South Sydney coach Michael Maguire says George Burgess has learned his lesson from a recent brush with the law, describing the powerful prop as a good kid.
Burgess was suspended for two weeks, fined $10,000 and ordered to undertake an anger management course after being charged over a smashed car window in Cairns last month.
The 21-year-old will make his playing return off the bench in Sunday’s clash with New Zealand in Perth, and Maguire was confident Burgess would be able to put the incident behind him.
“He’s handled it really well. He’s a good kid. He’s moved on now and he just wants to focus on his footy,” Maguire said.
“He’s learned a few lessons. He just needs to get back in and play the footy he’s capable of playing.
“He’s going through his learning stages. You do that all the time as a player. He’s played a handful of first-grade games and he just wants to get better and better.”
A crowd of around 20,000 is expected at Sunday’s game, but the Rabbitohs won’t necessarily enjoy the bulk of support despite it being their home fixture.
When Manly hosted NZ in Perth last year, the Warriors’ fans easily outnumbered Sea Eagles supporters.
Maguire hopes South Sydney fans will come out in full force, and said the club enjoyed taking games to Perth, which is hoping to gain its own NRL side down the track.
“I know a number of people over here and they’ve been pushing a long time to get a team. If they just keep developing, you never know where it will go,” Maguire said.