Sam Burgess has paid the ultimate compliment to North Queensland talisman Jason Taumalolo, claiming there's no stopping him and all his NRL side can do is "manage" his impact.
The South Sydney skipper said they were wary of a Cowboys side rejuvenated by Taumalolo's return when they meet as part of the NRL's Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
The Cowboys have been outside the top eight for most of the opening eight rounds but looked revitalised upon the Tongan international's return from a knee injury in their win over the Gold Coast.
Paul Green's side have only won one match without Taumalolo in their line-up this year and his comeback could represent the turning of a corner for the Townsville outfit.
He ran for 211 metres in his first game back against the Titans and Burgess said it was impossible to stop Taumalolo and take him out of the game.
"He quite effortlessly ran for 200m last week in his first game back," Burgess said.
"He's going to run the ball a number of times, he's going to make some metres but it's about making sure he's not as damaging, not giving him open space, making sure we have numbers around him.
"But he's going to run for a lot of metres, it's a fact."
Asked if Taumalolo was the best running forward in the game, Burgess said: "His numbers would suggest that.
"He's been consistent over the last three or four seasons, he's been probably the most destructive middle forward in the game.
"It's more of a management thing than trying to stop him. You have to be a realist about who you're playing."
Taumalolo's head-to-head duel with Cameron Murray shapes as a crunch match-up for the 21-year-old Rabbitohs young gun.
Murray has been mentioned as a possible NSW State of Origin contender and if he can blunt the effectiveness of the three-time Dally M lock of the year, he will go a long way to earning a Blues spot.
"Cameron is extremely good defensively," Burgess said.
"I don't think they'll be worrying about each other, they'll just be ready to do the job."
