South Sydney forward Tom Burgess has backed his twin brother George to bounce back from a turbulent year off the field and return to the NRL next season.
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When he joined St George Illawarra this season, George became the first man to return to professional rugby league after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery.
But just days after making his triumphant club debut in March, the 30-year-old was charged with sexually touching a Sydney woman and later in the season checked into a rehabilitation facility to deal with personal issues.
After granting him leave, the Dragons stressed George's personal issues did not relate to his charge, for which he will face a hearing in 2023.
In the meantime, George returned to play for the Dragons for their last two NSW Cup games of the season in August.
He remains contracted with the Dragons for 2023 and his brother is confident he can compete with the likes of Jack de Belin, Josh Kerr, Francis Molo and Blake Lawrie for selection in the middle next year.
"I went to his last game and he played really well," Tom told AAP.
"He's still got the talent, he's still got the fight.
"It's just whether or not he's going to get a crack.
"I think he can really be an asset to a team if he gets a chance."
Tom said his brother had enjoyed his four games of first grade this year but acknowledged being out of favour at the selection table posed challenges.
"There's a good set of lads there but obviously when you're out of the team, it can get a bit hard," he said.
"You can get a bit disconnected.
"(But) he's going to keep training and keep that good mindset going forward.
"You never know what'll happen but whether he stays at the Dragons or looks elsewhere, he still wants to keep playing."
Tom has played his entire NRL career to date with the Rabbitohs and is similarly keen to extend his time with the club when his contract runs out at the end of next year.
But with Latrell Mitchell, Damien Cook and Cody Walker all coming off contract at the same time, Tom admitted it could be difficult for the Rabbitohs to squeeze everyone under the salary cap.
"It might be a bit of a juggling act but we'll just have to wait and see," he said.
"I've been around long enough now to know that it doesn't always end in fairytales.
"I've just got to keep playing, I'm not too worried about (contracts) now."
Australian Associated Press
