Canterbury Bulldogs star Matt Burton has confirmed his preference is to remain at five-eighth moving forward.
Reports surfaced earlier this week suggesting the Bulldogs were weighing up moving Burton into the centres during the 2024 season.
It's a position Burton played during the start of his NRL career at the Penrith Panthers, earning selection to the Dally M team of the year as a centre in 2021, before also representing New South Wales at State of Origin level and Australia at international level there.
Burton's potential shift comes after the Bulldogs have struggled for points in recent seasons, with coach Cameron Ciraldo looking to steer his Belmore-based side away from the bottom of the table amid a host of new signings.
The most important of them is Stephen Crichton, who is expected to play fullback, while Blake Taaffe, Jaeman Salmon and Drew Hutchison could all put their hand up for the number six jersey in a halves partnership with Toby Sexton, who joined in late 2023 from the Gold Coast Titans.
But that would require Burton moving to the centres, and it's not something the young gun is keen on doing, confirming to The Sydney Morning Herald that, while he will do what's required, he has told Cameron Ciraldo his preference is to remain in the halves.
โYeah, I think he knows where I want to play and what my best position is,โ Burton said.
โEven speaking to him yesterday, I just said to him that I wanna play five-eighth.
โI've got a few things to work on in fixing my game. If I can do that, then I'm heading in the right direction.โ
Burton's kicking game - with one of the best bombs in the competition - was utilised with great effect for the Blues at Origin level, while he could well find himself in more of a roaming centre role, as was used by Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell at that level, and is anticipated to be used by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck in 2024 at the New Zealand Warriors.
AJ Brimson has also spoken about the fact he could be doing similar in the centres for the Titans in 2024 if either Keano Kini or Jayden Campbell win the race for the Gold Coast's number one jersey under Des Hasler.
While Burton believes he has issues that need fixing in his game, he doesn't believe the chance of playing representative football is over if he remains at the six.
โI think if I can knuckle down and play my best footy at six, then I think that there might be a chance to play rep footy at six," Burton told the publication.
โI've obviously played there at centre before. It's always a privilege to wear [representative] jerseys.
โI'm striving to get back there, so it's all good.โ
Jarome Luai is the incumbent number six for the Blues, but missed Game 3 of the 2023 series with Cody Walker selected.
Walker's form will be under a spotlight throughout 2024 after the South Sydney Rabbitohs missed the finals in 2023, while Luai will not only have form monitored, but also off-field developments as he prepares to sign a new contract, potentially taking him away from the Penrith Panthers for the first time in his career.
Burton will need Canterbury to be far better than they were in 2023 though if he is going to be in the mix for the Origin number six jersey, and he himself will need to play a bigger role in that.
The centres may be the ideal spot for the well-paid young gun though given the club's depth in the halves, although it's unclear at this stage what Cameron Ciraldo will do, with the coach likely to start feeling the pressure if the Bulldogs again find themselves anchored in the bottom four.
