Burgess ‘a good fit’ for Brothers
Star has plenty to offer
The first steps in the return to the NRL for South Sydney premiership winner George Burgess could start at a suburban rugby league field in Cairns.
The 31-year-old prop, who played 153 NRL games – the bulk at Souths, with whom he won the 2014 premiership – and 15 internationals for England, has moved to the tropics, where he will lace up the boots for defending premiers Brothers in the FNQRL.
Burgess cut a fairly relaxed figure at Stan Williams Park, the home of the Brethren, as he spoke about his move to FNQ, but the hunger for rugby league has returned for a powerhouse prop who made his name running over the top of would-be defenders.
And, if the cards fall a certain way, it could be the springboard for a return to the top.
“When this came up, it was a good follow-on, and at that stage I’d had six months off from high-level training and playing, and I was getting that itch back,” Burgess said.
“I’d been back around South Sydney doing the corporate game-day stuff and I was seeing the energy again, and I felt that it might be time to get back around a footy club.
“I didn’t want to disrespect the NRL again by going in underdone.”
But that isn’t the sole reason he’s moving to Cairns for the rest of the season.
Since stepping away from elite rugby league last year after just 12 top-level appearances in three years (eight for Wigan, four at the Dragons), Burgess has started a move into entertainment and is keen to work more in the community.
He landed a role in the Russell Crowe-led Land of Bad, which is due for release next month, and was part of the Human Kind summit at Luna Park in March.
Now he is in Cairns as part of a package deal through which he is primarily committed to working in the community while playing and passing on his knowledge.
Brothers head of football Tim Rumford connected with Burgess while on the hunt for a marquee player to help take the club to another level.
“We wanted to bring a marquee player, but not just for the on-field stuff,” Rumford said.
“We wanted to bring someone who could bring a professional attitude, help our players in terms of raising the standards and lead by example.
“There’s a lot of former players who have been at a high level who jump at the chance to come to the tropics and kicking back.
“But George impressed me with the way he spoke about his desire, his will to succeed and kick on for the next part of his footy and off-field life as well.
“It was a good fit for us.” Brothers captain-coach Jordan Biondi-Odo is also set to reap the benefits of Burgess’s addition to the club.
Biondi-Odo has had a steep but successful introduction to coaching.
He jagged the FNQRL’s coach of the year award in his debut campaign, when Brothers romped to the minor premiership only to be bundled out in straight sets.
Brothers learned from that experience, and in 2022 ended a decade-long premiership drought with Biondi-Odo steering the way.
With a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of Stan Williams Park just weeks away from starting and the chance to create a FNQRL dynasty, Burgess’s acquisition will give Brothers every chance of being the pinnacle club it aims to be.
”It will be good to have someone of that stature at the club,” Biondi-Odo said.
“He’s a really good lad.It’s a good vibe through the club, not just the seniors but the juniors as well.
“He’s shown that he’s a humble person, he fits in well.”
He is the third high-profile footballer to sign for FNQRL clubs this season.
Former NRL and Super League superstar and 2012 Dally M Medal winner Ben Barba is in electric form for Mossman-Port Douglas Sharks, while former Blues Origin star Josh Dugan has shown glimpses of his best for Ivanhoes while fighting an injury.