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Bulldogs star Matt Burton has declared he wants to wear the No.6 jersey in 2024 after reports emerged he could be making a positional switch.
Burton played some of his best football in the centres for the Panthers and reports suggested club officials were considering moving him back to the position.
However the 23-year-old has made it clear he wants to lead the club moving forward at five-eighth after a chat with head coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Even speaking to him yesterday, I just said to him that I wanna play five-eighth,” he said to the SMH.
“I’ve got a few things to work on in fixing my game. If I can do that, then I’m heading in the right direction.”
At a black-tie sportsman’s dinner for St Gregory’s College Campbelltown last Friday, Matt Burton was asked which was his preferred playing position.
It was a timely question, given that it will be one of the hottest topics of the off-season.
His unequivocal response served as a timely statement to coach Cameron Ciraldo, one of the 650 guests sitting in the audience: five-eighth.
“Yeah, I think he knows where I want to play and what my best position is,” Burton said.
“It was a good night out there, obviously fundraising money for the school, good to get up and speak in front of everyone. He knows that I wanna play there.”
Burton, a Canterbury co-captain alongside Reed Mahoney, will play wherever the coach requires him. But to ensure there was no doubt about where his preference lies, the former Panther reiterated his wish to remain in the halves when speaking to Ciraldo on Tuesday.
Even speaking to him yesterday,I
just said to him that I wanna play five-eighth,” he said.
“I’ve got a few things to work on in fixing my game. If I can do that, then I’m heading in the right direction.”
So where does Burton provide the Bulldogs with the most bang for the buck?
The case has been made for Burton to return to the centres, the position he won a premiership in with the Panthers. The 23-year-old has also represented NSW and Australia as a three-quarter.
However, Burton doesn’t buy into suggestions he is more likely to add to his representative tally by moving out of the halves.
“Not necessarily,” he said. “I think if I can knuckle down and play my best footy at six, then I think that there might be a chance to play rep footy at six.
“I’ve obviously played there at centre before. It’s always a privilege to wear [representative] jerseys.
“I’m striving to get back there, so it’s all good.”
By his own admission, Burton said he didn’t deliver consistently enough last season.
“Last year there were stages in the game where I needed to stand up, and I didn’t really provide that,” he said.
“So, I think this year if I can work on those little areas, then it’s gonna help the team in a way.”
Burton has an opinion on not only his position but who should also slot in alongside him in the halves.
“Toby Sexton, at the moment, is showing really good signs. We played some good footy there at the back end of the year,” Burton said.
“He’s training in the house down, we’ve got a good combo there. He’s killing it.”
Burton feels he is at a point in his life when he added responsibility will be the making of him. As well as wanting to call the shots on the field as a playmaker and captain, he is enjoying it off the field as a father to four-month-old Noah.
“As soon as I come home from footy, it’s into dad life,” he said.
Burton played some of his best football in the centres for the Panthers and reports suggested club officials were considering moving him back to the position.
However the 23-year-old has made it clear he wants to lead the club moving forward at five-eighth after a chat with head coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Even speaking to him yesterday, I just said to him that I wanna play five-eighth,” he said to the SMH.
“I’ve got a few things to work on in fixing my game. If I can do that, then I’m heading in the right direction.”
At a black-tie sportsman’s dinner for St Gregory’s College Campbelltown last Friday, Matt Burton was asked which was his preferred playing position.
It was a timely question, given that it will be one of the hottest topics of the off-season.
His unequivocal response served as a timely statement to coach Cameron Ciraldo, one of the 650 guests sitting in the audience: five-eighth.
“Yeah, I think he knows where I want to play and what my best position is,” Burton said.
“It was a good night out there, obviously fundraising money for the school, good to get up and speak in front of everyone. He knows that I wanna play there.”
Burton, a Canterbury co-captain alongside Reed Mahoney, will play wherever the coach requires him. But to ensure there was no doubt about where his preference lies, the former Panther reiterated his wish to remain in the halves when speaking to Ciraldo on Tuesday.
Even speaking to him yesterday,I
just said to him that I wanna play five-eighth,” he said.
“I’ve got a few things to work on in fixing my game. If I can do that, then I’m heading in the right direction.”
So where does Burton provide the Bulldogs with the most bang for the buck?
The case has been made for Burton to return to the centres, the position he won a premiership in with the Panthers. The 23-year-old has also represented NSW and Australia as a three-quarter.
However, Burton doesn’t buy into suggestions he is more likely to add to his representative tally by moving out of the halves.
“Not necessarily,” he said. “I think if I can knuckle down and play my best footy at six, then I think that there might be a chance to play rep footy at six.
“I’ve obviously played there at centre before. It’s always a privilege to wear [representative] jerseys.
“I’m striving to get back there, so it’s all good.”
Ciraldo’s decision shapes as one critical to Canterbury’s success. The coach has Toby Sexton, Drew Hutchison, Kurt Mann, Blake Taafe and Jaeman Salmon as halves options, while it’s likely another play-making utility, Cronulla’s Connor Tracey, could shift to Belmore. Weighing into Ciraldo’s thinking is how best to utilise Burton’s running and kicking game, as well as how to showcase the talents of the other players in his roster.
By his own admission, Burton said he didn’t deliver consistently enough last season.
“Last year there were stages in the game where I needed to stand up, and I didn’t really provide that,” he said.
“So, I think this year if I can work on those little areas, then it’s gonna help the team in a way.”
Burton has an opinion on not only his position but who should also slot in alongside him in the halves.
“Toby Sexton, at the moment, is showing really good signs. We played some good footy there at the back end of the year,” Burton said.
“He’s training in the house down, we’ve got a good combo there. He’s killing it.”
Burton feels he is at a point in his life when he added responsibility will be the making of him. As well as wanting to call the shots on the field as a playmaker and captain, he is enjoying it off the field as a father to four-month-old Noah.
“As soon as I come home from footy, it’s into dad life,” he said.
