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Canterbury’s fading hopes of procuring playmaker Matt Burton this season are all but over after the Penrith Panthers rejected a swap deal offer.
The Bulldogs’ desperation to add Burton to their roster in 2021 culminated in club officials approaching Penrith last week to offer prop Dylan Napa in exchange for an early release for the five-eighth.
It comes just a couple of months after Canterbury refused to give up Napa in exchange for Burton's services, a decision they are now ruing as they look for answers to overcome the club's winless start to the season.
Rubbing salt into the wound was Burton’s man-of-the-match performance against reigning premiers Melbourne on Thursday night. It was a stark reminder of what the Bulldogs are missing as he led Penrith to their third straight win of the season.
At the start of the year, the Bulldogs offered Napa in a swap deal for Burton, with Penrith officials agreeing to consider the option at the club’s next recruitment and retention committee meeting. However it didn’t get that far, with Canterbury removing the offer before the Panthers had made a decision.
On the back of consecutive losses, and underwhelming performances from Napa against the Knights and Bulldogs in the first two rounds, Canterbury had a change of heart and were willing to offload the former Queensland prop to land Burton's services.
Penrith, who are in search for a prop to add to their depth in the middle of the park, immediately rejected the offer this time.
It came in the same week the club’s major sponsor, Arthur Laundy, contacted Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher to apologise for comments he made to The Daily Telegraph in which he questioned whether the Panthers had Burton’s best interests at heart.
As revealed by the Herald, Panthers bosses retaliated to Laundy’s comments by rescinding their RSVP to watch the round two game between the teams from Canterbury’s director’s suite at Bankwest Stadium.
Burton stands to earn in excess of $100,000 more this season if he leaves Penrith to join Canterbury, but the concussion to Nathan Cleary, which saw Burton slot into the halves last week, vindicated the club’s decision to hold on to him.
Burton is expected to play NRL again this week as coach Ivan Cleary reshuffles his back line to accommodate an injury to fullback Dylan Edwards.
Smh Michael Chammes
The Bulldogs’ desperation to add Burton to their roster in 2021 culminated in club officials approaching Penrith last week to offer prop Dylan Napa in exchange for an early release for the five-eighth.
It comes just a couple of months after Canterbury refused to give up Napa in exchange for Burton's services, a decision they are now ruing as they look for answers to overcome the club's winless start to the season.
Rubbing salt into the wound was Burton’s man-of-the-match performance against reigning premiers Melbourne on Thursday night. It was a stark reminder of what the Bulldogs are missing as he led Penrith to their third straight win of the season.
At the start of the year, the Bulldogs offered Napa in a swap deal for Burton, with Penrith officials agreeing to consider the option at the club’s next recruitment and retention committee meeting. However it didn’t get that far, with Canterbury removing the offer before the Panthers had made a decision.
On the back of consecutive losses, and underwhelming performances from Napa against the Knights and Bulldogs in the first two rounds, Canterbury had a change of heart and were willing to offload the former Queensland prop to land Burton's services.
Penrith, who are in search for a prop to add to their depth in the middle of the park, immediately rejected the offer this time.
It came in the same week the club’s major sponsor, Arthur Laundy, contacted Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher to apologise for comments he made to The Daily Telegraph in which he questioned whether the Panthers had Burton’s best interests at heart.
As revealed by the Herald, Panthers bosses retaliated to Laundy’s comments by rescinding their RSVP to watch the round two game between the teams from Canterbury’s director’s suite at Bankwest Stadium.
Burton stands to earn in excess of $100,000 more this season if he leaves Penrith to join Canterbury, but the concussion to Nathan Cleary, which saw Burton slot into the halves last week, vindicated the club’s decision to hold on to him.
Burton is expected to play NRL again this week as coach Ivan Cleary reshuffles his back line to accommodate an injury to fullback Dylan Edwards.
Smh Michael Chammes
