Bookies hit South Sydney odds after Sam Burgess injury in Dragons defeat

MOVE over JT, Sam Burgess is now your equal as the NRL’s most valuable player. At least, that’s the TAB verdict in the wake of Burgess’s injury scare.

NRL Rd 3 - Dragons v Rabbitohs

Move over Johnathan Thurston, Sam Burgess is now your equal as the NRL’s most valuable player.

That’s the verdict of the TAB in the wake of Burgess’s injury scare that shocked the rugby league community on Sunday.

The powerhouse forward is out of the Rabbitohs’ Good Friday blockbuster against the Bulldogs.

Sam Burgess’s neck injury sparked major concerns.

While Souths players and fans were cheering the good news that the big Englishman had been cleared of serious neck and spinal injuries, Burgess was still awaiting further test results to determine any muscle injury around the neck or spinal region, as well as any neurological issues arising from his sickening accident.

St Vincent’s Private Hospital spokesman David Faktor said Burgess “is expected to make a full recovery.”

“He’s in good spirits and he’ll be discharged in the coming days.”

There is still no clear indication when Burgess will be back on the field, but the TAB reacted swiftly with a Thurston-like swing in the betting market.

Souths were initially the $1.70 favourites to beat the Bulldogs ($2.15) before Sunday’s loss to St George Illawarra. But following that result and the injury to Burgess, Souths have drifted to $2.50, with the Bulldogs firming to $1.55.

As the TAB’s Matt Jenkins explained, not since Andrew Johns has an individual player had as much influence on a betting market as Thurston and now Burgess.

The tackle that caused Sam burgess to be carried off in a stretcher.

“When Andrew Johns was at his peak he would move the line eight points — no other rugby league player in TAB betting history has done that,” Jenkins said.

“But Sam Burgess has returned to the NRL in the same form he left the game when they won the premiership.

“That is evident with the shift in betting in the clash with the Bulldogs this Friday. After Burgess was injured on Sunday betting flipped on its head and moved six points.

“The only other current player to move a market that much is four-time Dally M Medal winner Jonathan Thurston.”

That puts Thurston and Burgess ahead of the likes of Cam Smith, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk who the TAB rate the equivalent to four point players.

Although Inglis for one couldn’t have cared less about that, revealing that he spoke to Burgess from his hospital and the injured star was in good spirits.

“He seems upbeat,’’ Inglis said. “He is just a bit uncomfortable in a hospital bed. You know, his feet are hanging six inches over the bottom.

“But I just hope he rests up. Our main concern now is his health.”

Asked if Burgess was any chance of playing against the Bulldogs, Inglis said: “If you ask Sammy he will say ‘yes’.

“But we have to put him through the right medical procedures with this injury, especially around the neck.

“We have the right people in place to do that. We have a very thorough medical staff. We will go through the steps. To be honest, he was just talking about the game more than anything. I just said make sure your health is better before you come back.”

Souths coach Michael Maguire added: “We are all very happy to know Sam hasn’t suffered any serious injuries from (Sunday’s) game. We will continue to monitor Sam’s welfare and he knows he is in the best of hands with our medical staff as we move forward.”

Originally published as Bookies hit South Sydney odds after Sam Burgess injury in Dragons defeat