2012 Player Review - Sam Burgess

The team at www.rabbitohs.com.au will be taking a look at the performances of the 2012 Rabbitohs players in our series of player reviews.

Today's subject is Sam Burgess.

SAM BURGESS

A couple of different injuries sidelined the England International in 2012 but he still managed to play 22 excellent games.

Big runs, big hits and big efforts were the hallmark of his season. Burgess played 80 minutes on six occasions, quite a remarkable effort for a player in his position.

Burgess played 67 minutes per game only just behind Issac Luke (68 minutes) and was one of the major reasons why the Rabbitohs charged towards the finals.

His 27.2 tackles per game was behind only Michael Crocker and Nathan Peats and he led all Rabbitohs with 16.1 runs per game averaging over 130 metres along the way.

Burgess made 10.4 hit ups and 82.7 hit up metres per game, streets ahead of second placed Dave Taylor, 7.9 hit ups and 68.4 metres per game.

Some of his efforts were absolutely incredible. His 80 minute performance in round four against the Broncos was one of his best. He ran 19 times for 181 metres including 5 tackle breaks, a line break, two offloads and 30 tackles.

Consistency was one of his trademarks during the year. Burgess ran over 100 metres 18 times in his 22 appearances, once when injury struck against the Tigers and on the other three occasions he made upwards of 90 metres.

Like his brother Luke, the latter part of his season was simply outstanding. From Round 24 until the Preliminary final he averaged 168 metres from 20 runs and added 28 tackles per game.

To view Sam Burgess' profile, click here.

Key stats:

Games: 22
Average minutes: 66.95 (2nd among forwards)
Tries: 5
Tackles per game: 27.2 (3rd overall)
Effective tackle percentage: 88%
Runs per game: 16.1 (1st overall)
Run metres per game: 131.2 (2nd overall)
Hit ups per game: 10.4 (1st overall)
Hit up metres per game: 82.7 (1st overall)
Line breaks: 8 (=7th overall)
Tackle breaks: 72 (5th overall)
Offloads: 35 (3rd overall)

What's ahead in season 2013:

Sam Burgess added some real mongrel to the Rabbitohs pack, although on occasion it got him in hot water with the referees.

Burgess admitted that he battled with a knee injury for much of the season and the Rabbitohs medical staff will be working overtime to ensure he's 100% for 2013. To think that he wasn't in peak condition and could improve next year is incredible, given he was one of the best forwards in the game this year.

All-round it was an outstanding season from a forward who is not yet 24 years old and he'll continue to grow as he gains more experience. Look to Burgess to have a massive 2013.