The human wrecking ball is back, and if Sam Burgess’ Charity Shield performance is any guide NRL defences are set to feel the full brunt of his 2011 season frustrations.
Burgess was limited to just four games last season because of an ankle injury which required surgery in May, his absence along with several injured teammates ruining the club’s finals hopes.
But as bitter a pill as 2011 was for Burgess and the Souths faithful to swallow, early indications are that it could just the tonic to invigorate their 2012 campaign.
The rust was still evident in several ill-advised offloads, but the Englishman was at his unstoppable best against St George Illawarra in Saturday night’s big pre-season clash.
He scored two powerful tries – the first as he ran over opposing fullback Kyle Stanley – while five defenders were unable to deny him a second in the type of barnstorming performance Rabbitohs fans drooled over during his debut 2010 season.
Burgess admitted his body was feeling the benefits of a long spell on the sidelines, with his previous off-seasons curtailed by representative commitments.
“It (the injury) has it’s pros and cons. It certainly makes me realise how much I love doing what I do. Having to miss a full year was very tough,” Burgess said.
“But it’s given my body a full rest, something I’ve not had for a number of years. The body’s sort of thanking me.
“It’s nice to be fit for once. It’s been a while since I’ve been out there.
“I’ve been running for the last three to four months. I’ve had plenty of time to get fit, pre-season’s been a good workout.”
Burgess’s return also reunited one of the most devastating one-two punches in the game, with Dave Taylor causing havoc down the left edge as the Dragons struggled to contain his sizeable frame.
Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire admitted under-pressure halves Adam Reynolds and John Sutton had to do a better job of getting the ball to the fringes for Burgess and Taylor to strut their stuff.
“I’m happy to have them, with blokes that size,” Maguire said of his hulking backrowers.
“We’ll look at how we played tonight and look at better ways to use our structures to better what we did tonight.”
Burgess urged fans to be patient with Reynolds, warning they shouldn’t expect a second coming of departed halfback Chris Sandow.
“Chris is one of a kind, he’s a special man,” Burgess said.
“(But they’re) two completely different players and Adam’s not got to worry about Chris or trying to be Chris Sandow.
“He’s just got to play his own game and fit into our team.”