It was another typically strong year for England skipper Sam Burgess, who also took over the captaincy reigns of the Rabbitohs, with the Clive Churchill Medal winner leading his troops admirably through a transitional season for the club.
Leading a pack of young forwards alongside John Sutton, Burgess flourished under the extra responsibility, frequently posting the most metres, runs, tackles and offloads during in his 21 match campaign, and he was certainly a terrific role model for young forwards such as Cam Murray, Zane Musgrove and Angus Crichton as the cornerstone of the pack.
Sam also proved to be a worthy try-scorer, going over the line on five occasions in 2017, most notably with his double against the Wests Tigers in Round 10 in the 28-8 victory.
It was another herculean effort from the utility forward as he posted 2988 run metres, 703 tackles, 48 tackle breaks and 35 offloads in his 21 appearances, and there’s no doubt that he is the man to lead the forwards once again in 2018.
2017 Stats
Games Played: 21
Minutes Played: 1469 (Avg. 70pg)
Tries: 5
All Runs: 339 (Avg. 16pg)
All Run Metres: 2988 (Avg. 142pg)
Tackles Made: 703 (Avg. 33pg)
Tackle Breaks: 48 (Avg. 2pg)
Offloads: 35 (Avg. 1.6pg)
