‘He’s not going to come in and be the saviour’: Toby Sexton makes immediate impact at the Bulldogs

Toby Sexton has only been at the Bulldogs for a few days but he’s already got ideas on how to help the team bounce back from their heavy loss to Newcastle.

Toby Sexton has impressed Bulldogs officials this week, with the former Titan set to make his club debut. Picture: Supplied

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo believes new recruit Toby Sexton can be the club’s long-term halfback, which is why he had no hesitation picking him this weekend as they try to bounce back from their horror loss to Newcastle.

The Bulldogs were embarrassed 66-0 last week that led to their own fans booing them off the field, but Ciraldo has seen a response from them at training and says the players “got back to being connected” in a sign they are desperate to atone for what happened.

Cameron Ciraldo just wants to see his players compete after they were thrashed by Newcastle last week.

“No one wants to go through what happened on Sunday, but if that spurs them on to train harder and work harder and that helps them to have better careers and us to become a better football club, then it might be a blessing for us,” he said.

“It didn’t feel like that on Sunday and we never want that to happen again, but hopefully we learn the lessons from that and it never happens again.”

The Bulldogs responded swiftly from the loss by signing Sexton from the Titans for the next two seasons, with his path on the Gold Coast blocked by current halves Tanah Boyd and Kieran Foran, while Ben Hunt could be heading north next year.

The 22-year-old has been restricted to just one NRL appearance this season when he scored the winner against the Dragons but has had to bide his time for Tweed in reserve grade.

Canterbury has lacked a dominant half for a while now, with Kyle Flanagan failing to make the position his own, while Matt Burton isn’t suited to being the team’s chief organiser.

Toby Sexton joined the Bulldogs this week and will make his club debut against South Sydney. Picture; Chris Hyde/Getty Images

“We’ve been watching Toby for a while. I’ve tracked his career since he debuted,” Ciraldo said.

“He was really impressive when he first came into first grade as a youngster and showed some really good signs.

“He’s had his own bits of adversity where he’s had to play Queensland Cup and things like that, but he’s come in and he’s a communicator which is something we’ve been lacking.

“He’s really added to our group, but he’s not going to come in and be the saviour.”

Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould spoke earlier in the week about not relying on quick fixes to help the club in the short term, but it’s clear they see Sexton as someone who can be at Belmore for a long time.

“He’s wearing it (the No.7 jersey) this weekend, so the ball is in his court and we’re going to back him with that,” Ciraldo said.

“He’s signed here for a few years and we’re very excited about what he can do. He’s got a really exciting opportunity in front of him.

“When we spoke to Toby it was pretty clear to see how mature he was and how well he understood his own game and how well he understood our game from watching from afar.

“He’s a very bright kid with a high footy IQ and he can help us, so there’s no point waiting another week to throw him in.

“He knew a lot of what we were doing already. He’s a guy that watches a lot of footy and he’s clearly been watching our team and has seen what we’re doing and what we’re not doing. He had a real opinion about how he could help our team.”

Khaled Rajab was hooked in the first half against Newcastle and hasn’t been picked to play this weekend. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Sexton’s arrival means there’s no room for youngsters Karl Oloapu and Khaled Rajab in the side to face the Rabbitohs, but Ciraldo is adamant they can still play a role in 2023.

“There’s always a path for those guys to return,” he said.

“Handling guys when they’re 18, 19 or 20 at the start of their careers is a juggling act. Sometimes you give them a couple of games and then put them back (to NSW Cup) to build their confidence. That’s what they’re doing.

“Those guys are really tough kids and they’ve very versatile, so they’re going to work their way back into first grade and use these lessons they’ve learnt over the past couple of months.

“We’re very excited about their futures at this club.”