Burton challenged as Bulldogs resist Crichton rest
George Clarke |
Canterbury are resisting the chance to put injury-hit captain Stephen Crichton on ice as Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo calls on Matt Burton to prove his masterclass against Melbourne wasn’t a one-off.
Crichton played 80 minutes in NSW’s 22-20 State of Origin win on Wednesday night, but has battled a shoulder issue for the last few months that even prevented him from taking part in every training session in Blues camp.
But Ciraldo is reluctant to give his star centre a week off given the 13th-placed Dogs’ (4-7) form struggles and confirmed Crichton would return against Wests Tigers (5-5) at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
“I think his body’s actually really good, he said from a 10-day Origin prep and resting it was like having a bye for him,” Ciraldo said.
“It’s always tempting to (rest him) after Origin, but we’re in a position where we need to put our best foot forward and ‘Critta’ was adamant straight after the game that he wanted to play.”
Enari Tuala will shift to the wing to accommodate Crichton as Marcelo Montoya drops out of Canterbury’s matchday squad with a knee issue.
The Bulldogs breathed life into their season last week when, inspired by five-eighth Burton, they ran down Melbourne to break a five-game losing run.
Burton, who had a brief cameo off the bench for NSW at Accor Stadium, has struggled for form in 2026 amid speculation he will leave Belmore at the end of this season.
“30 grand for three minutes, he’ll be pumped,” Ciraldo said.
“His game last week against Melbourne obviously put him in the frame … we know he’s capable of it, but it is a challenge to get to that level every time.
“The reality is you don’t get that many opportunities every week, but he has to be involved in the game and be in the right mindset.
“We’ve seen some really good energy about him lately over the last three or four weeks, and we’re really happy with how he played last week.”
Ciraldo, meanwhile, confirmed Jacob Kiraz would remain at fullback with Connor Tracey still sidelined.
AAP