Gerome Burns has felt at home back in a Norths jersey but he knows he’ll face an unfamiliar feeling later this month.
On April 27, Burns is set to play against his brother Denzel for the first time when Norths Devils meet Western Clydesdales in a Hostplus Cup match at Bishop Park.
It will be the first time that the brothers have played against each other since they were born 19 months apart in a family of six siblings for dad Brendan and mum Mary.
Brendan was a first-grade player in Toowoomba and his sons followed that path into football, playing for his club Valleys and playing together for the Ipswich Jets for the last three seasons.
They have played for different teams but never against each other.
Gerome will be in the Devils No.6 jersey that he has worn well in a strong start to the season, figuring strongly in Norths’ wins against last year’s top-two teams Burleigh and Souths Logan.
Burns, 26, first played for the Devils when he moved to Brisbane for a contract with the Broncos’ Under 20 team in the National Youth Competition.
That led him to a place in the Devils’ 2018 Colts premiership team, playing in the halves with Cory Paix and alongside the likes of Kobe Hetherington, Jordan Riki, Ethan Bullemor and Liam Horne.
Burns made his senior football debut for Souths Logan the following year before heading back to first grade in Toowoomba to be closer to his family.
The proud Wiradjuri-Barunggam man returned to the Queensland Cup in 2021 alongside Denzel at the Jets, developing a reputation as one of the most promising halves in the statewide competition.
That led the Dolphins to offer Burns a pre-season deal, playing him in an NRL trial match in the summer before Burns returned to Bishop Park to take up a contract with the Devils.
“I really enjoyed the pre-season because it gave me a real taste of being part of an NRL squad. It was the hardest thing I’ve done in football but I really enjoyed it,” Burns said.
“It’s been really good coming back to Norths. It’s the club that I remember well from when I was a younger player only it seems even better now.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the group and playing for (coach) Dave Elliott but there’s still a long way to go this year.
“I have been looking a bit at that game (against the Clydesdales). It will feel a lot different playing against Denzel. We’ve just never played against each other so it will feel strange to start with.”
Burns has two matches before then, starting with Saturday’s home clash against CQ Capras at Bishop Park, Nundah.
The Devils’ follow that with an away game heading to Cairns to meet the Northern Pride. That will mark the Devils’ sixth game of the year – all against top-eight teams from last year.
“We’ve really enjoyed the start to the season against teams like Burleigh, Redcliffe and Souths Logan,” Burns said.
“This weekend won’t be easy but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Burns is mixing his football career, aiming for an NRL berth, with his work with Deadly Choices in southeast Queensland.
