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George Burgess considering early retirement months after rejecting monster Eels deal
South Sydney prop George Burgess may prematurely draw the curtain on his eight-year NRL career as the ferocious nature of rugby league catches up to his body.
The whispers have surfaced just months after the English forward rejected millions of dollars to join Parramatta before the season on a monster dollar deal that would have set him up for life.
Instead, Burgess put emotion before money in knocking back the biggest pay day of his career, declaring he couldn't have lived with himself if he walked out on South Sydney.
'To leave a club that I've played all my first grade games - at the drop of a hat - just didn't feel right to me,'' he said.
"I want to be able to play the season out knowing that if I am leaving that I can properly say goodbye to the club that has given a lot to me and I've given a lot to.
"For me as a person, that's the way I want it to happen - if it's going to happen."
That perhaps was the first hint right there that Burgess doubted whether he could make it though the year: ''If it's going to happen.''
The Australian journalist and Sporting News contributor Brent Read has revealed the Eels are no longer interested in his services and his recent lack of game time has raised concerns.
Burgess has been limited at training, and on occasions has sat out entire sessions, nursing a dodgy hip as his minutes have sunk to just 24 per game.
''He knocked back that huge offer from Parramatta a few months ago and Wayne Bennett wanted to keep him. Parramatta have now dropped out of the George Burgess race and distanced themselves,'' Read told Sporting News.
''He's playing 24 minutes a week for the past three rounds and he's really struggling. There are whispers doing the rounds that maybe he might be ready to pull the pin.
''He's 28 and his body is letting him down a bit. He's got the acting career to fall back on.
''Physically in the last year he's struggled and has had some injuries. He just hasn't been the same player.
''I remember when they won that grand final and he scored that try and he was a superstar, but we just haven't seen that again. The last three weeks he just hasn't looked right.
''It was a big decision not to take the Eels deal and I know there were a few people at Souths that were encouraging him to take that deal and he may live to regret that.
''This could be his Blake Austin moment. Blake Austin rejected that massive deal from Canberra and was forced to go to the Super League - that's where George Burgess is right now.''
Burgess, a Bradford junior, is mulling a Super League move, but he also has a genuine interest in pursuing an acting career
https://www.nospam47.com/au/league/...ohs-parramatta-eels/rvn51kfeyvg31dn1m7qsnrb7z
South Sydney prop George Burgess may prematurely draw the curtain on his eight-year NRL career as the ferocious nature of rugby league catches up to his body.
The whispers have surfaced just months after the English forward rejected millions of dollars to join Parramatta before the season on a monster dollar deal that would have set him up for life.
Instead, Burgess put emotion before money in knocking back the biggest pay day of his career, declaring he couldn't have lived with himself if he walked out on South Sydney.
'To leave a club that I've played all my first grade games - at the drop of a hat - just didn't feel right to me,'' he said.
"I want to be able to play the season out knowing that if I am leaving that I can properly say goodbye to the club that has given a lot to me and I've given a lot to.
"For me as a person, that's the way I want it to happen - if it's going to happen."
That perhaps was the first hint right there that Burgess doubted whether he could make it though the year: ''If it's going to happen.''
The Australian journalist and Sporting News contributor Brent Read has revealed the Eels are no longer interested in his services and his recent lack of game time has raised concerns.
Burgess has been limited at training, and on occasions has sat out entire sessions, nursing a dodgy hip as his minutes have sunk to just 24 per game.
''He knocked back that huge offer from Parramatta a few months ago and Wayne Bennett wanted to keep him. Parramatta have now dropped out of the George Burgess race and distanced themselves,'' Read told Sporting News.
''He's playing 24 minutes a week for the past three rounds and he's really struggling. There are whispers doing the rounds that maybe he might be ready to pull the pin.
''He's 28 and his body is letting him down a bit. He's got the acting career to fall back on.
''Physically in the last year he's struggled and has had some injuries. He just hasn't been the same player.
''I remember when they won that grand final and he scored that try and he was a superstar, but we just haven't seen that again. The last three weeks he just hasn't looked right.
''It was a big decision not to take the Eels deal and I know there were a few people at Souths that were encouraging him to take that deal and he may live to regret that.
''This could be his Blake Austin moment. Blake Austin rejected that massive deal from Canberra and was forced to go to the Super League - that's where George Burgess is right now.''
Burgess, a Bradford junior, is mulling a Super League move, but he also has a genuine interest in pursuing an acting career
https://www.nospam47.com/au/league/...ohs-parramatta-eels/rvn51kfeyvg31dn1m7qsnrb7z
