Opinion Burton will be a top 3 half in the NRL in 2024

[T-Rocket]

He’s a great talent just hasn’t been consistent. Being consistent is hard with a spine and lineup that is always changing. Hopefully with a more settled lineup he can gain the consistency.

 

[SPEARTAKVIDREFS]

Im not having a go at him here, genuine question.
What part of his game has improved since last year?

 

[BulldogsNation]

Im not having a go at him here, genuine question.
What part of his game has improved since last year?

I think his passing, goal kicking and decision making in close games (Cowboys game prime example he single handedly got us back in it) as a whole has improved.
Hard to gauge improvement when he's playing with nobodies most of the year with him in a pack that gets dominated.

 

[SPEARTAKVIDREFS]

I think his passing, goal kicking and decision making in close games (Cowboys game prime example he single handedly got us back in it) as a whole has improved.
Hard to gauge improvement when he's playing with nobodies most of the year with him in a pack that gets dominated.

Yeah our injury toll and the fact we had no 7 until couple weeks ago needs to be considered.
I too think his goal kicking has improved.

 

[LoneWolf]

Burton must have the lowest footy IQ of any NRL half . It’s infuriating with some of the things he comes up with

His decision making and application is poor at times and they tend to be a critical moments that change momentum .
Sure he has talent and it’s what’s got him to where he is but he’s supposed to be our dominant play maker and quite frankly it’s rocks or diamonds with him .

We may have won the game yesterday because of his goal kicking and field goal but how much more comfortable would we have been if he was switched on and was able to play at high quality level consistently ?

 

[zappa]

Burton must have the lowest footy IQ of any NRL half . It’s infuriating with some of the things he comes up with

His decision making and application is poor at times and they tend to be a critical moments that change momentum .
Sure he has talent and it’s what’s got him to where he is but he’s supposed to be our dominant play maker and quite frankly it’s rocks or diamonds with him .

We may have won the game yesterday because of his goal kicking and field goal but how much more comfortable would we have been if he was switched on and was able to play at high quality level consistently ?

Feels that way at times hey. Hoping his decision making and composure resolves itself with more time with a genuine 7 because his ability is undeniable. I think it will.
My biggest concern at the moment is things like not finding touch and kick selection in general, that’s meant to be his strong suit, along with his running game. Not finding touch is a cardinal fucking sin in my book and hurts the team’s chances so much.

I also feel that we jumped the gun handing him the captaincy so early but as probably tied to getting the long term signature and no absolute stand out candidates. Mahoney makes some similar poor choices under fatigue and from trying to do everything.
I’m backing him, hopefully the cornerstone of our success in future years but a long way to go.

 

[The_Chimpster]

He's got potential in spades but i think it's gonna take him awhile to really start showing his brilliance consistently

 

[Marki]

Compare him to any 5/8 his stats are decent.
10th for try assists in the nrl but only 1 5/8 (walker) is ahead of him.
8th in attacking kicks (1st out of any 5/8)
4th in field goals (1st out of any 5/8)
1st in short dropouts
8th in kick metres (1st out of any 5/8)
81% conversion rate
Only 3 5/8s have more linebreak assists.
The kids trying

No doubt trying, but you can't look at stats on a piece of paper....

He was the dominant half in the team and so he naturally would have led in those stats, irrespective whether he was at 6 or 7.

Most other teams have shared responsibility in the halves and so they dont have lopsided stats.

I'm hoping with Sexy at halfback he can feel more comfortable playing a 5/8th role and focus on improving his passing game. It's really poor at the moment. His running game is also no where near as effective when he played centre.

It's almost like the 6 and 7 roles burden him and he needs a 3 in his back to free him up

 

[Marki]

I think his passing, goal kicking and decision making in close games (Cowboys game prime example he single handedly got us back in it) as a whole has improved.
Hard to gauge improvement when he's playing with nobodies most of the year with him in a pack that gets dominated.

I honestly think he has regressed in most facets of his game especially his defence. Goalkicking has improved. Im not convinced he had improved anywhere else TBH.

 

[04 Dreaming]

He wouldn’t even be top 3 In nsw cup atm

 

[Marki]

Burton must have the lowest footy IQ of any NRL half . It’s infuriating with some of the things he comes up with

His decision making and application is poor at times and they tend to be a critical moments that change momentum .
Sure he has talent and it’s what’s got him to where he is but he’s supposed to be our dominant play maker and quite frankly it’s rocks or diamonds with him .

We may have won the game yesterday because of his goal kicking and field goal but how much more comfortable would we have been if he was switched on and was able to play at high quality level consistently ?

I agree. His decision making is very poor.
He also looks too pre-determined and doesn't play eyes up footy enough.

I have fears his development is held back in the halves and will never realise his potential. He's already earning big bucks though so it's not like it's costing him in the promotion tree.....

 

[GA45]

He wouldn’t even be top 3 In nsw cup atm

Is that you in your avatar?

 

[Blueandwhiteblood1968]

Some may say bold prediction. But the amount of shit Burto cops on here is so unwarranted.

Burton for so long here has copped the blame for any average or poor performance. I've read constantly "Burton is a centre", "Burton has no creativity", "Burton is bad under pressure", "Burton can't defend" blah blah blah.

In every good performance we've had since start of 2022 (albeit not many), who has been our best player in 95% of those games? Burton.
Before we had an actual halfback in Sexton, who was the one who gave us any chance of scoring any points and had all the pressure of running a team with no forward pack? Burton.

He's on big money. Yeah I get it, he has some underwhelming performances. Not finding touch is inexcusable. But the guy for only a 23 year old playing in a struggling team isn't going to set the world on fire. He is still our main attacking threat.

All year he has had a different left winger, left centre, second rower and halfback around him. How are you meant to build cohesion and confidence with constant changes, plus a forward pack who gets dominated most weeks?

Everyone knows Burton in a good system can excel, any chances with Penrith he got at 6 when Luai was out he excelled. He has shown flashes of brilliance, and with an actual halfback now I hope Burto can free up and run the ball more and chime in when he needs to.

Make no mistake with more forwards (hopefully), another year with Mahoney, Sexton, Kikau and his mate Critta coming, 2024 could be the making of Matt Burton.

Sleep on him all you like.
Burton will light up the NRL next year. Mark my words.

Out of everything and imo he needs to fix his defence more than anything!!

 

[Benno Bulldog]

Out of everything and imo he needs to fix his defence more than anything!!

Think Kikau back in and the sides D improved . Kikau made some amazing tackles yesterday. The kind that speak loudly telling others to have a go. Burton needs that around him he has improved he is becoming more honest in the little things not as much individual brilliance but still growth.

 

[D- voice]

So whos fault is it that we don't have a decent halfback next to him? Fans have been screaming for this for years. Instead he soaked up the lion's share of what the club wanted to allocate at 6 and 7....

And what makes you think the slight improvement with Sexy next to him, cuts the mustard. Maybe moved him from 17th to 15th?

The reality is, he is paid on potential only and so far hasn't met that potential. I don't think he will in the halves, but has the potential (there's that word again) to do it again in the centres, but needs to find his running game.

Otherwise, he's a good benchy

It certainly isn't Burton's or Gus's faults that for years we didn't have a halfback, it's taken one and now two games of an unwanted halfback to change his game for the better, just imagine the potential improvements when all the puzzle pieces fall in place.

 

[D- voice]

We should just be grateful that Burton is gifted with time travel and hindsight capabilities to kick that field goal ,
He just knew

We could all benefit from time travel, although some are beyond it nothing can help them

 

[Marki]

It certainly isn't Burton's or Gus's faults that for years we didn't have a halfback, it's taken one and now two games of an unwanted halfback to change his game for the better, just imagine the potential improvements when all the puzzle pieces fall in place.

May not be Burton's fault, but I wouldn't be cutting Gus any slack. He's had opportunities to get one and has pulled out

 

[D- voice]

May not be Burton's fault, but I wouldn't be cutting Gus any slack. He's had opportunities to get one and has pulled out

Who was it ?

 

[Freakzilla]

You have a better chance of winning the powerball this week than Burton has of being a top 3 half in the NRL in 2024.

 

[Snowmann]

CAP!

Best boot in the comp but can’t manage to find touch.
C’Mon man, boot lick all you want but all hype at the moments.
He’ll turn it around but not for a couple more years.