The disciplinary problems of South Sydney captain Sam Burgess are set to cost him a chance to face NRL leaders Melbourne next week after he was charged by the match review panel.
No sooner was Burgess back from eight weeks out with injury than he rattled Cronulla’s Matt Moylan with what has been deemed a grade-two careless high tackle during Saturday’s 39-28 NRL loss to the Sharks.
It’s the 15th time Burgess has been charged in his NRL career.
The Englishman will miss next Sunday’s clash with the Storm with an early guilty plea, while he faces a two-game ban if he contests the charge and is found guilty.
The Rabbitohs, who could potentially drop out of the top four with a defeat to the Storm, are already playing without Sam’s younger brother George until the finals while he serves a nine-game ban for eye gouging.
The NRL adds 50 per cent loading to a charge for each similar offence in the past two years, while there’s a 20 per cent loading for each non-similar offence during the same time period.
Burgess has been charged five times in the past two years but only two of those offences have impacted his potential penalty this time around with grade one offences only being able to be added to a charge for 12 months.
Souths coach Wayne Bennett has clearly had enough of Burgess’s inability to control his discipline.
Three years ago Bennett delivered a withering public spray to Burgess for giving away too many penalties during an England Test loss to Australia.
He didn’t hide his disappointment after Saturday night’s loss to Cronulla.
“I’m not happy about that, Sam’s been out for a number of weeks and it’s time for him to come back and lead from the front and stay within the rules of the game,” Bennett said.
“He’ll have to get that off his conscience. It’s not what we needed at the time, there was no reason for it.”
Burgess’s woeful disciplinary history has led to him missing 10 games since he came into the NRL in 2010.
Before going in for shoulder surgery, Burgess was considered by many to be lucky to avoid a ban for his part in an ugly brawl in round 13 against Newcastle.
He was accused by Knights skipper Mitchell Pearce of a “dog shot” in the aftermath of the incident.
He was charged with contrary conduct and escaped with a $1350 fine.
“His aggression is important, I want them all to play with aggression,” Bennett said.
“But there are rules and we need to stay within those parameters.”
In other judiciary matters, Penrith playmaker James Maloney is poised to miss Friday’s big clash with Cronulla after being slapped with a grade one tripping charge.
Maloney was placed on report after catching Canterbury’s Jeremy Marshall-King in the fourth minute of the Bulldogs’ shock 16-8 win over the Panthers.
With carry-over points added, Maloney would serve a one-game ban even with an early guilty plea and the only way he can face the Sharks would be if he successfully beats the charge.
