Positional switch right as rain for Bulldogs’ Burton
Jasper Bruce |
Matt Burton is happy to remain at right centre with Canterbury’s finals hopes on the line after excelling against St George Illawarra only days on from a family bereavement.
Burton’s week of training was disrupted as he returned home to Dubbo following his grandmother’s death, but the 26-year-old was nevertheless among the Bulldogs’ best in an unfamiliar position on Saturday night.
With Enari Tuala injured and Bronson Xerri better on the left, Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo approached Burton during the week to gauge his interest in switching sides against Saints.
Burton has played almost his entire 144-game NRL career on the left, winning the 2021 premiership with Penrith at centre before switching to five-eighth on the same edge at the Bulldogs.
Ciraldo has pushed Burton from the halves back to the centres in recent weeks, before coming to the former State of Origin representative with another job.
“‘Ciro’ just put the challenge to me during the week, coming up against (Dragons centre) Val Holmes, he’s a quality player and just sort of put me up against him to see where I was at,” Burton told AAP.
Burton scored two tries in Canterbury’s 44-14 win, boosting the potency of a right edge that already features key men Jacob Preston, Lachie Galvin and Jacob Kiraz.
Realistically, the Bulldogs must defeat second-placed Penrith this week to keep their finals hopes alive, and lining up on the right again would mean marking superstar Casey McLean.
Burton is “100 per cent open” to staying put.
“I really enjoyed it out there, playing outside ‘Presto’ and ‘Galvo’ there. We’ll just keep building that combination if that’s the case,” he said.
The fact Burton played at all was impressive to teammates given the recent passing of grandmother Christina.
“It’s a tough time, but the way he played, not only did he get on the field, he was one of our best players,” Kiraz said.
“I’m sure that’s what she have wanted, for Burto to play, and good on him.”
A Kiraz pass put Burton over for his second try and the Lebanese international welcomed the prospect of a longer stay on the right edge.
“I’d love Burto (playing) inside me and hopefully keep forming a combination,” Kiraz said.
AAP