Retiring NRL player Sam Burgess has marked his departure from the game with a last-minute bid to win The Frownlow Medal.
The England international earned his nomination after being charged with intimidation, just moments after announcing his retirement from the sport.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 and code-swapper Karmichael Hunt was the most recent recipient.
It is alleged that Burgess was involved in an altercation with his father-in-law at the home of his children. The incident led police to take out a temporary apprehended violence order on the former Rabbitoh, and he will face court in the near future.
Burgess has been nominated for Frownlow honours before. In 2016, he was caught taking a photo of himself while driving. He later posted the image on his own social media account.
The rampaging and gifted forward now has another huge party to look forward to, and is hoping that the awards night for The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame proves as memorable as his holiday in Mexico.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 