is an honourable man and we’re not suggesting in any way this has been a rort. He acted on the opinions of medical experts who declared the two superstars were unfit to play NRL.

However it is an area the NRL needs to keep an eye on in future in the name of fair play.

EELS MAKE HUGE PROFIT DESPITE COVID

Sydney-based NRL clubs are no longer the financial basket cases they once used to be.

We’ll use Parramatta as an example under CEO Jim Sarantinos, remembering it wasn’t long ago the Eels’ football club needed a $10 million grant from Parra Leagues Club just to break even.

Next month the Eels will report a profit of $1.5 million for the year. This has been achieved without a penny from the Leagues Club that has been closed since Sydney’s Covid lockdown and the fact they lost four big home games when the competition was relocated.

Parramatta CEO Jim Sarantinos and his team have got the Eels in great shape off the field.

All-up the NRL has given the 16 clubs $14 million each. Sponsors and members have stuck solid too.

The Roosters are expected to finish with a $2 million plus profit, despite no pokis income during Covid. They own $100 million worth of property and make money from rent.

Some other clubs will make small loses but nothing like the bad old days of multimillion dollars deficits.

SPORTING WORLD MOURNS MO’S MUM

The sporting world is mourning the passing of Neita Matthews OAM, the mother of ex-Test cricketer Greg Matthews and an iconic figure in netball.

Neita devoted her life to the sport and was patron of Netball NSW and a life member since 1980 and played a huge support role in Mo Matthews’ rise to Aussie cricket icon.

Originally published as What’s the Buzz: South Sydney Rabbitohs’ grand final roster built on medical retirements