From Joey to Stardom: The Journey of the Rising Star at No. 7

“A club that’s got a chance of winning” | 03:11

The Bulldogs’ decision to play the long game and invest in their halves Matt Burton and Toby Sexton — while other clubs hunt superstars or the next big thing — could be the making of their premiership bid.

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Canterbury boss Phil Gould has ruled the club out of the race for Daly Cherry-Evans’ signature — publicly at least — suggesting the Bulldogs are happy with their current playmaker stocks.

Burton and Sexton may not be among the very best playmakers in the NRL yet, but there is no doubt they are trending in the right direction, and crucially their team is winning at 4-0 to start the season.

Having just turned 25, Burton is entering his fourth season as a full-time NRL five-eighth, with 104 games under his belt, while Sexton is a year younger at 24, having played 51 NRL games to date.

Immortal Andrew Johns has been on record saying NRL halves don’t reach their peak until their late 20s and early 30s.

It begs the question why more clubs aren’t following the Bulldogs’ lead with a longer-term plan to developing their halves and letting their playmakers develop their craft with NRL experience.

Bulldogs legend Michael Ennis believes the pressure to win now is why clubs are historically impatient with young playmakers, but agrees with Johns that there is plenty of merit in playing the long game.

“It is one of the most interesting things in the game and a lot of that is because of the pressure on having success,” Ennis said told foxsports.com.au.

“Everyone wants a 19 or a 20-year-old to be able to play like Andrew Johns or Cooper Cronk or Johnathan Thurston.

“But as Joey said and that’s coming from the greatest halfback of all time that is saying halfbacks don’t hit their prime until they’re mid to late 20s, well that’s a great indication.

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Toby Sexton is developing into a reliable NRL No.7.Source: Getty Images

“That’s a great insight because that’s how it looks to me. I think at times, these young guys need to be able to express themselves and play their own way and play with their own style, but learn lessons at the top of how to handle different moments, how to handle pressure and how their actions in that environment continue to grow and develop.”

NRL clubs for a long time have been bowing to the pressure of unearthing the next Andrew Johns, which is fraught with danger given that generational talents let alone Immortals don’t come along every day.

Part of the problem Ennis believes is that halves need to be given the opportunity and freedom to fail at NRL level, so that they can learn from their mistakes and understand the differences between the top level and the junior ranks.

“I just think that everyone, because of the pressure on winning and the amount of focus on our game, which is great, it’s never been higher,” Ennis explained.

“But we just can’t expect 20-year-olds to be able to come in and play like Andrew did or play like Cooper did, or play like JT did or Daly Cherry-Evans at 20 years of age.

“That absolutely comes in those mid to late 20s, once you’ve had 100 games of experience and you’ve faced different adversity and you’ve had those great moments where you felt like, right, that’s how it works.

Matt Burton and Bailey Hayward are the Bulldogs five-eighths in 2025.Source: Getty Images

“And then you’ve had other moments where you go, well what I was getting away with in Harold Matthews and SG Ball and Jersey Flegg, I don’t get away with that at this level, and so you learn those lessons all the way and it is a learning curve.”

While players like Johns and Panthers gun Nathan Cleary were star players from a young age, even they had to learn what works and what doesn’t at NRL level.

That is why Ennis believes clubs need to be careful not to mark players’ cards before they have had the chance to fail, learn and correct their mistakes in first grade.

“I think at times, as much as there’s that pressure and that race to win a premiership, sometimes it takes time for those players to do it and they all develop at different rates,” Ennis said.

“Just because Nathan Cleary was able to do it at 21 or 22 years of age, doesn’t mean that everyone’s going to be able to do that.

“And at 25, 26, I really believe that that’s when they can come into their prime.”

The Bulldogs — who take on the Knights exclusively live on Kayo Sports on Sunday evening — might not have the best spine in the NRL right now, but they have a combination that is working and has them on top of the table as the only undefeated team left in 2025.

IS SEXTON THE REAL DEAL?

Sexton burst onto the scene with a breakout season for the Titans in 2022, but after playing just one game the following year, he was offloaded to the Bulldogs.

Sexton played just seven games in 2023 and had to prove to Ciraldo that he was the man for the job after Drew Hutchison was initially preferred at No.7.

However, Sexton played 16 games as the Bulldogs charged to a drought-breaking finals apperance in 2024 and has started in every game so far in 2025.

Ennis believes Sexton is starting to know and trust his game at NRL level and the Bulldogs are reaping the rewards.

“I’ve been really impressed with Toby Sexton,” Ennis said.

“I thought up against the side like Cronulla, in particular at home on a Saturday night, hostile down there, no, Matt Burton next to him, I thought Toby was terrific.

“I thought him and Bailey Hayward combined terrifically and it was the maturity that he showed in his game to be able to just keep turning Cronulla around, stayed patient, when they got chances down there he capitalised by moving the ball to that left-hand side of the field where they were having some joy.

“I thought it was a really good moment in Toby Sexton’s career on Saturday night.

“To go there in a semi-final type game up against a Cronulla side, that are highly experienced, haven’t had a lot of changes over the last couple of years, one of the better defensive sides in the competition and posed so many threats in attack.

“And I thought Sexton was right at the forefront of playing a big role in containing Cronulla and so I think he takes so much confidence out of the other night.

“And I think the more footy him and Matt Burton can play together, the better that their combination will continue to grow.”

The Bulldogs face the Knights on Sunday at Accor Stadium with all the action live and exclusive on Fox League.

Toby Sexton is coming of age.Source: Getty Images

While Sexton might not be the player of the round in the NRL each week, he is quietly building his confidence and becoming more reliable.

Ennis believes the combination of the players around him is helping Sexton reach his potential.

“I think you’ve got the creativity of Mahoney at No.9, who likes that aggression, but it’s just about getting a balance right for him,” Ennis said.

“Sexton has come in as the game manager, but he’s now continuing with experience to add parts and layers to his game.

“You see in his running game, you see in his ability to overcall the ball if the Bulldogs, who last year in particular, always wanted to move the ball naturally to Burton and Kikau because they are such strike weapons out on that left-hand side.

“And now you throw in Bronson Xerri there. It’s a strong edge, but Sexton’s got the confidence to be able to overcall the ball and use guys like Preston and Crichton on his side.

“So I see that as another evolution of the Bulldogs, and that then unlocks Burton because Burton on that left-hand side is such a great runner of the footy. He’s got a great combination with Viliame Kikau out there.”

IS BURTON A BONAFIDE FIVE-EIGHTH?

Debate has raged since Matt Burton arrived at the Bulldogs as to whether he was a five-eighth or a centre playing in the No.6 jersey.

There is no doubt the former Dally M centre of the year would star in the position for the Bulldogs, but Canterbury needed him as a playmaker and over the last four seasons, Burton has been learning his craft in the pressure cooker of the NRL environment.

Ennis believes Burton has always had the running game to dominate at five-eighth, but he has had to learn how to create opportunities for his teammates with his passing game and that takes time.

“It’s natural to think because Matt Burton is such a great runner of the ball and at lower levels, you can have that success and dominate at the lower levels,” Ennis explained.

“But then as a five-eighth when you get to the top level, your running game is absolutely important as a No.6, but you also need to be able to create space and open opportunities for your quality centres and fullbacks to turn chances into points.

“And I think Matt’s finding that. I really think he’s developing into a good No.6 and it speaks for itself there.

“They are 4-0 and just went to a final series for the first time in a long time last year, Burton played nearly every game last year, and that combination, the more time they spend together, Burton and Sexton, the better they will be.”

Matt Burton is developing into a star five-eighth.Source: Getty Images

The Bulldogs currently have the best defence in the NRL and Ennis believes that can’t be underestimated as a tool to give playmakers confidence.

“And the other part of it is the defensive side of things, which Cameron Ciraldo loves and there’s a lot of language coming out of the Bulldogs at the moment,” Ennis said.

“This is Bulldogs’ style and that’s because of their actions and I think Ciraldo really trusts them defensively, which is important and that’s a big element of their growth as well.”

WHAT TO DO ABOUT BULLDOGS ENIGMA MAHONEY?

Reed Mahoney is often in the headlines for pushing the envelope with his sledging or niggling tactics, but what gets overshadowed is his ability as a premier dummyhalf.

Before Harry Grant burst onto the Origin scene, Mahoney was picked in the Queensland squad and if the cards of fate fell another way, he may debuted and played a few games for the Maroons by now.

Mahoney may fly close to the line on the field, but it is that competitiveness that is helping drive the Bulldogs’ success, particularly in defence, according to Ennis.

“I think Reed’s really important to the Bulldogs,” Ennis said.

“He’s highly invested in where Cameron’s trying to take the side, and he leads with great actions and a lot of that is around defence.

“He leads the line speed. He loves getting up and getting physical with the opposition. He gets a enormous amount of clean-up work, a lot of kick pressure, and all those little things that are really important to Cameron Ciraldo.”

Reed Mahoney is the heartbeat of the Bulldogs.Source: Getty Images

At 26, Mahoney has already played 154 NRL games and Ennis believes his ability as a footballer is often unfairly overshadowed by his persona on the field.

“The other area of his game that at times gets overshadowed is his fundamental skill,” Ennis said.

“His dummyhalf pass is absolutely elite and at times in the game and with the speed of the game, you need to be able to move the ball to an edge as quick as possible, and it often starts with your accuracy from No.9 and his pass is fantastic.

“But there’s no doubt that Reed, with that high energy at times, is on the line and he’s too important to them and no good to them if he’s not on the field.

“So it’s just about getting that balance right because he’s a super player, and he’s so important to them.

“It’s just about getting that balance right, because that high octane, high energy, aggressive style of footy brings out the best in Reed’s game. There’s no doubt about that.”

Ennis believes Mahoney should focus on the areas of his game that have made him so important to the Bulldogs’ success and key to helping his teammates thrive.

“The advice that I would give Reed would be to focus on those real key areas that teammates need from you and appreciate from you,” Ennis said.

“Just do them and do them really well.”