NRL 2022 pictures: Dragons recruit George Burgess’s stunning transformation

George Burgess has opened up about the NRL off-season’s most astonishing body transformation, revealing the role he hopes to play for the Dragons. SEE THE PICTURES

Dragons prop George Burgess has trimmed down for the 2022 season. Supplied

A toned up but trimmed down George Burgess has opened up about the NRL off-season’s most astonishing body transformation, revealing he has dropped a whopping 10kg following career-saving hip surgery.

Declaring “I have a lot of football left in me”, Burgess also revealed the role he hopes to play for St George Illawarra this NRL season.

And how the now 29-year-old will take inspiration from Melbourne’s man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona and his own giant twin brother Tom in adapting to the new style under the six again rule for the super-sized props.

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The Dragons new recruit will run out for his first game in Australia in 884 days in Sunday’s trial against Parramatta at CommBank Stadium.

Then next week he will go head-to-head against twin Tom when he takes on his old club South Sydney in the Charity Shield.

George explained that while he’s looking forward to the showdown, his mother Julie won’t be.

“We have never played against each other except in opposed training sessions at Souths,” George said.

“But it will just be like backyard footy back in the day. We don’t mind putting a few shots on each other.

Dragons prop George Burgess has trimmed down for the 2022 season. Supplied

“But I don’t know if my Mum will be able to watch. She might be covering her eyes.”

But right now all George is focusing on is making the biggest impact he can for the Dragons who threw him a lifeline when almost everyone else had his rugby league career dead and buried.

He explained how for years before he even went to England (where he only lasted eight games for Wigan) the constant pain associated with his hip not only affected him physically, but mentally.

At the time no one outside Souths’ inner sanctum understood what he was going through. Most just assumed the player who was at his rampaging best in the 2014 grand final had had his day.

Little did they know pretty much every waking moment was spent in pain.

“It was a very frustrating time,” he continued.

“Just your body not being able to do what your mind wants to do.

“It affects your form and things go downhill pretty quickly from there.”

He conceded it impacted everyone around him, including his wife and kids.

But surgery saved him.

It was an operation that required having the top of his femur shaved off and a metal cap placed on top, with metal then placed into his pelvis to act as a socket.

He explained how no one has ever come back from it and played rugby league previously, but he says he hasn’t felt this good for years.

“I have dropped probably 10 kilos,” Burgess continued.

“I was 134 when I started and it ranges between 123 and 125 at the minute.

“I am 29 so I am still hanging on to the 20s.

George Burgess has dropped 10kgs. Supplied

Burgess is in incredible shape. Picture: Supplied

“But mentally I feel really fresh. It is probably down to the fact in years ‘19, ‘20, ‘21 I have probably only played not 20 games in those three years.

“I am raring to go.

“I have a lot of football left in me. I have only played 150 games so I think I can play a lot more than that in my career, especially now I have the new metal hip.

“To be honest when I left the NRL, you know, you do the parade on the grand final, and it didn’t feel right at the time.

“I was only 27 so I thought I might come back and play.

“But there was definitely a point in England when I thought I wouldn’t be able to come back and play at any level.

“So just to be pulling on the boots again, I am very grateful for that. I am looking forward to it.”

George and Tom Burgess have never played against each other. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty

Asked if he has set himself the challenge of winning a starting spot, George explained why that was old-school thinking.

“I think if I am getting back to my best it doesn’t matter whether I am starting off the bench, it just matters what I do when I am on the field,” he said.

“You saw last year a lot of experienced and high level front-rowers were coming off the bench. It is not that traditional (where) your best front rowers start.

“Like Tommy was good off the bench towards the end of last year and big Nelson for Melbourne, a lot of teams found him hard to handle off the bench.

“I might be able to play that role for the Dragons, we will see.”