Bulldogs’ big bid to snare rising Penrith Panthers star Matt Burton
The Bulldogs rebuild just got a big boost with a huge contract offer set to be tabled to young Penrith playmaker Matt Burton.
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Trent Barrett’s revolution at Belmore is in full swing with Canterbury to formally offer rising Penrith playmaker Matt Burton a lucrative two-year deal.
The new Bulldogs coach, who worked with Burton as Ivan Cleary’s assistant at the Panthers, has identified the young halfback as a key part of the proud club’s rebuild.
But the Bulldogs had to wait until November 1 before any official approach could be made to Burton and his management.
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The Daily Telegraph understands Canterbury wasted no time in formalising an offer on Monday which is expected to be tabled to Burton in the next 24-48 hours.
Under the deal Burton, who is contracted with the Panthers until the end of season 2021, will join the Bulldogs in 2022.
The two-year contract is believed to be worth in the vicinity of $800,000.
It’s a big payday for a rookie half who has only played six games since making his NRL debut in 2019.
Burton is considered as one of the best young playmakers in the game but at Penrith is stuck behind grand final halves pairing Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.
The St Johns Dubbo junior is one of 12 players at Penrith, including Luai, who are off contract at the end of season 2021.
The Panthers now face the arduous task of re-signing players like Luai and boom rookie centre Stephen Crichton. Luai and Crichton could demand an upgrade after this year’s success and being selected in Brad Fittler’s NSW Blues squad.
Veteran winger Josh Mansour is also facing an uncertain future at the foot of the mountains and has been told he is free to look for a new home in season 2021 despite having one more year left on his deal at Penrith.
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If Burton agrees to join the Bulldogs, it will likely see him form a halves combination with halfback Kyle Flanagan.
Flanagan was released from the final year of his deal at the Sydney Roosters after coach Trent Robinson informed the 22-year old he was not part of the future plans at the Bondi club.
In a huge coup for the struggling Bulldogs, last week Barrett has also added former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen to his coaching staff for next season.
Hansen will join the club as a high-performance consultant.
The formidable mentor led New Zealand to victory in the 2015 Rugby World Cup against the Wallabies and enjoyed an 86 per cent win rate as All Blacks coach between 2011 – 2019.