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Brad Walter
May 4, 2011
STAR recruit Greg Inglis is in line to take over the South Sydney captaincy from injured skipper Roy Asotasi for the remainder of the season.
With prop Luke Stuart one of five Rabbitohs ruled out for the season, including England forward Sam Burgess, Inglis is believed to be the frontrunner to skipper the side in the absence of Asotasi.
The New Zealand front-rower broke his hand in last Friday night's win over Cronulla and there was more bad news for Souths coach John Lang when arthroscopic surgery on Burgess's ankle revealed the injury he sustained in the April 23 loss to Canterbury was worse than feared.
After initially being ruled out for six weeks due to the operation, Burgess will now be sidelined until at least the finals after it was discovered he had ruptured ligaments.
As a result, it was decided to insert a screw in Burgess's ankle to enable the injury to heal correctly and his estimated rehabilitation time is a minimum four months.
Burgess broke the news on Twitter, telling fans: ''Thanks for all your well wishes tweeps. Opp [operation] wasn't the best, more damage than expected & needed a screw. Will miss the rest of the season. GUTTED.''
The injury to Burgess has added to the Rabbitohs front-row crisis, with Asotasi, Stuart (knee) and Scott Geddes (knee) also ruled out for the season and Ben Lowe not due to return from a foot injury for another four to six weeks.
In addition, rookie centre Kane Morgan yesterday had a knee reconstruction after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament playing for feeder club North Sydney on Sunday.
''We're going through a tough time at the moment,'' Souths chief executive Shane Richardson said. ''We've now got six of our top 25-man squad out with long term injuries but there's not much you can do about it.
''We just need the young guys to step up like they did last weekend. There will be no excuses. The guys have got to get out and do the job.''
Burgess had moved from lock to the front row after the loss of Stuart and Queensland Origin forward Dave Taylor may have to do the same, with Lang having already using Eddy Pettybourne and Shannon McPherson as make-shift props.
Burgess's brother George may also be considered for his NRL debut after Richardson said the salary cap would prevent Souths from making a mid-season signing.
The club's only remaining recognised NRL front-rower, Ben Ross, is only eight games into a comeback from serious neck problems that kept him out of the game for two seasons.
Ross is off-contract after declining to take up an option to extend his deal with Souths for another season before the April 30 deadline and he is now guaranteed the opportunity to impress other clubs.
The Rabbitohs are also waiting to hear from halfback Chris Sandow, who is considering offers to stay at the club or join Parramatta.
Meanwhile, Canterbury prop Michael Hodgson was yesterday named to make his return in the NSW Cup after fainting in the match against Souths.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/l...#ixzz1LMtyWRy7
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