Greg Inglis has defended South Sydney teammate Sam Burgess following the criticism he received from England coach Wayne Bennett.
Inglis was one of six Australian tryscorers in the 38-16 win at the London Stadium on Sunday that eliminated England from the tournament.
Bennett accused his players of conceding too many silly penalties and pinpointed Burgess as the biggest culprit, claiming it's a problem he has at both international and NRL level.
However, Inglis said he didn't believe the talismanic forward was too undisciplined and claimed his will to win is what makes him a great player.
"He plays with his heart on his sleeve and you can see that back home with the Bunnies," Inglis said in London on Monday.
"I don't think he's got an issue, he's a competitor."
Burgess has also come under fire for the punch he threw at Australia prop David Klemmer but Inglis said Burgess was full of remorse for the incident when he caught up with him after the game.
"I was off the field at the time so I didn't see what happened," Inglis said.
"But I spoke to Sam and he was disappointed with what happened as he wants to be a role model for kids. He just had a brain snap.
"He's a great bloke and it's not in his character. I don't condone violence but he wears his heart on his sleeve."
Inglis was forced off the field in the second half with a head injury but expects to be fit to play in Sunday's final against New Zealand at Anfield unlike Sam Thaiday, who's out with a fractured cheekbone and eye socket.
"I took a knock from a tackle, but got cleared in the concussion test," he said.
"I had a bit of dizziness but I'm all sweet.
"But it's heartbreaking for the two boys who've got injured with Josh Mansour and now Sammy,
"He's not one to go down so for him to go off you know it's probably a serious injury. It's very unfortunate.
"But we've got Tyson Frizell and Matt Gillett and Trent Merrin has been unbelievable this whole tournament.
"I think we've got enough depth. Shannon Boyd coming off the bench allows the smaller forward to go into Sammy's role."
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