LOCAL NRL superstar Braidon Burns will be trading in the green and red for the blue and white next season, following his recent signing of a two-year deal with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

The 25-year-old winger, who grew up in Coonamble, has spent the last five years with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing 40 games and scoring 10 tries since debuting in 2017.

He has just returned to his base in Sydney after spending the past three months in Queensland during the team’s finals campaign.

After sustaining a knee injury last year, he was able to recover to play eight matches this year and was named in the 21-man squad in the 2021 Grand Final against Penrith Panthers.

Mr Burns said the decision to move to the Bulldogs was quite recent but was excited to be among several new recruits joining the club from next season.

“I was negotiating with a few other clubs in the past few weeks - the Bulldogs came in a bit later but they were pretty quick with everything and showed they really wanted to sign me,” he said.

“When it comes to the new squad next year, people have been thinking it’s looking like a lot of backs, but they’ve brought on a lot of good forwards too, so it was a no-brainer for me.”

Mr Burns said he also has a personal connection to the Bulldogs side, his uncle being a former player and friends back home being big fans of the team.

“I was actually looking through some old childhood photos and saw one of me in a Bulldogs jersey, which was pretty funny to see,” he said with a chuckle.

Braidon is not a stranger to the white and blue, pictured here in a Bulldogs jersey as a child. Image supplied.

“Also, my friends back in Coonamble, the Fernandos, are nearly all Bulldogs supporters, so I think they’ll be pretty supportive. 

“One of my close friends back there Teemon (Fernando) was actually sending some photos of him in Rabbitohs jerseys, so I guess he’s going to need to swap back to Bulldogs now.”

Mr Burns will join several other new recruits to the Bulldogs backline, including Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Dufty and Brent Naden. 

Bulldogs Chief Executive Aaron Warburton said he was very excited to see what Mr Burns would bring to the team.

“Adding depth in all positions is something that we have worked hard to achieve, and to be able to sign someone of Braidon’s ability and strikepower is a major boost for our backline,” he said.

"Braidon is a hard worker who wants the chance to succeed, and we are delighted that he has chosen to come to Belmore at a time when he is moving into the best stage of his career.”

A caricature of Braidon in the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs jersey. Image courtesy of new1drawn.

Looking back on his time with South Sydney, Mr Burns said although injury had prevented him from cementing a spot on the first-grade team he had really enjoyed the last five years.

“It’s been a great time in my life - I’ve made lots of good friends and during some hard times in my life, the club helped me get through them,” he said.

“I’ll be forever grateful for everything they have done for me.”

Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said Mr Burns had been a committed part of the club on and off the field and, while he was sorry to see him go, he wished him well for the future.

“Braidon is a quality footballer and an even better person and it’s sad to see him move on,” Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said.

“He has battled through injuries to represent our club as well as touch the community through his excellent work with Souths Cares.

Looking ahead, Mr Burns said he was looking forward to spending some time in the off-season closer to his roots before kicking off a fresh start with his new team.

“Because I was with the Rabbitohs for five years, I feel like I may have got a bit comfortable, so it will be good to feel a need to really push myself again to earn the respect of the other boys,” he said.

“As for the off-season, I’m waiting to see what happens with the borders - I’m still a country boy, so I’m really keen to get back to Coonamble and see everyone.”

“My partner and I are both double-vaxxed, so once we’re allowed to travel, we’ll look forward to coming out that way soon.”