He’s earned his first senior international cap, gone from League One to the Premier League and made his debut at the top level of English football.
Then, last weekend, he provided an assist for Conor Chaplin to open the scoring against Bournemouth – his first in this division. He could have had a goal too, but it was ruled out for a foul from Liam Delap on goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
“It’s fine margins in the Premier League when there are things like VAR involved,” he said. “It felt a bit harsh on the disallowed goal, but it is what it is, you have to deal with it.
“Chappers had to give the biggest shout of his life for me to be able to hear him. It was a no-brainer, he’s done it throughout his career. I teed him up and it was great to see him get his first goal.”
Town didn’t win that game. Two late goals saw them fall to a 2-1 defeat at Portman Road. It means that they have now lost three games on the bounce.
Burgess, however, it confident that their current form won’t continue for much longer.
“We’re living proof that points can come from anywhere,” he argued. “We’ve gone and got a win away at Tottenham.
“We keep the belief, we keep working hard. That’s all we know how to do as a group and we’ve done it all along, ever since I’ve been here.
“We keep working hard and I think we’ve shown over the last few years that we’re a team that can keep improving. We keep belief in that and hopefully that will stand us in good stead.”
The defender made his top flight debut back in OctoberThe defender made his top flight debut back in October (Image: Ross Halls)
Asked if belief and hard work will be enough to see them avoid relegation, Burgess replied: “We’ll soon find out, I suppose. We can only give it everything we’ve got. We certainly believe that we can be in this division next season, so that’s the aim.
“Bring it on! It’s a big challenge and we know that, but we certainly know that we’re capable of doing what we set out to do.”
For Burgess, this has been a pretty remarkable rise to the top. The 29-year-old was playing National League football for Cheltenham Town as recently as 2015/16.
His journey through the English football pyramid is something that sits at the back of his mind, however, and will continue to do so while his playing career continues.
“Even the promotions we’ve had in the past few years, I’ve not really had a chance to reflect on it,” he admitted. “It’s just been about pushing on and kicking on to the next thing, really.
“It’s all part of the journey. Everyone’s striving to get to where we want to get to.
“There’s hopefully a long way to go, it’s a long journey.”
It’s easier said than done. Many players who drop down the Football League – or out of it entirely – will never make it at the top level. Burgess is aware that you have to be fortunate.
“There’s a lot of luck to be had in football, coming across the right people at the right time,” he explained.
“It’s about believing in your own journey, taking each day as it comes and giving it everything you’ve got to try and make it to the top. This group is living proof of that.
Burgess is primarily competing with Jacob Greaves for a spot in the starting lineupBurgess is primarily competing with Jacob Greaves for a spot in the Blues' starting lineup (Image: Ross Halls)
“There’s probably a lot of footballers out there who will take confidence in what we’ve managed to do as a group and know that they can do that themselves.
“What we try to focus on is what’s in our dressing room, keeping hold of that and knowing what we can do best, but there’s probably that little bit of support from elsewhere.
“It’s the same for a lot of players in that dressing room. Everyone’s been on their own journey.
“I guess that’s part of our story and the fuel we use to try and do our best in each and every game.”
Even now, it certainly isn’t easy for Burgess. The 29-year-old didn’t kick a ball in the Premier League until October 19th, when team-mate Jacob Greaves - a £15 million summer signing from Hull City - injured his hamstring and dropped out of the starting lineup.
It’s not a new experience for him, however, and he knew exactly how to handle himself when he was struggling for regular minutes.
“There’s a hell of a lot of quality in this squad, we know that,” he said. “Everyone’s champing at the bit to play minutes and help the team.
“It’s going to be frustrating at time for players who aren’t playing. I’ve been through that multiple times while I’ve been at this club and it’s about adding value where you can when you’re not able to play.
“When you do get the chance to play, you have to grab the opportunity with both hands.
The 29-year-old dreams of representing Australia at the 2026 World CupThe 29-year-old dreams of representing Australia at the 2026 World Cup (Image: PA)
“It’s also about doing it for your team-mates. There’s a lot of motivation in that dressing room, that’s for sure. We don’t necessarily need too much more - it’s all in there and we know what we have to do.”
With that, it’s important to train well and impress manager Kieran McKenna. Burgess has clearly done that, but it’s not easy when you have to come up against Ipswich’s attackers – notably striker Delap.
“He stands on your toes a lot,” the centre-back chuckled. “He’s top quality and he works hard, the same as all of the boys we’ve got.
“It’s been great having him in and he’s done really well. Hopefully he’ll continue to do that.”
International football is also big for Burgess, who boasts 11 caps for Australia.
The Socceroos have recently appointed a new manager, with former Crystal Palace man Tony Popovic coming in earlier this year. All in all, it sounds like a positive change that could lead to some improved results.
“Things have changed in that department,” he claimed. “I’d probably say it’s gone a lot closer to the environment that we have here [at Ipswich] in terms of how training is and how he wants us to be.
“There’s some changes, so hopefully that will continue to improve us as a group and we can achieve our goals for the national team as well.”
For Australia, all eyes are on the World Cup. They are usually among the first to qualify for the tournament, but have found things much harder this time around. For Burgess, a successful qualifying campaign and a trip to North America in 2026 would be a dream come true.
“That’s the goal, to be in those top two positions come the end of June and be going to the World Cup,” he stated.
“It’s a bit of a medium-to-long-term goal, but if I can get myself to that World Cup, it would be a special moment for me personally – to be able to represent the club and everyone who’s helped me to get to that moment.
“It would be a special feeling.”