News Weighed down by the responsibility’: Matty calls for Bulldogs’ Burton shake-up

[djdeep4172]

Matty Johns has called on Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo to shift Matt Burton to centre to unlock his running game after his side’s disappointing 26-8 loss to the Eels in Round 1.

Burton had just two runs for 18 metres at five-eighth with no try or linebreak involvements, two errors and a penalty conceded against the Eels.

Johns believes on the evidence of last year and Round 1, Burton needs to rediscover his running game to build his confidence at the position that saw him win Dally M centre of the year in 2021.

“I was looking forward to the new revamped Bulldogs and I know they had to defend their line quite a bit, but in attack what do you think was going on there?” Bryan Fletcher asked on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.

“They have got a lot of ball handlers,” Johns said.

“It seemed like at times there was a little bit too much and they played a little bit too sideways.

“I reckon with Burton he is a world class runner of the football. I know it is only Round 1 this year, but I saw it last year.

“I have seen this a million times where you get great runners of the football and suddenly you put them in a playmaking position and they get weighed down by what they think their duties are as far as organising the side and I can see that with Burton.

“If I was Cameron Ciraldo and he has his own plans, but I would be putting Burton to left centre.

“Crichton can play either. It doesn’t worry him. He can play right and maybe bring Toby Sexton in.

I think if you put Burton even for a short stint at left centre and really stimulate his running game and really get him going because he is an incredible runner.

There are not many better runners of the football than Matty Burton, but you can just see him out there and he is just weighed down by the responsibility of steering the side around.”

Fletcher noted Burton’s inability to unlock star recruit and captain Stephen Crichton as another worrying sign for the playmaker.

“That left side they had Kikau, Crichton and Burton and the Foxx, but he went off,” Fletcher said.

“That’s a pretty handy left edge and Crichton got the ball three or four times.”

“I think he (Crichton) touched the ball seven times and scored once,” Nathan Hindmarsh added.

Johns conceded the Bulldogs’s attack was affected by the amount of defence they had to do against the Eels and warned it will take time for combinations to develop after 11 changes to their roster from last season.

“By the same token the amount of defence they had to do took a toll,” Johns said.

“They will get there, but again we spoke about Penrith trying to bed down new combinations.

“There is so many new combinations in the Bulldogs side.”

 

[djdeep4172]

Im not gonna write any of our players off untill I see them play under an experienced coach.
We should have never gone for an untried coach,would love to be proven wrong.
The fact that everyone has regressed in itself is an alarm bell ringing.
Did anyone else catch RFM and his game? Mmmmmm makes me think

 

[King Gus]

Im not gonna write any of our players off untill I see them play under an experienced coach.
We should have never gone for an untried coach,would love to be proven wrong.
The fact that everyone has regressed in itself is an alarm bell ringing.
Did anyone else catch RFM and his game? Mmmmmm makes me think

RFM is a useless as a fly screen on a submarine , if you think that the offloads and running straight was taught by flano you are living under a rock.
RFM had his chances here and was lazy, sideways running, hogging the ball, couldn’t bend the line.

 

[Moedogg]

Finally someone points out the elephant in the room. Burton needs to be shifted to center and have a ball player like Sexton at 5/8th. Isn't Jason Taylor in charge of attack?

 

[EL Hefe]

No shit

 

[dogbone]

Did you people watch the game? All we did was ruck it out over and over again from deep in our own half. We made too many errors and we made errors at the end of defensive sets, gifting the eels field position and repeat sets. We defended really well for long periods. But once you get to the last you have to get the ball back. We cant have blokes knocking on cross field kicks willy nilly.

 

[Scoooby]

Did you people watch the game? All we did was ruck it out over and over again from deep in our own half. We made too many errors and we made errors at the end of defensive sets, gifting the eels field position and repeat sets. We defended really well for long periods. But once you get to the last you have to get the ball back. We cant have blokes knocking on cross field kicks willy nilly.

Burton = Willy nilly lol !!

 

[Dogs Of War]

Finally someone points out the elephant in the room. Burton needs to be shifted to center and have a ball player like Sexton at 5/8th. Isn't Jason Taylor in charge of attack?

I think most people didn’t pay attention to what he said. He wants Burton to shift for a few games so he can just concentrate on running. Then go back to 5/8th with running as his first instinct. That’s what a good 5/8th does. I feel his stint as half back was the worst for him.

 

[Moedogg]

I think most people didn’t pay attention to what he said. He wants Burton to shift for a few games so he can just concentrate on running. Then go back to 5/8th with running as his first instinct. That’s what a good 5/8th does. I feel his stint as half back was the worst for him.

It's kind of hard for Burton to run too when our forwards aren't getting over the advantage line. Burton seems to be preoccupied with positioning himself for the 5th tackle kick. Maybe take those duties away from him and just try give him early ball.

 

[KiwiDog7]

Matty Johns has called on Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo to shift Matt Burton to centre to unlock his running game after his side’s disappointing 26-8 loss to the Eels in Round 1.

Burton had just two runs for 18 metres at five-eighth with no try or linebreak involvements, two errors and a penalty conceded against the Eels.

Johns believes on the evidence of last year and Round 1, Burton needs to rediscover his running game to build his confidence at the position that saw him win Dally M centre of the year in 2021.

“I was looking forward to the new revamped Bulldogs and I know they had to defend their line quite a bit, but in attack what do you think was going on there?” Bryan Fletcher asked on Sunday Night with Matty Johns.

“They have got a lot of ball handlers,” Johns said.

“It seemed like at times there was a little bit too much and they played a little bit too sideways.

“I reckon with Burton he is a world class runner of the football. I know it is only Round 1 this year, but I saw it last year.

“I have seen this a million times where you get great runners of the football and suddenly you put them in a playmaking position and they get weighed down by what they think their duties are as far as organising the side and I can see that with Burton.

“If I was Cameron Ciraldo and he has his own plans, but I would be putting Burton to left centre.

“Crichton can play either. It doesn’t worry him. He can play right and maybe bring Toby Sexton in.

I think if you put Burton even for a short stint at left centre and really stimulate his running game and really get him going because he is an incredible runner.

There are not many better runners of the football than Matty Burton, but you can just see him out there and he is just weighed down by the responsibility of steering the side around.”

Fletcher noted Burton’s inability to unlock star recruit and captain Stephen Crichton as another worrying sign for the playmaker.

“That left side they had Kikau, Crichton and Burton and the Foxx, but he went off,” Fletcher said.

“That’s a pretty handy left edge and Crichton got the ball three or four times.”

“I think he (Crichton) touched the ball seven times and scored once,” Nathan Hindmarsh added.

Johns conceded the Bulldogs’s attack was affected by the amount of defence they had to do against the Eels and warned it will take time for combinations to develop after 11 changes to their roster from last season.

“By the same token the amount of defence they had to do took a toll,” Johns said.

“They will get there, but again we spoke about Penrith trying to bed down new combinations.

“There is so many new combinations in the Bulldogs side.”

About time someone in the media highlighted the fact we made double amount of tackles and starved of the football

 

[Dogs Of War]

It's kind of hard for Burton to run too when our forwards aren't getting over the advantage line. Burton seems to be preoccupied with positioning himself for the 5th tackle kick. Maybe take those duties away from him and just try give him early ball.

We need to actually have ball in an attacking position. Once we hit the 40m line I totally agree. We can win games by going around teams and using what is a very good backline. We ain’t going to win it up front. So play percentages coming out of your area and then expansive footy once in the right area if the field.

 

[GreenTurd]

About time someone in the media highlighted the fact we made double amount of tackles and starved of the football

And not a single player of ours even attempted a one on one strip or anything else to try to get possession back.

 

[Kempsey Dog]

MG voiced his changes also on triple m as follows:
1. Tracey
3. Burton
6. Salmon
7. Sexton
13. Preston
Can only assume from the changes he stated he wants Curran right edge 2RF.

 

[PeteHazz]

FFS

talk shows like this piss me off. What are they saying are solutions, besides Burton to centre? Does anyone, truly think hutch at 5/8 is going to sprinkle fairy dust all over our backline, completely unlock it and make it better? Why would we go left when Fox was busted? The defense know the backline movement ends at Critta every time (at least in the first half).

The problem is half of them are new, there are zero combinations after 80 mins together, we dropped too much ball and gave away silly penalties/6 again. Burton played well at centre outside elite halves. He played well at centre with Kikau and To'o either side, behind a dominant pack, a 5/8 with an excellent running game, a fullback that genuinely sweeps and halves playing at least 8 - 10 metres wider because Yeo plays first receiver. He was running at centres, not middles, heavy traffic and back rowers. 1 on 1 he looks good every time at the panthers.

If Salmon can add width, Burton plays wider, Kikau run like he wants to get the ball and Tracey add some shape, then I'm sure Burton will break the line. I'd play Tracey inside Burton on left side raids. These tv blokes are supposed to be experts, yet they're offering solutions that wouldn't work for u14's. With our team as it stands, without ruck speed, Burton will almost never threaten the line. He can't. Unless Salmon plays more 1st receiver on quick play the ball, hutch plays wider, deeper and straighter, Burton will make feeble metres till he's dropped, put to centre, leaves or all 3. No way he's a first choice centre in our team. Even the venerated munster was poor last year when his pack was getting dominated.

Don't put him at centre. If he's not the answer drop him. Completely. He adds nothing at centre that Xerri doesn't. Xerri is faster, stronger and less likely to f&%k up positional play because he's a specialist centre. If they can't be without Burton's kicking game, the halves remain the problem

Rant over

 

[dekepefc]

Im not gonna write any of our players off untill I see them play under an experienced coach.
We should have never gone for an untried coach,would love to be proven wrong.
The fact that everyone has regressed in itself is an alarm bell ringing.
Did anyone else catch RFM and his game? Mmmmmm makes me think

Gold Coast is coached by des, and dolphins by Wayne Bennett. Both teams were flogged in round 1... that being said I can't defend some of CC's selections and decisions

 

[FaceBreaker]

Honestly, I can’t remember Burton having a good game in the dogs jersey.

Even Ben Robert’s had one or two good games a year and was dogshit the rest. Burton has done nothing.

 

[dogbone]

We played a certain style of football Saturday, after the first 20 minutes of almost exclusively defending our goal line and starting every set deep in our own half, where it wouldn't have mattered who was playing 6 or in the centres. All we did was play conservative and try to get to halfway for a kick. I would have loved for Mahoney, Hutch and Burton to come together and say, we need to start shifting the ball more in our own half but that never happened. Maybe they didn't want to chase points, maybe they wanted to stick to the game plan, maybe they were absolutely gassed, i don't know. It was round 1 so i'll cut them some slack. If it was round 6 i'd be more concerned that we seemed more concerned to just get to the finish line rather than win at all costs.

My biggest concern was our handling errors, particularly from our outside backs. Taaffe and Wilson need to do better. I'd bring in Xerri for Kiraz, Kiraz to the wing, Wilson to reserves. Tracey to the wing until Fox comes back. By then if Taaffe hasn't cemented his spot, move Tracey to fullback.

 

[Eesma]

It's not entirely Burton's fault. On top of the fact that we were rarely in an attacking position, Mahoney kept inexplicably moving the ball out to the right when we did get there. On one of our attacking sets, he went right, short side, on the last 2 tackles. There was nothing happening. I've been slow to criticise Reed because he was one of the few players who actually gave a fuck last year and you could never say he left anything out on the field but he's becoming a liability.

 

[bradtalo]

Our strongest backs would be this IMO. Burton is a runner, not creative and fucking lazy. With a 6 on his back he thinks his ONLY job is to kick on the 5th tackle. Crichton can still join raids on the left edge (and right) from fullback

1 Crichton
2 Skelton / Kiraz
3 Xerri
4 Burton
5 JAC
6 Tracey
7 Sexton

 

[DinkumDog]

FFS

talk shows like this piss me off. What are they saying are solutions, besides Burton to centre? Does anyone, truly think hutch at 5/8 is going to sprinkle fairy dust all over our backline, completely unlock it and make it better? Why would we go left when Fox was busted? The defense know the backline movement ends at Critta every time (at least in the first half).

The problem is half of them are new, there are zero combinations after 80 mins together, we dropped too much ball and gave away silly penalties/6 again. Burton played well at centre outside elite halves. He played well at centre with Kikau and To'o either side, behind a dominant pack, a 5/8 with an excellent running game, a fullback that genuinely sweeps and halves playing at least 8 - 10 metres wider because Yeo plays first receiver. He was running at centres, not middles, heavy traffic and back rowers. 1 on 1 he looks good every time at the panthers.

If Salmon can add width, Burton plays wider, Kikau run like he wants to get the ball and Tracey add some shape, then I'm sure Burton will break the line. I'd play Tracey inside Burton on left side raids. These tv blokes are supposed to be experts, yet they're offering solutions that wouldn't work for u14's. With our team as it stands, without ruck speed, Burton will almost never threaten the line. He can't. Unless Salmon plays more 1st receiver on quick play the ball, hutch plays wider, deeper and straighter, Burton will make feeble metres till he's dropped, put to centre, leaves or all 3. No way he's a first choice centre in our team. Even the venerated munster was poor last year when his pack was getting dominated.

Don't put him at centre. If he's not the answer drop him. Completely. He adds nothing at centre that Xerri doesn't. Xerri is faster, stronger and less likely to f&%k up positional play because he's a specialist centre. If they can't be without Burton's kicking game, the halves remain the problem

Rant over

I agree. I don’t think centre is the answer not to mention we have more centres than Westfield.
He’s been relieved of the (c) - which he never should’ve had anyway and the idea that he’s ’organising the team’ is because we don’t have a top shelf 7. I think Ciro went Hutch for defence but Sexy attacks better than Hutch and a more attacking 7 may help unlock Burton and if that doesn’t work then the bigger call of dropping Burton must linger - but I don’t buy that putting him at 3 is any sort of panacea. Nor do I think Ciro will make wholesale changes and certainly not so early in the season so it’s kind of a moot point.