PANTHERS STAR PUSHING FOR EARLY RELEASE
Panthers rising star Matt Burton is continuing to agitate for an immediate release despite Penrith coach Ivan Clearly publicly proclaiming he “loves it here” as recently as this week.
Burton is currently stuck behind Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Tyrone May in the Panthers halves pecking order and has been named to play five-eighth in round one of the Canterbury Cup this weekend.
At the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs – where Burton has signed a three-year contract from 2022 – he’ll most likely walk straight into the NRL side to partner Kyle Flanagan in the halves.
Where Panthers coach Cleary could run into a jam in the Burton situation centres around this question – would Ivan have the same approach if it was his son Nathan in this situation.
Would he block his own son’s path to the NRL if it was Nathan in Burton’s shoes?
There is no question Burton, 21, is ready to be a full-time NRL player and at the Panthers the pathway is blocked.
The Panthers play the Bulldogs in round two of the NRL.
After round one, clubs are allowed to release players from their top 30 without having to replace them.
Common sense says Burton should be at the Bulldogs within the next month.