Ipswich Town centre-back Cameron Burgess has described the Championship as ‘gruelling’ ahead of the final eight games of the season.
The Blues currently sit third in the table after 38 games, just one point behind leaders Leeds United and second-place Leicester City, with the latter boasting a game in hand.
With around six weeks until the end of the season, everything is still to play for as four teams fight it out over two automatic promotion places, and Burgess is hoping that Town can be in one of them come the end of the campaign.
“It’s gruelling, to be fair,” he said via Football Australia. “There’s a lot of games, it’s intense and you’re right in the thick of it.
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“Obviously we’ve done really well so far and we’ve got a lot to play for come the end of the season, which is exactly where we want to be.
“We’re going as strong as we possibly can, taking it one game at a time and excited to hopefully finish the season off strong.”
For now, focus turns to international duty. Burgess is back with the Australia national team as they prepare to take on Lebanon in World Cup qualifying action.
It’s only been two months since the 28-year-old was last in action for the Socceroos, and he can see how time is flying since earning his first cap back in September 2024.
“They [the games] certainly come thick and fast, don’t they?” he chuckled. “My debut feels like it was yesterday.
“They’re exciting still, so it’s a pleasure to be here.
“Anyone could come and fit in with this group of lads, they’re brilliant and I wouldn’t expect anything different, really. It’s been really good and I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Graham Arnold’s men will do all the work they can to prepare for Lebanon – a side they last faced back in November 2018. That being said, it’ll be a different experience to facing England at Wembley or taking part in the Asian Cup, although Burgess is hoping that he’ll be well equipped to take it on.
“It’s a different challenge, I suppose,” he admitted. “It’s probably similar to last season with my time at Ipswich in League One, where teams would play a little bit different and try to stop you playing as much.
“It’s not too unfamiliar, but it’s a different challenge that I’m looking forward to.
“We obviously have our principles as a team that we try our best to stick to. It’s tough because you play against such a range of opposition, and we don’t get a lot of time together.
“For example, in my experience so far, I’ve played against England in one game and Bangladesh in the next – two completely different teams from different parts of the world.
“It’s an experience like no other and it’s tough to prepare for, but we’re used to that now and we do the best that we can on the training ground. Then there’s meetings and video analysis, all that stuff, so we have all the tools to help us perform the best that we can.”
The turnaround has been pretty sharp for Burgess, who was one of the first players to arrive at the camp from outside Australia, landing at around 7am on Tuesday morning. Around 72 hours earlier, he was scoring for Ipswich in their 6-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday.
Goals haven’t come easily for the Aberdeen-born defender, as that was his first of the season. On the other hand, his international defensive partner, Harry Souttar, already has 11 to his name in just 27 caps for the Socceroos.
Burgess isn’t desperately looking to emulate the Leicester City man, but admitted that it would be nice to get his maiden goal for his country on home soil in the next few days.
“He’s obviously got a hell of a record,” he said of Souttar. “I think he’s put pressure on himself to try and get as many as he can! He’s chasing down some good numbers.
“As long as we can get wins and reach our goals as a team, that’s the most important thing. Everyone’s delighted when he scores goals and hopefully I can get a couple myself.
“We have a similar understanding of how we like things to be done. It’s easy to understand what the manager wants to do as well. We’re pretty well gelled and it didn’t take long for me to fit in with what we do here.
“The message is always clear. Everyone is here because they’re doing well with their clubs, and bringing those strengths that you bring week in, week out with your club is what gets you in the team here.
“We all have a similar understanding and we’ve played a few games together now. Anyone who I get the chance to play alongside, we have a good understanding. Harry is no different.”
Everything has fallen nicely into place for Burgess, who’s experienced an Asian Cup campaign and could take another step towards qualifying for the 2026 World Cup before the end of the international break.
As someone who was playing for Accrington Stanley in League One as recently as 2022, breaking into international football could’ve been seen as a pipe dream, but he was always confident that he could make it on a bigger stage, and taking Ipswich to the Championship helped him to achieve that.
“I guess I always believed it would happen,” he argued. “It’s been said many times that you have to play well for your club to get this chance. Obviously there’s levels you have to be playing at as well - it’s not just about playing well, it’s about playing well at a high level.
“Hopefully I’ve shown that over the last couple of years. That’s what got me in the team and what can keep me in the team.”
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