St George Illawarra have released premiership-winning prop George Burgess from the final year of his contract following an inauspicious return to the NRL.
When he joined the Dragons after two years back home in England, the former South Sydney forward became the first man to play professional rugby league following hip resurfacing surgery.
But his comeback was overshadowed in March when he was charged by police with sexual touching without consent.
Burgess later checked into a rehabilitation facility to deal with personal issues unrelated to the criminal charge, for which he is facing a hearing next year.
He made two appearances for the Dragons' NSW Cup side in August following his time away from the club,
A month later, his twin brother and former Souths teammate Thomas told AAP that George was keen on an NRL return.
But the 30-year-old Englishman leaves the Dragons having made only four first-grade appearances and facing a challenge to play NRL again.
"The Dragons thank George for his contribution to St George Illawarra and wish him all the best in his future endeavours," the Dragons said in a statement.
The Dragons have signed Zane Musgrove as a replacement for Burgess after the Wests Tigers prop secured a release from the final two years of his contract.
The Tigers' front-row rotation struggled to match it with their NRL rivals this season but the Dragons said they were pleased to welcome Musgrove.
"Zane is an established NRL player with a strong physical presence and will be a great addition to our forward pack," the club's general manager of football Ben Haran said.
"We've been looking to build our forward pack and we're excited to see Zane join the Dragons."
Musgrove is the Dragons' first official signing for 2023 and comes in the days after captain Ben Hunt inked a contract extension.
