NRL 2022: Canterbury Bulldogs win 16-12 over Sydney Roosters in thriller
Matt Burton has heard the Origin talk before — but there’s good reason why the Bulldogs star might be doing more than just talking about a NSW jersey this year.
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The calls for Matt Burton to make his State of Origin debut will only grow louder after the 22-year-old produced a couple of humungous plays in Canterbury’s shock win over the Roosters.
But the man himself has heard it all before and wants to focus instead on the Bulldogs after they snapped a six-game losing streak to relieve pressure on coach Trent Barrett.
The grounded approach helped Burton last year when people were suggesting he should make the NSW team after just a handful of games for Penrith.
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He ended up winning a comp at left centre in 2021, but he’s shifted to the more familiar role in the halves now to show Blues coach Brad Fittler that he can fill in anywhere if selected.
“That’s just a bonus. My main focus is on this team and getting better each week,” Burton said.
“You obviously hear a lot about it, but I’m just going to keep working hard. If it comes, it comes. I haven’t spoken to Freddy. It would be a massive privilege to put that jersey on, but I’ve just got to keep doing what’s best for the Bulldogs.”
The difference between winning and losing in Origin often comes down to a couple of plays, and Burton was right in the thick of it on Saturday as he came up with two telling moments against the Roosters.
It was his booming 40/20 that set up Jayden Okunbor’s try midway through the second half, and he was then heavily involved in the tackle that forced Joseph Suaalii over the sideline when the Roosters winger thought he’d tied things up at the death.
“There was a lot going through my head, to be honest,” Burton said when describing the tackle.
“I saw the winger up and I was just trying to get field position. It was lucky enough to come off the boot sweetly. It was nice to get that one away.
“But it was a courageous win from the boys and we’ve just got to keep working hard. That’s got to be the standard now. We’ve got to keep on going forward and getting wins.
“There have been so many close games for us this season so it was really pleasing to get a win for all the fans and members. This is a big win for the club. We’ve been working so hard at training to turn things around.”
The win itself was special, but to do it after a week of distracting headlines took it to the next level.
All the focus leading into the clash was on Phil Gould and Trent Barrett and who was actually in charge of the club after Gould took it upon himself to deliver some hard truths at a video session.
But according to Burton, that advice coupled with some help on the field at training resonated with the players.
“I haven’t had much to do with him, but he’s great to have at the club,” he said.
“It’s really good to have someone like him step in sometimes. He just tries to get the best out of you, and that’s the best thing about Gus. I think a few boys took that upon themselves tonight.
“There’s obviously been a fair bit of noise around this week, but I think that’s the best thing about that win. The boys just stuck their heads down and worked together to do the job we knew we had to do.”
That job is something that is still developing as the club’s new recruits continue to build on combinations in their first season together.
“He’s playing in the halves, and all good halfbacks will tell you that you need a lot of things going well around you. It’s all there for Burto, but we’ve just got to put the right things around him and work out what is the best style of footy for us to play,” Barrett said.
“He’s a special player. You haven’t seen the best of Matty Burton yet, but tonight was a good step forward for him.”
MISFIRING ROOSTERS HAVE ROBBO STUMPED
— Michael Carayannis
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has seen this before. A disjointed attack where he can identify what the problem is with his struggling side but an inability to correct it on the field.
Robinson reflected on the 2018 season – the last time his side won just four of their opening eight games. They went on to win the premiership.
“The guys are working hard otherwise you’d see guys dropping off, not working on kick chases. all the work is there,” Robinson said.
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“I haven’t found the key to put (the attack) together. I have to find a way. That’s the coach’s role. That’s the life of a footy season and a life of a coach.
“It’s happened quite a few different times (in my career). A few years ago we were in this state and turned out attack upside down in 2018. I felt it in 2014. We just couldn’t score points. It’s not the first time I’ve felt like this. It doesn’t make it any easier. The responsibility is on me to get it right.
“These guys (the players) need to go home and sleep well. I need to walk back in with some answers.
“It’s not months and months (away). Attack turns around quicker than d. It’s frustrating for us. It’s not far away.”
The Roosters have scored the least amount of points of any top eight team this year. The Sam Walker and Luke Keary combination is struggling as a new-look halves pairing.
“We just didn’t get a rhythm,” Robinson said.
“I felt like we had enough opportunities to execute. We’re just not finding that ability to pressure teams and execute tries. We’re working really hard but there are quite a few areas we need to improve to nail those opportunities we do get.”
Skipper James Tedesco was reserved for special praise from the coach after the fullback ran for a game high 271 metres and scored a try. Robinson declared he “fought hard” to ignite his side.
Tedesco said the performance was “frustrating”.
“Two soft tries in the first half was disappointing,” Tedesco said.
The Roosters play the Titans on Saturday.
Foxx in the chookpen leads dogs to stunning upset
– Martin Gabor
In Gus, we trust.
After a week of headlines dominated by Gould-related column inches, the Bulldogs supremo showed he is still one of the game’s greatest thinkers as he helped engineer the upset of the season from the box as coach Trent Barrett stalked the sideline to inspire his side to a miraculous 16-12 win over a Roosters side that is totally out of sorts.
But things are never easy for Canterbury, and they had to survive one of the wildest finishes of the season to pick up their second win of the year.
With three minutes to go, it looked like Joseph Suaalii had tied things up when he slid over in the right corner. The referee awarded the try before the Bunker intervened to check for obstruction.
But that was quickly cleared, and thousands of heads dropped. That was until one last replay showed Suaalii had put a toenail into touch with the ball still in the air.
Forget about column inches. Footy is a game of millimetres.
“There were a fair few of those in the last 10-minute period, and seriously one of them had to go our way soon,” a relieved Barrett said.
“And we need them to win those tight games. Tonight was the night we finally got one at the backend and I’m over the moon for the players.”
Forget about column inches. Footy is a game of millimetres.
GOULD STANDARD
Gould was criticised for some tough love at a video session and for then taking charge at training, but the players didn’t complain and it showed on the field at Accor Stadium.
It led to speculation that Barrett had lost control, but the Bulldogs coach put it down to a way of breaking a losing habit by taking advantage of a man who has seen it all before.
“You tap into it,” Barrett said of the advice he and the players received.
“It was probably more of a distraction for me than the team. The players don’t worry about that stuff.
“We had a bit of a chuckle about it at times, but at times it is a distraction and can be draining and sometimes unwarranted. But that’s the game and I knew it was coming.
“It’s something we’ve been doing for a while … and it’s not training. It’s different little bits that we think we need to improve on, and we thought that was one of them.
“Why wouldn’t I get the big fella down there to give them a bit of a rev-up if we think we need it? To keep everyone motivated, it can become Groundhog Day.
“I’ll use the water boy if I think it’ll help, and I’m not too proud to ask for help either. I don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room all the time so I’ll drop the ego at times and ask for help. I thought we needed it this week, but it wasn’t just this week.”
Rocking a fresh suit, the under-pressure coach stood amongst his players on the sideline, riding each play like his career depended on it.
But who needs to sit when you’re winning? At least Gus didn’t steal his chair like he did to poor old Laurie Daley back in the day.
RED-FACED ROOSTERS
You could almost excuse their loss on Anzac Day because form always goes out the window when they play the Dragons.
But they have been in free fall for a while now, and Saturday’s result exposed everything that is wrong with them in 2022.
The top teams nail the one-percenters every week, but the Chooks committed a number of inexcusable errors that we haven’t seen from them in years.
Luke Keary failed to find touch from a penalty, they conceded a try from dummy-half, Sam Walker threw a loose pass that was intercepted by Josh Addo-Carr for a try and they even sent a restart sailing out on the full in the second half.
Then there’s their attack, which is awful right now. It took them 38 minutes to score from a kick, and their only other points came from a clear knock-on by Angus Crichton in the previous ruck and another try that featured a blatant forward pass.
They’ve relied on guys like Joseph Manu to save them this season, but he had one run for three metres in the first 60 minutes. That’s concerning.
FLYING FOXX
It took him six games to open his Bulldogs account, but the floodgates are now open for Josh Addo-Carr on the left wing.
The former Storm flyer has taken a while to get going this season but he is starting to show why he is regarded as the best winger in the world.
He has now scored five tries in three games after he bagged a first-half double at a ground where he has dominated over the years, and although the creativity on his inside is still a work in progress, his sheer effort is enough to spark something out of nothing.
This is a team that hadn’t won since Round 1, but they doubled their 2022 win tally on the back of effort and nailing the key moments.
They tackled their guts out from the opening whistle, and when their attack started to go nowhere, Matt Burton nailed a 40/20 that woke them and the crowd from their slumber.
RUSTY ROOSTERS CAN’T GET IT RIGHT
—Michael Carayannis
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has seen this before. A disjointed attack where he can identify what the problem is with his struggling side but an inability to correct it on the field.
Robinson reflected on the 2018 season – the last time his side won just four of their opening eight games. They went on to win the premiership.
“The guys are working hard otherwise you’d see guys dropping off, not working on kick chases. all the work is there,” Robinson said. “I haven’t found the key to put (the attack) together. I have to find a way. That’s the coach’s role. That’s the life of a footy season and a life of a coach.
“It’s happened quite a few different times (in my career). A few years ago we were in this state and turned out attack upside down in 2018. I felt it in 2014. We just couldn’t score points. It’s not the first time I’ve felt like this. It doesn’t make it any easier. The responsibility is on me to get it right.
“These guys (the players) need to go home and sleep well. I need to walk back in with some answers.
“It’s not months and months (away). Attack turns around quicker than d. It’s frustrating for us. It’s not far away.”
The Roosters have scored the least of any points of any top eight team this year. The Sam Walker and Luke Keary combination is struggling as a new-look halves pairing.
“We just didn’t get a rhythm,” Robinson said. “I felt like we had enough opportunities to execute. We’re just not finding that ability to pressure teams and execute tries. We’re working really hard but there are quite a few areas we need to improve to nail those opportunities we do get.”
Skipper James Tedesco was reserved for special praise from the coach after the fullback ran for a game high 271 metres and scored a try. Robinson declared he “fought hard” to ignite his side.
Tedesco said the performance was “frustrating”.
“Two soft tries in the first half was disappointing,” Tedesco said.
The Roosters play the Titans on Saturday.
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