Official Matt Burton to join the Bulldogs in 2022

[The DoggFather]

I that why??? I thought he was imitating a skunk. Hahahaha

Hahahhaa

It's a true story bro, I remember the interview.

 

[Heckler]

Darren Smith too

One of my all time favourite Bulldog. Even if he had 2 stints at both the Broncos and Canterbury, there was something admirable about him. Classy footballer and good bloke.

 

[TABOO]

If you’re not counting Thurston, probably Janie Feeney.... lol

Ennis the menace guys!!!!
And Tim Browne after that head injury too

 

[TABOO]

One of my all time favourite Bulldog. Even if he had 2 stints at both the Broncos and Canterbury, there was something admirable about him. Classy footballer and good bloke.

Jason too!

 

[Oldpanther]

NRL 2021: Penrith Panthers slam Bulldogs over Matt Burton signing | Daily Telegraph

Panthers chairman Dave O’Neill has taken aim at lower-tier NRL clubs outlaying millions of dollars to sign rookie players, labelling the move “scary” and “unsustainable”

And O’Neill said young players signed to big money deals who fail to step-up into the NRL players could lead to club’s salary caps being “stuffed for three to four years”.

Penrith remain angry rising star Matt Burton was pinched by Canterbury on a two-year, $1m contract despite having played just six NRL games, three off the bench.

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And the Bulldogs also signed halfback Kyle Flanagan to a $1.5m deal over three years having played just 29 first grade games.

While not specifically naming Canterbury, O’Neill warned desperate clubs against outlaying big bucks to sign inexperienced players.

“The scary thing is when players are getting offered up to $1.5m over a three-year period and they have played three or four first grade games,” O’Neill said.

“That’s the scary part and that’s the scary part for the NRL going forward. The game can’t sustain that.

“Whether it’s Penrith players or any players in general, you get half a dozen clubs who get two or three of them wrong and all of a sudden their salary caps are stuffed for three or four years.

“I’m not saying some of these players aren’t going to be brilliant but you’re backing your horse at a very early stage. You can’t blame the players for getting the offers. Good on them.

“If I was a 20-year-old halfback, five-eighth, getting that sort of money, you’d be over the moon.

“But at the end of the day, the game is results driven so the clubs at the bottom of the table have to try and buy some talent. Then the guys at the top of the table lose the talent because they can’t afford to keep them. It’s a vicious cycle, it’s a system.

“And you can’t back-end deals these days. It just comes back to bite you. You’ve got to have a balanced roster where you’ve got your top seven or eight players on big money, then your middle section and then you have your journeymen and development players coming through.

“At Penrith, we’re a development club but a lot of clubs that don’t develop players are going to struggle with that bottom ten per cent.”

Rival clubs are circling Penrith stars after the Panthers reached this year’s NRL grand final.

Star players Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton come off contract after next year and are certain to attract massive offers.


“The sides that are successful, clubs are obviously going to raid some of those players because you can’t keep them all due to the salary cap. That’s the problem,” O’Neill said. “Players that play in successful sides, their values go up and it’s a free world out there.

“If you said to me at the beginning of the year that (Penrith players) Charlie Staines, Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton, Liam Martin – the list goes on and on – are going to be where they are today and where they are in the market place, you would have been kidding yourself. But that is what happens.

“Where people say it (successful clubs being raided) is a bad look for the game, I’m actually proud of what our club has achieved over the last four, five, six years, to put us in this position.

“We’d like to try and keep all of them but we can only what we can do with a salary cap. We are doing our best to manage within the salary cap. Unfortunately it will be the nature of our success that we are going to lose some players. We have to try and keep the ones we can fit in our cap.”

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Nice click bait headline to manipulate dogs fans into hating us:

“Where people say it (successful clubs being raided) is a bad look for the game, I’m actually proud of what our club has achieved over the last four, five, six years, to put us in this position.

“We’d like to try and keep all of them but we can only what we can do with a salary cap. We are doing our best to manage within the salary cap. Unfortunately it will be the nature of our success that we are going to lose some players. We have to try and keep the ones we can fit in our cap.”

 

[Kempsey Dog]

The saltiness from Penrith is getting embarrassing now.

Agree... Me and a few other posters here said last year that Burton and Luai are off contract 2021 and that we should sign whoever isn't first choice for Penrith. Most of their fans knew a decision had to be made, so why couldn't this chairman see it and try lock them up early ? No one to blame but themselves

 

[Kempsey Dog]

Frustrated Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher wants the NRL to examine salary cap concessions for development clubs whose best juniors are poached by rivals, claiming "something is wrong with the system" after Matt Burton's defection to Canterbury.

Trent Barrett's raid on the club he helped to this year's grand final on the back of a mesmerising 17-game winning run landed its biggest blow, with Burton signing a three-year deal to join Canterbury from 2022.

The Panthers won't consider an early release for Burton, whose desire to play in the halves is being blocked by State of Origin squad members Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai. Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has plans to use him as either a centre or edge back-rower while providing cover for his star playmakers.

Burton is also on relatively meagre money next season, meaning the Panthers would gain little salary cap relief by agreeing to an early exit. But the club, whose rejuvenation has primarily been built on the back of a long-term and relentless development program in regional NSW, has now lost two of its brightest prospects in the space of a fortnight.

Fullback Daine Laurie, whose path into Penrith's top side also has obstacles, will link with the Tigers in 2022.

Burton, who has impressed in six NRL games and was considered one of the game's most in-demand free agents, and Laurie will wear Penrith colours for another 12 months before joining rival clubs.
The Panthers have already flagged cutting their spending on development given the COVID pandemic and the news of Burton's exit will only bring greater focus on the cost of building the most powerful junior nursery in the game.

"It's disappointing for our fans when we've brought [Burton] up from 17 years of age and had coaches coaching him to get his skills where they are, and to have him snatched out of your hands and get no reward for the efforts we've put in to promoting the game [is hard to take]," Fletcher said.

"There's something wrong with the system. It doesn't encourage anybody to have a pathway system and development system like we've got.

Why would you have one when they get to the potential of playing NRL, someone comes and grabs them? Hopefully we've got a few more coming through the pipeline, but there should be some compensation there."

Canterbury's financial muscle was also a large factor for Burton, who will partner Kyle Flanagan in the halves at Belmore. Barrett is also about to welcome Nick Cotric and Jack Hetherington into his 2021 squad.

For the minor premiers, though, their roster is already under siege with the club planning further talks this week to convince boom centre Stephen Crichton to stay. Penrith have already tabled offers for Luai and Isaah Yeo, and any loss from that trio will be considered a major blow after their record-breaking season.

Their fans are the latest to express displeasure with the NRL's trading frenzy, which in the past fortnight has seen Burton, Laurie and Newcastle-bound Jake Clifford announce deals to move in 2022 while under contract to their current club for 2021.

How's this guy crying no reward for development please ... Panthers reward for development was being under the cap despite paying big coin for Blake and RCG to be playing at Parra... If they didn't develop good juniors then they wouldn't have been able to cover that loss and struggled. They are getting so salty

 

[KiwiDog7]

The Panthers had every opportunity to lock up Burton but they chose May over him to show loyalty back when he vouched for Nathan’s tik tok in lockdown with those chicks

[emoji38]

 

[Oldpanther]

FMD another article about Penrith having a whinge. I get it they're pissed off at losing gun. I'll be stunned if he's not the NSW 5/8 in 3 years time but luckily for Penrith they already have a NSW 5/8 in their side. Yes they fucked up by choosing Luai over Burton but we made the same mistake in 04 so maybe the football gods are paying us back

Funny thing is it's the media using the same interview to mass produce articles and create fake drama because it's what's getting attention at the moment.

 

[Oldpanther]

Public message for riffs ceo Brian Fletcher: Dogs are more than happy to compensate you for Burton to come over next year. Lewis and Wakeham gift wrapped and delivered to your front door free of charge. If offer accepted in the next 14 days we'll include Nappa free as well.

The more it gets said the more I'd be tempted on a 1 year minimum deal for 2021. I've seen fans say Lewis would make a good centre as he's a good defender and he wouldn't have to manage the game without the responsibility of half. Maybe not Wakeham though.

 

[Oldpanther]

Agree... Me and a few other posters here said last year that Burton and Luai are off contract 2021 and that we should sign whoever isn't first choice for Penrith. Most of their fans knew a decision had to be made, so why couldn't this chairman see it and try lock them up early ? No one to blame but themselves

He did the media are just using the click bait headline to create drama. One of his quotes is that we are keeping what we can under the cap and it's expected to lose some. Panthers have just been saying for years about the development thing and this situation is current so draws attention.

 

[Vlasnik]

Dave O’Neill's comments reek of desperation, knowing full well that there are 15 other clubs now eyeing the Panthers juniors and losing Burton was just the tip of the iceberg. Personally I would love if we could take Spencer Leniu of their hands as well.

 

[Novdoggie]

Dear Penrith,
Please keep investing in your juniors and look after them for us. We'll be in touch in a few years.

Cheers.

 

[Oldpanther]

Dear Penrith,
Please keep investing in your juniors and look after them for us. We'll be in touch in a few years.

Cheers.

As long as it's not Roosters or Storm. I'd gladly develop enough talent for at least 8 teams and send them off to see those to not play finals.

 

[Spoonman84]

The more it gets said the more I'd be tempted on a 1 year minimum deal for 2021. I've seen fans say Lewis would make a good centre as he's a good defender and he wouldn't have to manage the game without the responsibility of half. Maybe not Wakeham though.

If you were the Chooks, Souths or Parra I’d say take Lewis but I don’t mind the Panthers. Lewis really isn’t a first grader he doesn’t run the ball at all and is a slug for pace so he wouldn’t make a good centre.

 

[doggieaaron]

Penrith banging on about burton getting poached he only joined them in 2018

 

[Oldpanther]

Penrith banging on about burton getting poached he only joined them in 2018

We did take him and turn him into a half over that time. He came to us as a winger. The 5/8 you're getting is Panthers coaching and development manifest. Same as Cleary and Luai. One of Gus's systems was a halves academy specifically because we sucked at bringing good first grade quality halves through even with our access to quantity of juniors.

 

[doggieaaron]

We did take him and turn him into a half over that time. He came to us as a winger. The 5/8 you're getting is Panthers coaching and development manifest. Same as Cleary and Luai. One of Gus's systems was a halves academy specifically because we sucked at bringing good first grade quality halves through even with our access to quantity of juniors.

Positions kids play young is always different my mate was a half in juniors but played fb in grade ,all im saying is i think kelly is being a bit rich only had him for 2 years weve had guys taken from us in their prime that were in our systems from 15/16

 

[Oldpanther]

Positions kids play young is always different my mate was a half in juniors but played fb in grade ,all im saying is i think kelly is being a bit rich only had him for 2 years weve had guys taken from us in their prime that were in our systems from 15/16

But that's the thing the media are making out like we are some kind of special case but we aren't. Gus has spoken about it for years.

My solution though wouldn't be a cap penalty/bonus I would have them increase the long servicing player allowance. We could put it on Yeo for example. Then offer Lenui a bit more while releasing Burton to you, Luarie to Tigers and keeping Crichton/Lenui for ourselves. Seems fairly well balanced and not as easily manipulated for individual clubs.

 

[Family Guy]

If you were the Chooks, Souths or Parra I’d say take Lewis but I don’t mind the Panthers. Lewis really isn’t a first grader he doesn’t run the ball at all and is a slug for pace so he wouldn’t make a good centre.

LOL, I said the same thing to Oldpanther 2 weeks ago but I included the Dragons in that list....c'mon Spoonman, how could you forget the Dragons?