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NFL-Giants try out rugby league's Tom Burgess at tight end

Dec 4 (Reuters) - Rugby league standout Tom Burgess has tried out at tight end position for the injury-hit New York Giants of the National Football League ahead of their Sunday showdown against MetLife Stadium co-tenants the New York Jets. Englishman Burgess, a prop for the South Sydney Rabbitohs at club level who helped his country win their test series against New Zealand last month, took a crack at impressing the Giants at their weekly try-out session on Thursday. The team made no official comment on the session. The Giants have already lost tight end Daniel Fells for the season due to an infection in his ankle, and have been without Larry Donnell due to a neck injury that has them short on depth. The younger brother of former England centre Sam Burgess had expressed his interest in converting to the NFL game in an interview in May. Tom Burgess, who helped the Rabbitohs win Australia's National Rugby League title alongside brothers Sam and George in 2014, is under contract to remain with the Australian club until 2018. Should the 23-year-old Yorkshireman find a roster spot with the Giants, Burgess would follow a path blazed by fellow rugby league star Jarryd Hayne, who is trying to forge an NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers. After a promising start with the Niners where his preseason showing earned him a roster spot as a running back and kick returner, Australian Hayne did not secure a permanent contract with the team and has since joined their practice squad. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)