The errors of the Burgess brothers cost South Sydney dearly in preliminary final loss to Sydney Roosters
THE errors of the Burgess brothers caught up with South Sydney at the worst possible time as unforced errors cost them and their team dearly in the preliminary final defeat.
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THE first thing a young rugby league player is taught is how to do up his headgear.
The second is how to hold a football securely.
The Burgess brothers appear to have skipped both of those lessons while learning the game in the north of England.
It was all downhill for George from the early stages of the preliminary final clash with the Sydney Roosters when he had his strapping that covered 20 stitches knocked clean off his head.
Ball control has been a major issue for the star trio all season, and ultimately, it cost South Sydney a spot in the 2018 grand final following a 12-4 loss to their bitter, Tricoloured rivals.
Entering the clash, Sam’s 26 errors was the most of any forward in the competition, alongside teammate Angus Crichton, a whopping eight more than the next ranked middle forward in Jason Taumalolo.
Between the brothers and their back-rower, they’d amassed a staggering 69 errors throughout the season prior to Saturday night.
That number surged in the last ever game at the Sydney Football Stadium.
A disappointed Anthony Seibold knew his side failed to deliver on the big stage, but made no excuses for the loss.
“There was plenty of effort, but the Roosters deserved to win,” Seibold said.
“We probably weren’t the best version of ourselves tonight, so that’s what makes it so disappointing,” Seibold said.
George was quickest out of the blocks when spilling his beans in the 15th minute while lumping the ball up out of his own end.
The Roosters capitalised on the mistake in the following set with the opening try of the game to winger Daniel Tupou.
Sam dropped it cold in the 32nd minute leaving the Rabbitohs’ own half, while Crichton ensured he wouldn’t be outdone atop the leaderboard with his own mistake just minutes out from halftime.
Tom almost completed the brotherly trifecta in the first 40 minutes when the ball left his grasp attacking the Roosters’ line, but it was contentiously deemed to have been a strip.
With 15 minutes remaining before fulltime it was Sam again showing he’s been burdened with butter-fingers, dropping a short ball just 10 metres from the Roosters’ tryline with the Rabbitohs trailing by four points.
The error count of the South Sydney pack cruelled the side all season, and it appeared a habitual problem when the issue continually reared itself during key stages at Allianz Stadium.
In grand final qualifiers it’s moments like these that play a major role in who advances to the game’s biggest stage, and the Rabbitohs need look no further than their inexcusable ball handling when they get a chance to decipher where it all went wrong.