The Obstruction Rule

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Rabbitohs lock down Burgess

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Rabbitohs star forward Sam Burgess will be remaining in South Sydney for a fair while yet.

As expected, the Rabbitohs today announced the retention of Burgess on a long-term deal, that will keep him at the club until the end of 2023.

At that point, Burgess will be 34 years old, meaning that he’s now effectively a Bunny for life. The next question will be whether or not long-term extensions for his brothers will follow.

Burgess has played 160 first grade games for the Rabbitohs, and 24 Tests for Great Britain and England.

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The Weekend Wrap: 2/9/18

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The Rabbitohs are expected to this week announce the re-signing of star forward Sam Burgess for at least the next four years, on a deal worth over $1 million-per-season.

Storm halfback Brodie Croft missed his side’s final round loss to the Panthers, after injuring his knee playing lawn bowls.

Dragons coach Paul McGregor has confirmed that five-eighth Gareth Widdop will return for their elimination final against the Broncos.

Meanwhile, they’ll be sweating on scans for forward Jack De Belin, who suffered a suspected foot injury during his side’s victory.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson has emphatically denied any interest in signing Sea Eagles forward Martin Taupau, despite media reports linking him to the tri-colours.

Broncos coach Wayne Bennett has denied speculation that utility Jack Bird is to depart the club, saying that Bird will “be at the club next year“.

The season has ended painfully for the Sea Eagles, with star fullback Tom Trbojevic suffering a suspected fractured eye socket during his side’s hammering from the Broncos.

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The Weekend Wrap: 20/5/18

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The race for the Blues halves spots are believed to be down to Panthers halves James Maloney and Nathan Cleary, and Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary, after Blues selectors finally realised that Mitchell Moses is terrible.

Prior to their loss on Friday night, the Eels released edge forward Kenny Edwards, who had been suspended indefinitely by the club, anyway.

The edge depth took a further hit during the game, with second-rower Beau Scott suffering a season-ending ACL injury.

The Broncos will have to get used to the absence of forward Payne Haas, who’s decided to have surgery on his injured shoulder, that will rule him out for an extended period.

The howler of a call to sin-bin Roosters forward Dylan Napa for a head clash (that turned the match) has been effectively proven wrong, with the Match Review Committee clearing Napa of any wrongdoing.

The Knights have been left counting the cost of their narrow loss to the Titans, losing forward Jacob Saifiti (up to 12 weeks) and half Brock Lamb (up to four weeks) to a fractured shoulder and fractured cheekbone, respectively.

The Rabbitohs took a few injuries out of their win over the Cowboys, with both forward Sam Burgess and fullback Alex Johnston failing to finish the game due to a glute strain and hamstring strain, respectively.

The Cowboys and Maroons will be breathing a little bit easier, with prop Matt Scott believed to have only suffered a Grade One MCL injury, which shouldn’t impact his availability for State of Origin (though whether or not his form warrants selection is debatable).

The abomination of a match between the Storm and Sea Eagles will have ramifications for both sides, with Sea Eagles hooker Api Korisau (1 week) and Storm centre Curtis Scott (2 weeks) both charged for striking.

Sea Eagles utility back Dylan Walker meanwhile, faces 3-6 weeks on the sidelines with a fractured eye socket, after being on the receiving end of the punches from Scott.

Bulldogs fans will be sweating on news about centre Josh Morris, who failed to finish his side’s loss due to a knee injury.

Blues coach Brad Fittler has stated that he hasn’t yet ruled out selecting Sharks forward Andrew Fifita for New South Wales, despite Fifita being unavailable for Game 2, due to being Tongan.

It’s been revealed that a $10,000 mural of former Kiwis coach David Kidwell will remain in place until October – meaning that the mural of Kidwell will last longer in its role than he did.

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The Weekend Wrap: 22/4/18

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The Knights’ search for a star forward looks set to continue for a little while longer at least, after Broncos prop Tevita Pangai Jr indicated that he doesn’t plan on leaving Brisbane, adding that “we’ll get it sorted“.

There are fears Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough will miss up to a month of action, after he hyperextended his elbow during his side’s loss to the Storm.

The Storm didn’t escape the match unscathed though, with key forward Jesse Bromwich set to miss a few weeks with a Grade One MCL injury suffered in the same game.

The NRL meanwhile, have have declared that the decision to award a try from Billy Slater‘s “drop kick” was indeed the correct call.

Rabbitohs skipper Sam Burgess is facing another two weeks on the sidelines, after being charged for his high shot on Raiders half Aidan Sezer.

The season of Knights halfback Mitchell Pearce appears to be over, after he suffered a ruptured pectoral in his side’s last-gasp win over the Tigers.

In better news Nathan Brown could become the Knights head coach indefinitely, with the club reportedly close to offering Brown an open-ended, performance-based deal.

Eels fullback Clint Gutherson was announced as a co-captain of the club prior to their game against the Sea Eagles, and he made his maiden captaincy outing a win.

The injury comeback of Eels star Jarryd Hayne was short-lived, leaving his team’s first win of the year early, with another hip injury.

 

 

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The Weekend Wrap: 1/4/18

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The Cowboys have lost forward Jordan McLean for three months, with their star recruit booked in for surgery due to a foot injury suffered in his side’s loss to the Panthers.

Sharks prop Andrew Fifita has joined Broncos forward Tevita Pangai Jr in knocking back a possible Origin jersey and declaring his allegiance to Tonga.

Rabbitohs forward Sam Burgess is expected to contest his dangerous contact charge for raising his elbow, and would miss two weeks if found guilty.

Bulldogs forward Aidan Tolman is expected to miss “a couple of months” due to an ankle injury.

Storm centre Will Chambers faces a two-week suspension for a different dangerous contact charge, from a tackle on Paul Gallen.

The Sea Eagles have been dealt a massive blow, losing back-rowers Curtis Sironen and Kelepi Tanganoa to season-ending ACL injuries in the win over the Raiders.

Manly have also likely lost star fullback Tom Trbojevic for two weeks due to an ankle injury.

In positive news for Trbojevic, Blues coach Brad Fittler all but guaranteed his spot in the New South Wales team if healthy, saying that “if he’s at his best and he’s fit and strong, then he’s got to be somewhere; he’s too good”.

A horror round of knee injuries continued on Sunday afternoon, with the Knights losing centre Tautau Moga to the fourth ACL injury of his career.

Eels outside back Jarryd Hayne is set to miss a month of football due to the hip injury that’s ruled him out of the Easter Monday clash with the Tigers.

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