️TOBY SEXTON SET TO REJECT NRL RIVALS, RE-SIGN WITH CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
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Via Telegraph Sport
By Peter Badel
Rejuvenated Canterbury halfback Toby Sexton will reject interest from two NRL rivals and ink a $1 million-plus extension in his burning desire to deliver a premiership to the Bulldogs.
This masthead can reveal Sexton’s management will meet with Bulldogs football boss Phil Gould for further talks on a new deal ahead of Thursday night’s Anzac blockbuster against the Broncos.
Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo says he has no plans to lose former Titans discard Sexton, who has mirrored his side’s epic renaissance by firing the unbeaten Dogs of War to the top of the league.
Ruthlessly discarded by the Titans, Sexton was thrown a lifeline by the Bulldogs midway through 2023 and he has flourished under the new regime of Ciraldo and Gould.
Sexton goes into the round 8 showdown at Suncorp Stadium off-contract at season’s end and there were fears for his future at Belmore after the Bulldogs were linked with boom Wests Tigers playmaker Lachlan Galvin.
But the Bulldogs plan to formalise a two or three-year extension for the 24-year-old, who has forged a handy scrumbase alliance with classy five-eighth Matt Burton.
Sexton’s manager Tas Bartlett confirmed Sexton is keen for another term at Belmore as the cool-headed halfback looks to break the Bulldogs’ 21-year premiership drought.
“We’ve got interest from a couple of clubs, but our priority is getting a deal done with the Bulldogs,” said Bartlett of PSM.
“He is loving it at the family club.
“The Bulldogs threw him a lifeline and he appreciates what the club has done for him.
“We’ve had plenty of positive talks and we’re working out what his correct value is.
“Phil Gould has been very honest and transparent and he doesn’t want to short-change Toby.
“I will catch up with Phil in the next week or so to thrash out an extension.”
Sexton was a junior sensation at Gold Coast school Palm Beach Currumbin and was so highly rated he once partnered Roosters whizkid Sam Walker in the halves for the Australian Schoolboys in 2019.
But after being identified as a franchise player at the Titans, the Gold Coast suddenly lost faith in Sexton, cutting him after just 24 games as an NRL shot-caller.
Plucked from the NRL scrapheap by the Bulldogs, Sexton initially had to bide his time in the NSW Cup, but played a handy role in Canterbury’s charge to the NRL finals last year before continuing his eye-catching form this season.
Sexton ran for 125 metres in Canterbury’s 20-0 rout of Newcastle in round five and is averaging 472 kicking metres per game, putting pressure on the opposition with his boot.
Ciraldo praised Sexton’s team-first mentality in the Bulldogs’ best start to a season in 87 years.
“Currently Toby is off-contract and he hasn’t once ever put himself before the team,” the Canterbury coach said.
“He’s been a really big character in the way we’ve turned around our culture and our connectivity.
“He’s played just over 50 games now, so he’s starting to feel more and more like he belongs in the NRL and I’m starting to see that in bits and pieces of his play.
“Toby’s got a really good energy around the group, he’s a really popular member of the team
“He’s always looking to get better and he’s coming in every day and works really hard with the coaches.
“’Gus’ (Gould) and his manager are in constant conversations (about a new deal), but Toby’s only job right now is to focus on getting better every week and my job is to help him do that.”
Bartlett is adamant Sexton has the composure and game management to steer the Bulldogs to their first title since 2004.
“Toby is a wonderful clubman,” he said.
“He went through some tough times at the Titans but he’s really enjoyed the change at the Dogs and he’s been patient in waiting for his opportunity.
“He will be a great retention for the Bulldogs. He is playing great football and he is only going to get better. He suits the way the Dogs play. He is tough, a real competitor and physical in defence, so he is everything they need at the moment.
“The team is connected, he feels connected and he wants to remain a Dog as long as he can.”
