George Burgess (rugby league)

In Round 13 of the 2012 NRL season, Burgess made his NRL début for the South Sydney Rabbitohs against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs off the interchange bench in the Rabbitohs 23–18 loss at ANZ Stadium.[10] Burgess played 3 matches for the Rabbitohs in his début year in the NRL in the 2012 NRL season.

In the 2013 NRL season Round 1 season opening match against the Sydney Roosters, Burgess scored his first NRL career try in the Rabbitohs 28–10 win at SFS.[11] After the Rabbitohs 30–24 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Barlow Park in Cairns in Round 14,[12] Burgess was stood down 3 weeks for smashing a car window with a street sign in Cairns,[13] In June 2013, a naked leaked selfie of Burgess was posted on social media.[14] In August 2013, in Round 25 against the Wests Tigers the Burgess brothers became the first set of four brothers to line up in the same Australian side since Ray, Roy, Rex and Bernard Norman played for Sydney's Annandale club in the 1910 NSWRFL season.[15] The brothers played in the Rabbitohs 32–18 win at SFS.[16] Burgess finished the Rabbitohs 2013 NRL season with him playing in 24 matches and scoring 7 tries. On 1 October 2013, Burgess was named the 2013 Dally M Rookie of Year capping of a stellar year for the Rabbitohs.[17]

On 5 October 2014, in the Rabbitohs 2014 NRL Grand Final against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Burgess played at prop and scored an incredible try in the Rabbitohs 30–6 victory, alongside his brothers Thomas and Sam Burgess.[18][19] Burgess finished off his solid year with the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the 2014 NRL season with him playing 23 matches and scoring 3 tries.

On 23 January 2015, Burgess was named in the South Sydney Rabbitohs tournament winning 2015 NRL Auckland Nines squad.[20] On 23 February 2015, Burgess played for the Rabbitohs in the 2015 World Club Challenge match against 2014 Super League Grand Final premiers St. Helens, playing at prop and received the Man of the Match award in the Rabbitohs 39–0 win at Langtree Park.[21] In Round 26 against the Sydney Roosters, Burgess was placed on a contrary conduct charge after he threw a water bottle at Roosters forward Kane Evans as he was walking off the field to the sideline; Burgess was sitting on the interchange bench at the time of the incident in the Rabbitohs 30–0 loss at Sydney Football Stadium.[22] Later on 10 September 2015, Burgess was unsuccessful in his downgrade bid at the NRL Judiciary and received a 2 match suspension.[23] The Rabbitohs later bowed out the Finals race after getting beaten 28–12 by the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Week 1 of the 2015 NRL Finals series.[24] Burgess finished the 2015 NRL season with him playing in 24 matches and scoring 1 try for the Rabbitohs.

Burgess finished the 2016 NRL season with him playing in 17 matches for the Rabbitohs.

In March 2017, days before the Rabbitohs season opening match against the Wests Tigers, Burgess was dropped from the team and was sent to play for North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup after he failed to impress coach Michael Maguire in the pre-season trial matches and was outshone by the likes of youngster Zane Musgrove to the starting front-row position. Maguire gave Burgess a blunt ultimatum "Fire up or flounder in reserve grade". Maguire also commenting, "It's about performance in this club and he knows the areas that he needs to improve on. "Someone like David Tyrell and Zane Musgrove have excelled in these earlier games. Each week we'll look at who we need to carry and this week we've gone with those two boys."[25] In Round 3, Burgess was sent to the sin bin and later suspended for three matches after elbowing Newcastle player Mitch Barnett in the face during South Sydney's 24-18 victory.[26] In Round 8 against the Brisbane Broncos, Burgess was put on report for a shoulder charge on Broncos five-eighth Anthony Milford during the Rabbitohs 25–24 loss at ANZ Stadium.[27] After facing the NRL judiciary, Burgess copped a four-match suspension which eventually rubbed him out to play for England in their test match against Samoa.[28][29] In Round 15 against the Gold Coast Titans, Burgess played his 100th NRL career match in the Rabbitohs 36–20 win at ANZ Stadium.[30] Burgess finished the 2017 NRL season with him playing in 18 matches for the Rabbitohs.

On 6 December 2017, Burgess signed an extension contract with Souths keeping him at the club until the end of 2019.[31]

Burgess enjoyed a return to form in 2018 with South Sydney finishing 3rd on the table at the end of the regular season. Burgess made 27 appearances for Souths as the club made it all the way to the preliminary final before being defeated 12-4 by eventual premiers Eastern Suburbs.[32][33]

Burgess made his first start for Souths in round 4 of the 2019 NRL season against Manly-Warringah which ended in a 13-12 loss. Burgess then played in the next seven games for South Sydney which were all victories and had the club sitting on top of the table after 11 rounds. In round 14 against Wests Tigers, Burgess was placed on report after allegedly attempting to gouge the eyes of Wests player Robbie Farah. Souths would go on to lose the game 14-9 at the new Western Sydney Stadium. After the match, the incident was referred immediately to the match review committee. On the 2nd of July 2019, Burgess was found guilty of the eye gouge on Farah and received a nine match ban from the NRL judiciary. This was the longest such ban imposed for an eye gouge incident in NRL history, partially due to the fact that in the previous year's season, Burgess was guilty of another eye gouging offence.[34]

On 29 July, Burgess signed a three-year deal with the Wigan Warriors on a three-year deal from the Super League XXV season.[35][36]

In the qualifying final against arch rivals the Sydney Roosters, Burgess made his return from a nine match suspension as Souths were defeated 30-6 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.[37]

Further into 2019, Burgess made his acting debut in the Australian/New Zealand crime thriller Locusts (film) playing a bouncer named Ivan.[38]

Burgess made his debut for Wigan against Warrington in the opening round of the Super League XXV season. During the match, Burgess was flattened by Warrington player Ben Murdoch-Masila after he attempted to tackle the player on his way to the try line. Wigan would go on to win the match 16-10.[39][40]

Burgess only made eight appearances, scoring one try, for Wigan before a major hip injury ended his season. In February 2021 the club announced that by mutual consent with Burgess he was being released from his contract and after an operation on his hip scheduled for March 2021 would spend most of the rest of the year undergoing a physical rehabilitation programme.[41]