Billy Burns (rugby league)

William Burns  (born 20 November 1998) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a forward for the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League (NRL).

He previously played for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL.

Background
Burns was born in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. He played his junior rugby league for Parkes Spacemen. Burns was educated at Red Bend Catholic College, Forbes and at McCarthy Catholic College, Emu Plains and represented the 2016 Australian Schoolboys. He then signed with Penrith Panthers.

Playing career
Burns made his NRL debut for Penrith against the Sydney Roosters in round 24 of the 2019 NRL season at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

In round 25 of the 2019 NRL season against Newcastle, Burns scored two tries as Penrith won the match 54–10 at Penrith Park. Penrith ended the season finishing a disappointing 10th place and missed out on the finals.

On 7 April 2021, it was announced that Burns had signed with St. George Illawarra in a player swap with Eddie Blacker who had signed with Penrith.

Burns played a total of 15 matches for St. George Illawarra in the 2021 NRL season as the club finished 11th on the table and missed out on the finals. Burns was limited to only four appearances in the 2022 NRL season as St. George Illawarra missed the finals. Burns would play a total of ten games for the club in the 2023 NRL season as they finished 16th on the table. On 30 November 2023, Burns signed a contract to join arch-rivals Cronulla ahead of the 2024 NRL season.

Statistics
* denotes season still competing