The Sam Burgess rumour that could derail the Rabbitohs even further

Rabbitohs legend Sam Burgess has been vindicated by everything that has happened this season - and it spells disaster for one man.

Ivan Cleary and Sam Burgess after Penrith and Warrington trained together. Pic: Joseph Richardson

COMMENT

Amid the omni-shambles of South Sydney’s weekend, one moment scribbled the writing on the wall for Jason Demetriou.

It wasn’t his dispirited team getting creamed again, nor getting overtaken on the ladder by Canterbury.

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It wasn’t even Russell Crowe’s disastrous declaration of support for his job.

Nope, it was the ever-growing spectre of Sam Burgess racking up victories far away in a different hemisphere.

Burgess is emerging as the ultimate kill-shot to Demetriou’s time at Souths, with the club legend currently flaunting his chops in the English Super League.

Leading Warrington in his debut season as coach to four-straight wins to sit atop the ladder, Burgess’ stocks as a viable alternative are spiking harder than Demetriou’s blood pressure.

And as we know, the big Englishman’s shadow already looms heavy over the South Sydney club - and not just because his head’s big enough to eclipse the sun.

Sam Burgess, pictured with Ivan Cleary, is crushing it this season at Warrington. Pic: Joseph Richardson

Sam Burgess is chaired from the field after the 2014 NRL Grand Final. Picture: Gregg Porteous

The Burgess name is considered club royalty alongside Sattler, Churchill and Piggins as icons who’d happily rob a toddler to help the Cardinal and Myrtle.

Who could forget the images of 2014?

Seeing his face leak like an emotional puffer fish at full time of the grand final is a memory that lives long in the minds of fans and cosmetic surgeons alike.

As Demetriou walks a daily tightrope, the last thing he needs is a favourite son like Burgess braining a weekly job interview.

And barring a miracle turnaround, the noise to parachute him in as the saviour will only intensify with every gutter-ball Souths continue to deliver in 2024.

The rumour he will take over the reigns at the club in 2025 continues to gather steam.

It’s customary in times of crisis for fans to reminisce fondly of iconic leaders like Burgess, a warrior so ferocious that opponents wouldn’t pack down in a scrum without writing a will.

Just like Benji Marshall returning to the Tigers and Kevin Rudd to Labor leader, many believe all their problems can be solved simply by connecting the present to the glorious past, if only for the sugar hit in approval ratings and nostalgic dopamine.

South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou is under immense pressure. Picture: Julian Andrews

Burgess alleged some stars received preferential treatment. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

But what makes Burgess irresistible is his hard-nosed mentality, a quality now even more appealing with Souths playing like wet rice paper.

This is because supporters dream of him poking the playing group with a cattle prod and establishing a siege mentality around the club so heightened it would be surrounded by checkpoints and a no-fly zone.

But of course, a homecoming for the former skipper would require plenty of defrosting.

He departed the club last year in acrimony after falling out with Demetriou over alleged preferential treatment - namely to Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker - a claim the team has furiously denied by downing tools and not picking them back up since.

Burgess also voiced concerns over the club’s wilting standards compared to the Michael Maguire era, a time where premierships were so coveted that Madge famously vowed to chop off a finger if they didn’t win one.

Sure, nobody’s asking anyone to amputate a finger now - although you’d swear a few of the forwards already have judging by their handling - but current results prove Burgess was on to something.

Burgess left the Rabbitohs in a blaze of glory. Picture John Grainger

Sam Burgess said the standard wasn’t good enough at the club. Picture: Julian Andrews

Even his decoupling from Crowe was far from neat, with the owner reportedly hanging up the phone on Burgess following a heated tiff, which admittedly is more polite than throwing one at his head.

This was followed by a parting shot from CEO Blake Solly, who blasted Burgess’ criticism of Mitchell and Walker as “complete crap.”

As such, a Burgess return would be a monumental HR accomplishment, as rarely do employees complain to the boss, leave the club and be rewarded with a promotion.

But even despite the assertions of Warrington boss Karl Fitzpatrick that “there’s no chance of us releasing Sam early,” it would take a brave man to bet against the Burgess Project subsiding.

And it leaves the embattled Demetriou with Buckley’s chance of peace.

Put simply, in a two-horse race, Burgess is a club legend with deep family ties to the organisation who’s enjoyed a close relationship with the club’s owner, whereas Demetriou has a tenuous contract extension and no halfbacks.

- Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He’s never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.