Rabbitohs prop George Burgess will be looking to give the Members and fans something to cheer about on Friday night when the Rabbitohs clash with the St George Illawarra Dragons this Friday at the SCG.
Burgess, who's played 104 games for the Rabbitohs, has seen his share of ups and downs for the Club and knows well that there is a proud tradition and Member base behind the Club that the playing group need to uphold when they take the field this Friday.
With a traditional clash against the Dragons at the SCG on the horizon, the 120kg forward is ready to fire in the forward battle - intent on playing to the standards the Club hold.
“It’s just such a proud club, so we need to hold that regard as well and give something back for the fans," said Burgess.
“It’s been one of those learning years for us definitely. It’s just one of those things we have to learn from in the future and we can’t keep producing what we have. It just isn’t good enough with our standards and for the Club.
“I think you’ve just got to bring it back to why you play the game. You play the game because you love the game and for the fans who turn out to watch the game and pay your wages, so that’s a good bit of motivation for us
“You’ve just got to put it into perspective, enjoy your footy and enjoy what you do."
Burgess believes the struggles South Sydney have faced aren't unique to the Redfern based Club but are common in many teams. He says, however, they haven't bounced back from the challenges like they should have - something he is determined to address in these last five fixtures.
“We’ve faced challenges this year, like every team has, but we just haven’t handled them as well as we should have," said Burgess.
With emerging forward Angus Crichton showing promise after 26 games for Souths, Burgess is looking to focus the passion of the emerging star into something that will take him to the highest levels.
“He’s had a breakout year for us and I think he just puts his body on the line for the team and does it at training week in week out as well so I suppose it reflects on his performance on the games," said Burgess.
“Playing consistently like that, you’ll pick up those types of injuries, and that’s the next big challenge in his career is handling those types of injuries, and he’s already been through a lot as a young player the last couple of years he’s missed a lot of footy with a finger injury.
“We’re pretty confident he’s got the head on his shoulders to deal with it. I think he’s just very passionate about playing footy as we all are, you don’t want to give up that position and you want to keep doing your best for the club and the fans as well."
