Matty Johns: Inside the fall and rebuilding of Canterbury’s Matt Burton as a playmaker

Too much responsibility, overplaying his hand and Cameron Ciraldo pulling the wrong rein, MATTY JOHNS reveals what hampered Matt Burton and how the Bulldog turned it around.

Matt Burton. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

As the weather has cooled, the Dogs have got hotter, and their last month is giving their fans hope of finals football.

Matt Burton’s rise as a playmaker is a primary reason, writes MATTY JOHNS.

BURDENED BY EXPECTATION

Burton looked miserable last season. What started as a year of hope for both Burton and Canterbury, quickly descended into frustration. By June, confidence had completely left the building.

Burton never looked comfortable as a playmaker in 2023. In one of his first touches in the season opener against Manly, Burton took the football to the left, looking to unleash the Dogs’ big new signing, Viliame Kikau. However, there was miscommunication; Kikau paused, Burton hesitated and the ball went to ground.

Soon after, the duo got their wires crossed again, this time on the last tackle, where Kikau found himself in possession of the ball and kicked it into the eighth row of the grandstand.

Matt Burton’s season started in less than spectacular fashion. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Playmakers watch playmakers. They get a sense of their movements — the way they talk to their players, their touch on the football, their decisiveness, their confidence.

Watching live at the ground that day there was hesitation in everything Burton did. The No.6 on his back weighed heavily, the responsibilities of the position extinguishing his running game.

Then, in the mid-season, Burton was thrown the No.7 jersey and, on top of that, the captaincy. If the five-eighth role was a 20kg weight, then the halfback spot was all the iron in the gymnasium. Coach Cameron Ciraldo might admit that it was the wrong move, way too much for a player already searching for any skerrick of confidence.

RECRUITING A SOLUTION

A key aspect of the Bulldogs’ recruitment for 2024 was signing playmakers who could bring some relief to Burton.

The pick-up of Toby Sexton at the back end of last year was a good one, as was Drew Hutchison in the off-season.

Hutchinson is not a superstar halfback, but he’s smart, knows how to push a team into position and he is happy to take responsibility for the result.

The word coming out of Belmore in the pre-season was that Burton was training the house down, buoyed by having his responsibilities reduced.

FIRST-ROUND KO

The true test was going to be on opening day against Parramatta, and expectations around Burton and the Bulldogs were high. Both player and team struggled.

For Burton, the return to the pressure was the catalyst for him once again returning to his shell, not quite anonymous, but far from involved.

The presence of Hutchison did little to clear Burton’s mind. However, between full-time in that opening-round loss and kick-off the following Friday against Cronulla, something shifted in Burton.

REBUILDING BURTON

Playmakers watch playmakers. On the couch watching Fox League, you could notice the change in Burton’s demeanour in warm-up. There was a smile, he caught and passed with precision, he didn’t jog, he sprinted, he motivated teammates.

But the true test was always going to be when he was in the thick of the action. His first few touches confirmed his shift in mentality. Sometimes the obvious can prove the most elusive. And the obvious for Burton was a return to simplicity. With his first touch, he simply fed Kikau early, giving the powerful Fijian time to build speed and target a vulnerable defender. Suddenly, Kikau looked like the bloke they bought from Penrith.

Burton simplified his play and rediscovered his running game. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Shortly after, Burton again took possession, this time he liked what he saw, stepped and accelerated through the defence for the opening try, which was soon unfairly overturned for a perceived obstruction.

All evening he did one of two things, he either passed early to Kikau, or went all in, attacking defenders individually with size and speed. Forget clever shapes or subtle short passing, Burton journeyed back to simplicity and rediscovered his confidence.

LEFT-EDGE PUNCH

With each performance since, he’s got better.

Bit by bit, he’s added another layer to his game, now suddenly organising shapes and attack sequences himself.

He stripped back and rebuilt. And his key combinations are booming. There’s no more dangerous edge attack than the Bulldogs’ left side of Burton, Kikau, Bronson Xerri and Josh Addo-Carr.

Xerri has been outstanding in his return to the NRL after a four-year absence, while Burton is scoring hat-tricks, setting up tries and being spoken about in Origin discussions, a rapid rise from that opening afternoon.

Burton has unlocked Viliame Kikau on the left edge. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

THE REAL TEST

The Dogs have improved, but we find out how much when they take on premiers, Penrith. They’ll be some spice, with old Panthers Burton, Kikau and skipper Stephen Crichton playing for more than two points, and Ciraldo in the coaches box opposite his old mentor, Ivan Cleary. Penrith are almost unbackable favourites.

However, I’ve got a strong feeling that the Dogs will produce a performance which will push the Panthers the full 80 minutes and further elevate their status in this competition.

Originally published as Matty Johns: Inside the fall and rebuilding of Canterbury’s Matt Burton as a playmaker