Burton to test the open market

[Howie B]

Not necessarily because there will be a number of clubs willing to pay overs for his signature regardless of his form.

Mate in all of Gus’s time at the roosters and panthers he never lost a player he wanted to keep. I think it will be extremely unlikely he will leave.

Also he seems like a loyal bloke. We gave him the chance as a first grade half and if we get near enough other offers he will stay

 

[Bazildog]

Yeah his efforts in defence stood out. He was always scrambling to make a try saver and had multiple efforts defensively play after play to come up with stops. I'm more impressed with efforts like that than how many tries or try assists he has which will start coming eventually.

100%

And now we have to trust Gus to do his job and keep his word that he has never lost a player he wanted to keep. Winning makes everything easier, we just have to keep doing it...

 

[DinkumDog]

Not necessarily because there will be a number of clubs willing to pay overs for his signature regardless of his form.

Possibly. Might depend on how much cap space they have and we have LOADS for ‘24. Would be good to retain him but not at any price and Gus should be smart enough not to get into any silly bidding war.

 

[EXPLORER]

I agree. We have 2/3 at this stage. He will get his money and he will play half. As for competitive this may come down to him personally. If he's looking for a quick fix then he may go but if he waits atleast to see how 2023 goes with a proper #9 then I think we will be ok. As flamebouyant said, if we can win a few more games this year it should help.

I agree.
If we can manage to stay competitive and snag a few wins to give some positivity to the club, it will go along way to helping him sign on a bit longer.

Let's be honest.
Next year with kikau and mahoney coming, we will be much better.

It's up to Gus to convince Burton of that.

And Burton's game will be better with those guys in the team.

We lose Burton and we back to square 1 again.
It's critical for our rebuild to keep him long term.

 

[Kempsey Dog]

Be really interesting to see how this all pans out.
If you are Burton, it's hard to want to stay at a club like the Bulldogs.
Burton wants to win, he has come from winning teams.
There are a few things important to Burton
Obviously money,
Playing in the halves.
And playing in a competitive team.

Gus has his work cut out for him.
It appears the Bulldogs can offer him a halves spot
We still can't provide a competitive team.
And our money is only ever going to be as good as anyone else's.

I'm worried if storm lose Munster
Then Burton will be easily tempted to take less money to play halves at the storm.

This will really show us what Gus brings to the table.

Gus needs to wrap this up sooner rather than later.

To me I see it the same as JT... He was lucky enough to be part of a premiership winning team so early in his career. Stay loyal to the team that allowed him to start in his preferred position and show you have what it takes to drive his new teammates towards a premiership.

 

[Doggiezbrah]

Burton is the type of player you build a club around. We have added some great recruits around him (JAC, Mahoney, Kikau & TPJ) for him to thrive. Burton has a PO for 24.

Hopefully he turns out to be a Thurston for us not a Ponga for Newcastle.

 

[OldDogFan]

Some people here forget that he’s still only 22 and barely played any footy at 5/8 in the top grade yet expect him to have a zillion try assistant plus dozens of try’s and be as dominant as Thurston in his prime. When the team as a whole get their act together and the plodders weeded out and with more games under his belt then we’ll start seeing a gun Burton on a regular basis.

Well said.

 

[EXPLORER]

To me I see it the same as JT... He was lucky enough to be part of a premiership winning team so early in his career. Stay loyal to the team that allowed him to start in his preferred position and show you have what it takes to drive his new teammates towards a premiership.

I don't see it that way with Burton.
Jt had a loyalty you just don't see these days.
Burton is a young guy who want to win games, and earn as much as he can doing that.

 

[CMP]

If he progresses well through the first half of the season they should offer him a sweetener to extend.

Give him a small upgrade for 2023 & extended him for 2024-2025 on a better deal.

If he does still wants to test his value on the open market in November and not accept the offer. With money being his only driving factor then he is free to go.

We need to start setting a standard as a club. We want players who want to be here. We cannot continue paying overs for players. I hope Burton is someone that wants to play for us. He is a future star.

 

[Novocastrian]

I’d say if anything Gus would tell his manager to test market and get a price and we will match or beat it

 

[OldDogFan]

Does everyone still think he's a centre after last night? The way he controlled the game with his kicking game, he sure looked like a half to me..

Penriff just used and abused his talent last year by throwing him in at centre, it backfired on them as not only did he kill it in that position, it actually showed the rugby league world what a true talent the kid really is. If he stays he will will be star ⅝ at the Dogs for years to come.

 

[bradyk]

Disagree. He was in the top 3 for sure and we lose without him. The 40/20 where we score from the ensuing set. Then near the death when his impact in the tackle resulting in Suaalii’s foot brushing the sideline.

His last placement/restart kick after Rooster try also was perfect giving us every opportunity to not let them get out of their own end.

 

[CBDoggies]

I’ve got a good feeling about this kid. Yes it’s obvious he has talent and hasn’t fulfilled much of it here just yet but a better team around him and he is a super star. Would hate to see him leave. I personally think dogs will do anything to keep him. Besides Munster there isn’t anyone on the market remotely close for the money Burton is on. He will get a upgrade as mentioned by gus and he will stay. I think the club will keep him here for a very long time. If they don’t it’s one step forward 5 steps back.

 

[COVENS]

You guys are fucking nuts.

No, he hasn't lit the world on fire but he has all the tools to be a rep level #6. If we fuck around and he leaves, we will regret it.

 

[EXPLORER]

You guys are fucking nuts.

No, he hasn't lit the world on fire but he has all the tools to be a rep level #6. If we fuck around and he leaves, we will regret it.

Absolutely
With a decent hooker,
A better ball playing lock and a better half-back supporting him his game will go next level.
We have one of those in a 9 coming next season.
Can Burton wait long enough for us to fill in the puzzle

And if we have to pay overs to keep him, we won't have cap space to fill the other holes.

What a balancing act the cap is.
Gus really does have his work cut out for him.

 

[spscand]

Burton is the type of player you build a club around. We have added some great recruits around him (JAC, Mahoney, Kikau & TPJ) for him to thrive. Burton has a PO for 24.

Hopefully he turns out to be a Thurston for us not a Ponga for Newcastle.

Ponga is the single most overrated overpaid overhyped player in the history of the NRL. Does fuck all and yet signs monster deals.

 

[DaveV]

Mate in all of Gus’s time at the roosters and panthers he never lost a player he wanted to keep. I think it will be extremely unlikely he will leave.

Also he seems like a loyal bloke. We gave him the chance as a first grade half and if we get near enough other offers he will stay

I hope that’s the way it plays out

 

[Doggiezbrah]

Ponga is the single most overrated overpaid overhyped player in the history of the NRL. Does fuck all and yet signs monster deals.

100%, injury prone and inconsistent. Never saw the hype.

 

[DaveV]

You guys are fucking nuts.

No, he hasn't lit the world on fire but he has all the tools to be a rep level #6. If we fuck around and he leaves, we will regret it.

He’s one of the those players that could play anywhere at a pinch across the park. I think his rep future will be as a utility

 

[Noeasyday]

I've got no issue with this at all. All players deserve to maximise their earnings in what is a short career window.
If we lose him, it's on us.