News Dogs Stick With Hutchinson Despite Mounting Pressure

[djdeep4172]

Cameron Ciraldo won’t be dragged into the noise surrounding his halves pairing of Matt Burton and Drew Hutchison despite the Bulldogs’ underwhelming start to the season.

Hutchison was given the nod at halfback ahead of Toby Sexton but with just one win on the board for 2024 the pressure is beginning to mount.

Sexton was brought to the Bulldogs mid-2023 because he is a “genuine halfback” with an “astute kicking game,” according to the club’s statement last July.

He scored two tries and set up five in his seven games for the Bulldogs last season but has had to start this year in New South Wales Cup, where he’s scored one try and set up three in three appearances.

Hutchison, who joined the club from the Roosters, has recorded just one try assist, one linebreak and one linebreak assist in his four appearances this season.

Opinions on the Dogs’ best halves combination are beginning to fly in from every angle – even Phil Rothfield singled Hutchison in his column saying the 28-year-old is “not a week-in, week-out NRL halfback.”

Despite calls for a halves shake-up Ciraldo has remained loyal to Hutchison and has again named him in the No.7 jersey for the Dogs’ Round 5 clash with the Roosters.

Sexton is, however, again in the reserves should Ciraldo spring a surprise late change.

 

[King Gus]

CC lives and will die by his choices.

 

[Wearnze]

Sexton setting up 3 tries in 3 games isn’t that impressive for a half., particularly so in nsw cup. Would hardly say he is putting pressure on Hutchinson…

 

[Menteek]

Sexton setting up 3 tries in 3 games isn’t that impressive for a half., particularly so in nsw cup. Would hardly say he is putting pressure on Hutchinson…

people forget that hutch has had some good defensive reads and is talking a lot compared to burton. You can’t park burton and sexton if they both don’t speak much.. it will strip us back to how we played last year… theirs a reason CC is playing hutch over sexton

 

[King Gus]

Sexton setting up 3 tries in 3 games isn’t that impressive for a half., particularly so in nsw cup. Would hardly say he is putting pressure on Hutchinson…

1 try assist in 4 games for Hutchinson, I think anyone can take his spot.

 

[Magic Burton]

Sexton was signed mid season last year and showed a lot of good value. The club should have stuck by him until someone from within took his spot. We always make the same mistakes of looking for quick short fixes.

I will give credit to Gould three of the rejects he signed are good players Tracey, Mann and Curran the rest are rejects from other clubs. Not including Crichton as he was an elite player when signed.

 

[Magic Burton]

people forget that hutch has had some good defensive reads and is talking a lot compared to burton. You can’t park burton and sexton if they both don’t speak much.. it will strip us back to how we played last year… theirs a reason CC is playing hutch over sexton

How many more halfbacks does Burton have to burn through? And this isn’t including the 5/8s he went through during his ill fated halfback stint. Burton is the senior and the big money player in the spine we are protecting him with kids gloves. @CrittaMagic69 is spot on with the Burton assessments. But does Burton make our best team in the centres? I don’t have him over Critta and Kiraz. I think Critta is the 1.

They moved Perham to 1 because they believed he talked more than Averillo. That worked out well.

 

[Lynchpin]

We always make the same mistakes of looking for quick short fixes.

Same last year, when Perham became fullback at Averillo's expense.
Sure, Averillo might not have been the answer, but if Perham was, then what was the f#(k-ing question?

We are playing better as a team overall (so far), so Ciraldo does has that working in his favour (for now), but we're going to need to see improvement with his selections and rotations if he is going to make it long term.

Good to see Sam Hughes starting up front. So I haven't completely given up on Ciraldo graduating past the training wheels.

 

[Dogs4eva13]

Sexton setting up 3 tries in 3 games isn’t that impressive for a half., particularly so in nsw cup. Would hardly say he is putting pressure on Hutchinson…

Don’t believe those stats. Cup team has scored plenty of tries 4+ per game and he has set up most of them in the 3 games played. He may not of thrown the last pass but made the space. People can say whatever about defence, but in attack he has been good, in particular in the parra and Souths games.

 

[Lynchpin]

How many more halfbacks does Burton have to burn through?

As many as it takes to unlock his game.
Despite copping constant s#!t, Burton is still a very gifted player; been showing good signs in the last few games (far better than last season).
Let's see how Sexton goes alongside (will happen sooner or later), and if he burns through him also, we might get a look at O'Neill in a couple of months time.

 

[Lynchpin]

Don’t believe those stats. Cup team has scored plenty of tries 4+ per game and he has set up most of them in the 3 games played. He may not of thrown the last pass but made the space. People can say whatever about defence, but in attack he has been good, in particular in the parra and Souths games.

Surely between Curran, Mann, & Salmon we can find a way to make "the system" accommodate Sexton for his attacking/game management qualities.
If he does his job as expected, we should be expecting to do a little less defence anyway.

 

[Menteek]

How many more halfbacks does Burton have to burn through? And this isn’t including the 5/8s he went through during his ill fated halfback stint. Burton is the senior and the big money player in the spine we are protecting him with kids gloves. @CrittaMagic69 is spot on with the Burton assessments. But does Burton make our best team in the centres? I don’t have him over Critta and Kiraz. I think Critta is the 1.

They moved Perham to 1 because they believed he talked more than Averillo. That worked out well.

That’s exactly the point… we’re burning through partners with burton as we have not had a organising halfback to steer the team and allow burton to focus on the heads up footy. Trust me if we had someone like cooper Cronk who went to roosters and did exactly what Adam Reynolds is doing now, it allowed the other players such as Luke Leary and Ezra mam to play heads up footy. We haven’t had a decent halfback since hodkingson or noddy days. That says a lot about

1. Players available on the market
2. Juniors nursery

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

The one thing bout this fuckin guinea Ciraldo is. He a fuckin stubborn c__t hair with his selections sometimes and won't make fuckin changes till mid season and its too fuckin late

 

[Grunthos]

If he hasn't fired after three games what makes CC think he will fire after a forth..!?

 

[Dogs4EVA-1]

Bronson Xerri had his best game since returning to the game with the speedy centre setting up two tries — including the matchwinner — in the Bulldogs’ 22-20 win over the Rabbitohs. Xerri also got a linebreak, a linebreak assist, four tackle busts and ran for 202 metres.

Young gun fullback Joash Papalii was also impressive in the win with a try assist, two linebreak assists and 108 running metres.

 

[Dogs4EVA-1]

Meanwhile, workhorse forwards Trey Mooney and Hohepa Puru were impressive once again. Mooney scored a try, got two linebreaks, five tackle busts and 156 metres as well as 36 tackles with four misses.

 

[Dogs4EVA-1]

GUS YOU FAT IDIOT!!!
SIGN MOONEY!!!!

 

[EXPLORER]

CC lives and will die by his choices.

We all do, that's life.
The thing is, it's easy for media identities and arm chair coaches to bang on about who should be playing,
But outsiders don't have to live with the consequences.
The coach does
And he has Sexton in nsw cup for a reason.
But he can't just chop and change halfbacks every week.
He has to give them a chance to work on their game.

Fact is Sexton and Hutch are both nsw cup level halves at best.

Neither will win us games
So Cc is fucked no matter what he does.

Only dumb ***** can't see that.

 

[DinkumDog]

I will give credit to Gould three of the rejects he signed are good players Tracey, Mann and Curran the rest are rejects from other clubs.

So some rejects are OK but not all Polly?
That would be consistent with you being critical of letting go Alamoti who can’t crack the 17 at Penrith and Waddell who can’t make the starting side at Manly?

 

[Dogs4EVA-1]

We all do, that's life.
The thing is, it's easy for media identities and arm chair coaches to bang on about who should be playing,
But outsiders don't have to live with the consequences.
The coach does
And he has Sexton in nsw cup for a reason.
But he can't just chop and change halfbacks every week.
He has to give them a chance to work on their game.

Fact is Sexton and Hutch are both nsw cup level halves at best.

Neither will win us games
So Cc is fucked no matter what he does.

Only dumb ***** can't see that.

why doesn't he try something different then? because what hes doing now isn't working!! why not throw Taffe at 7 and bring Joash to play fullback.. the kid is a superstar...