Sam Burgess sparks brawl with 'send off offence'
Sam Burgess has been placed on report for a brawl-sparking high shot against Canberra that experts felt should have seen the Rabbitohs forward sent off.
Burgess was clearly fired up after missing the last two weeks because of suspension but that passion could see him spend more time on the sidelines.
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The Englishman sparked wild scenes after an ugly high shot on Aidan Sezer, which set off a scuffle midway through the second half.
Burgess caught Sezer across the chin with his forearm as Raiders teammates raced in to confront the Rabbitohs man.
Commentators were of the opinion that the hit from Burgess warranted a send off and plenty of fans on social media agreed.
THAT WAS A SEND-OFF OFFENCE #NRLSouthsRaiders
— BUZZ ROTHFIELD (@BuzzRothfield) April 21, 2018
Absolutely it was. Croker got sent off for a try saving tackle...yet nothing for this @SamBurgess8 grub???
— LeftcurlyRightcurly (@perlarray) April 21, 2018
Jarrod Croker barely makes a late tackle and gets 10 min in the bin. Sam Burgess takes Sezer's head off and only a penalty...
Refs have killed the Raiders all game.— Freakzilla (@Freakzilla316) April 21, 2018
Absolutely it was.Minimum 8 weeks.
— theking (@elvisdecarlo) April 21, 2018
That proves there is no send off anymore What a joke
— Michael Burns (@michaelburns191) April 21, 2018
However, the English enforcer stayed on the pitch was given a standing ovation by the Rabbitohs faithful when he did eventually go off in the 61st minute, having run 179m and making two linebreaks.
The 42-22 win was the Rabbitohs' fourth win from their past five starts and a performance that reinforced that they are top-eight contenders.