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Canterbury Bulldogs' General Manager of Football Phil Gould concedes there's no way the club could have bagged the signature of Matt Burton had they tabled the same deal to him today.
Last November, the Bulldogs pulled off a massive coup in luring the young gun away from the Panthers as Trent Barrett went about a rebuild in Belmore.
Burton's potential was never in doubt, but with relatively little first-grade experience under his belt at the time - stuck behind the likes of Ivan Cleary's minor premiership squad - Burton had little currency on the NRL market.
Fast-forward not a year, and the 21-year-old has arguably proven himself to be one of the league's hottest targets.
Matt Burton of the Panthers, who has signed with the Bulldogs. (Getty)
That's in part been expedited by a host of injuries in the Panthers' ranks which has seen Burton flex his versatility, first in the centres and now in the halves.
And Burton's meteoric rise reached its latest peak over the weekend in a 20-14 win over the Roosters.
The youngster scored two tries, made three line-breaks and ran a game-high 211 meters - and according to Gould it's just the tip of the iceberg.
"I've always known what a talented kid he is. He came to us at 16 years of age from Dubbo in development squads and junior rep teams," Gould told Nine's 100% Footy.
"As I've said, he hasn't got to play his favourite position very much over the past three seasons, particularly in the NRL with COVID and the strength of their side out there.
"He's played a lot of centre and survived out there because he's a great athlete and a really good footballer, and to play in the halves position in the NRL you need to be doing it regularly to perfect your craft. Until he can get regular football in that five-eighth position you're not going to see the best of him still."
Asked by fellow panelist and former Sharks great, Paul Gallen, if he intended to upgrade Burton's reported $450,000 deal at the Bulldogs in light of his rising stock, Gould was firm.
"What I will say, Paul, is that I've never ever, ever in my life had a player underpaid at any club I've been that. They've never been underpaid, whether they're on contract or not," he said.
"Having said that, it's all a sense of timing, isn't it? The Bulldogs signed Burton at a time where he had played very little first grade. They signed on potential by Trent Barrett because he had been training and coaching the Panthers all last season, so he knew what potential he had.
"Look, he's on a two-year deal with the Bulldogs that would not be commenced now with what he's worth today if he went on the open market. But that's for a lot of players.
"I can tell you the Panthers are getting much, much cheaper this year. And they probably haven't upgraded him this year for the service that he's given them. So, it's all about a sense of timing. Matt Burton has a bright career ahead of him and money will be the least of his problems going forward."
wwos.nine.com.au
Last November, the Bulldogs pulled off a massive coup in luring the young gun away from the Panthers as Trent Barrett went about a rebuild in Belmore.
Burton's potential was never in doubt, but with relatively little first-grade experience under his belt at the time - stuck behind the likes of Ivan Cleary's minor premiership squad - Burton had little currency on the NRL market.
Fast-forward not a year, and the 21-year-old has arguably proven himself to be one of the league's hottest targets.
That's in part been expedited by a host of injuries in the Panthers' ranks which has seen Burton flex his versatility, first in the centres and now in the halves.
And Burton's meteoric rise reached its latest peak over the weekend in a 20-14 win over the Roosters.
The youngster scored two tries, made three line-breaks and ran a game-high 211 meters - and according to Gould it's just the tip of the iceberg.
"I've always known what a talented kid he is. He came to us at 16 years of age from Dubbo in development squads and junior rep teams," Gould told Nine's 100% Footy.
"As I've said, he hasn't got to play his favourite position very much over the past three seasons, particularly in the NRL with COVID and the strength of their side out there.
"He's played a lot of centre and survived out there because he's a great athlete and a really good footballer, and to play in the halves position in the NRL you need to be doing it regularly to perfect your craft. Until he can get regular football in that five-eighth position you're not going to see the best of him still."
Asked by fellow panelist and former Sharks great, Paul Gallen, if he intended to upgrade Burton's reported $450,000 deal at the Bulldogs in light of his rising stock, Gould was firm.
"What I will say, Paul, is that I've never ever, ever in my life had a player underpaid at any club I've been that. They've never been underpaid, whether they're on contract or not," he said.
"Having said that, it's all a sense of timing, isn't it? The Bulldogs signed Burton at a time where he had played very little first grade. They signed on potential by Trent Barrett because he had been training and coaching the Panthers all last season, so he knew what potential he had.
"Look, he's on a two-year deal with the Bulldogs that would not be commenced now with what he's worth today if he went on the open market. But that's for a lot of players.
"I can tell you the Panthers are getting much, much cheaper this year. And they probably haven't upgraded him this year for the service that he's given them. So, it's all about a sense of timing. Matt Burton has a bright career ahead of him and money will be the least of his problems going forward."
Gus' big admission over Burton's Bulldogs deal
'Would not commence with what he's worth today'
