NRL 2021: How Brent Naden’s suspension is impacting Bulldogs’ bid to get early release for Matt Burton

While Brent Naden has vowed to fight his way back to the NRL after another suspension, his stint on the sidelines has bolstered Penrith’s resolve not to release Matt Burton this season.

Brent Naden. Picture: Getty Images

Brent Naden has vowed to fight his way back to the NRL following an on-field suspension — a setback that will have a crushing impact on Canterbury’s insistent pursuit of Matt Burton.

On the comeback trail from a drugs ban, a disappointed Naden will miss the next two matches after being charged by the NSWRL match review committee while playing fullback for Penrith in a reserve grade Canterbury Cup match last weekend.

“I’m obviously disappointed to be missing games, but I guess that’s part of footy,’’ Naden said. “The key for me is to keep working hard, training hard so that as soon as I can come back, I’ll be ready to go.

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Brent Naden is determined to fight his way back into Penrith’s first grade team. Picture: Getty Images

“One thing I won’t let this do is impact my focus to get back into first grade.’’

Having already promised to regain the confidence of Penrith coach Ivan Cleary by returning through reserve grade for the first four rounds of the season, Naden took the early guilty plea after being dealt with a grade two dangerous contact head or neck charge after he arrived late into a tackle against Souths.

Depending on whether Penrith decide to include his two weeks on the sideline as part of his original four-week stint in reserve grade, it could be anywhere between round five or seven before Naden is available for the NRL.

It’s a situation that will place strain on Penrith’s depth in their outside backs, leading to another reason why the Panthers won’t be letting Burton go to Canterbury earlier than his contract start date of November 1.

Burton has been playing in the centres for Penrith’s Canterbury Cup team and the Panthers are adamant he is “one injury away from playing NRL”.

The Bulldogs have made no secret of their desire to lure Burton immediately.

Canterbury’s major sponsor Arthur Laundy went public with his push to convince Penrith to let Burton go by telling The Daily Telegraph on Friday: “They’re not thinking of the lad.”

Matt Burton could benefit from Brent Naden’s stint on the sidelines. Picture: Getty Images

However, Cleary refuted Laundy’s assertion ahead of his side’s clash with Canterbury on Saturday at Bankwest Stadium.

“It’s like most things in life, it’s a balance between business and looking after the individual,‘’ Cleary said. “I think we’ve definitely looked after Matt and we’ll continue to do that. We’ve been developing him since he was a kid and we’re still doing that now.

“We’ve been transparent and consistent about our position on Matt for probably six months. I think most people appreciate that, so that’s how it’s going to stay.

“There’s nothing to make it change at the moment. We’ve been very consistent with our position. Matt knows that, his agent knows that and the club he’s going to know.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: How Brent Naden’s suspension is impacting Bulldogs’ bid to get early release for Matt Burton