Less work, more quality: Sam Burgess

It’s unclear whether South Sydney want more of George Burgess after this year.

But they’d definitely want more out of his older brother Sam, and the club has gone a long way towards doing that by shifting their key man to the edge in 2019.

New coach Wayne Bennett has opted to move Sam to the second row this season to fill the sizeable hole left by the Angus Crichton on the right edge.

And while the decision paves the way for rising star Cameron Murray to start, it could also prolong Sam’s illustrious career.

“The way I play the game, maybe not so much,” Sam said of his abrasive style.

“It’s a possibility, we’ll see. I’ve just turned 30, but I’m feeling pretty healthy at the moment. I’m not playing games at the moment yet either, obviously.”

Much of the build-up to Saturday’s trial against Penrith – which doubles as a testimonial for John Sutton – has been dominated by the issue of George’s long-term future.

Due to come off-contract in November he spurned the security of a lucrative three-year deal with Parramatta to play one more season in Redfern.

“It’s a strong decision, probably tells you a bit about what we’re doing here at Souths, who we are as a club,” Sam said.

“More than anything, it tells you a bit of George’s character as well. About how selfless he is. He wants to be a part of this team.”

It comes just months after the club shelled out major money to keep Sam, as well as George’s twin brother Thomas, until the end of the 2023 season.

Sam, who completed his first full pre-season in six years, admitted his move to the second row would lessen his workload this year.

He has played just twice on the flank since 2014, having been moved to the middle under former Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire.

It is where Sam carved his reputation as among the game’s most feared big men.

“The move has been good. It gives Cameron some time in the middle, and I think he brings a lot to the team,” he said.

“We’ve lost Angus there and I’ve played that spot before. It is probably less workload for me, but probably more quality on the edge.

“I wore 13 and started in the middle but I float out to the edge a bit during games. I’ll probably get more concentrated time there this year. We’ll see how it all fits.”

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