Star import...South Sydney Rabbitohs player Sam Burgess takes part in a team recovery session the day after his team suffered a close loss to the Dragons. Picture: Dan Himbrechts Source: The Sunday Telegraph
IF Sam Burgess was a Channel 9 commentator and charged with selecting the man of the match on Friday night, he certainly wouldn't have chosen himself.
"Thanks alot for all your msgs. We have the best support in the league," Burgess tweeted just moments after the heartbreaking 16-13 loss to St George Illawarra.
"Hurts to lose like that tonight, their (sic) was one OUTSTANDING man on the field.........I think we all know who I mean as well. OUTSTANDING.......NOT".
Burgess's 50th-minute penalty for holding down Saints forward Ben Creagh was one of three refereeing decisions that continued to rile Souths coach John Lang yesterday.
"I've looked at it today and there were two absolutely clear ones," Lang said. "One was when we were penalised early, fairly early in the game leading 6-0, at their end. Dave Taylor put a kick in, they knocked it on and we got penalised for Fetuli Talanoa being offside and he wasn't offside.
"Then at the end, it was a clear rake off Fetuli Talanoa with two minutes to go on the halfway line. Fetuli had the ball about 50m out and he got tackled and the guy raked it and he ruled it a knock-on.
"Then the Sam Burgess penalty ... was virtually identical to one earlier where they called dominant."
A shattered Burgess remained adamant the decision was a wrong call.
"To be honest, I didn't think it was a penalty, but referees make mistakes just like players do," Burgess told The Sunday Telegraph yesterday.
"I really didn't think it was a penalty.
"He called a dominant tackle, but what can you do - I just have to get on with it."
The UK import was a man on a mission on Friday night and while disappointed to surrender victory to the Dragons, he refused to concede the Rabbitohs couldn't lower their colours ahead of the finals.
"They're a solid team," Burgess said.
"They're definitely beatable, as teams have shown. I definitely thought we did enough to beat them last night.
"I think they'll say the same thing, that they were lucky to get away with the two points.
"We play them again next year and they're a great challenge, but I think we play them in the last round so what a good challenge to get a good crack at them again before the finals hopefully."