“Comparing him to previous performances will be hard. The real question is,will he contribute,and in what capacity? Just talking to him,I feel he’s contributing as much as he can off the field at the Dragons,and he will give his best on the field. He should be really proud,and he’s not finished yet.”

George departed for England,where he played eight games for Wigan before succumbing to the hip injury that had caused him grief for the best part of a decade.

He was convinced he was finished before he underwent surgery in England with Damian Griffin. Rugby union players Jack McGrath of Ulster and Sean O’Brien of London Irish returned to play after the surgery,but 29-year-old Burgess will be the first in league.

Burgess,who is on the minimum $120,000-a-year deal this year,punched out some minutes in theCharity Shield against South Sydney and his twin Tom,only for Rabbitoh Tom to be sin-binned within minutes of taking the field.

Tom raced back from an earlier trial in Cairns to watch George play against Parramatta,and is a chance to be back from Melbourne,where he lined up against the Storm on Thursday night,to be in the stands at Kogarah.

Sam has relocated to the NSW north coast where he will coach the Orara Valley Axemen. George quipped to theHerald before Christmas he would entertain a bush footy cameo under his brother if things did not work out at the Dragons. Sam said the offer was still on the table,but instead of money George could expect “two pies and a beer after each game”.

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