From Outcast to Dogs General: The Beers, Axe, and Hunt Saga

Under-Dog Sexton opens up on wild rise | 07:43

Toby Sexton’s Bulldogs tenure began, like all great things, in a pub.

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Beers were flowing for his new teammates … so what was their cause for celebration?

A 66-0 home loss to the Knights in Round 18 of 2023, labelled “f***ing disgusting’ by a fuming fan who screamed at Cameron Ciraldo’s coaching box.

Sexton had made a mid-season move from the Titans and it’s fair to say his first training session was a peculiar one.

He’s never let Ciraldo live it down.

“I always tell Cameron about it. I honestly questioned a lot of things at that stage, they just got pumped 66-0 against Newcastle and I didn’t read too much into the result,” Sexton told foxsports.com.au.

“Anyway, I drove down from the Gold Coast to Sydney with my old man and rocked up, and they were having beers at the pub.

“I’m looking and I was like, ‘Is this the right team? What’s going on?’

“The bonding needed to grow and that was their way of doing it, but it was a weird situation walking into that.

“They’d just been pumped 66-0 and the boys are having a couple of beers together? I’m thinking, ‘Far out, what is going on here’.

“But obviously the meaning behind it was to try and grow that connection. Even though results weren’t showing it, it was going to help out.”

And it did. The struggling Bulldogs beat South Sydney 36-32 in Sexton’s club debut only days later.

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Toby Sexton (R) makes a break for the Bulldogs in his victorious club debut against South Sydney.Source: Getty Images

Yet just one more win graced the Canterbury faithful to end that year.

Did Sexton regret his move?

“Honestly, I didn’t have enough time to think about it when it first happened,” he said.

“I spoke to the Titans and it was a mutual agreement for me to look elsewhere, this was on like a Monday, Tuesday. I toured the Bulldogs facility on Thursday and then by Monday I’d signed.”

The 23-year-old had played only 24 games across three years on the Gold Coast, yet featured in seven matches straight away at his new club after joining two-thirds of the way through the season.

Ciraldo’s side finished 15th with seven wins then welcomed more than 10 recruits for 2024 pre-season, including new captain Stephen Crichton and Bronson Xerri. Ex-Rooster Drew Hutchison usurped Sexton’s No.7 jersey, resigning him to reserve grade.

From Outcast to Dogs General: The Beers, Axe, and Hunt Saga

Having left the Titans for regular NRL minutes, it was a shock — but Sexton didn’t kick stones.

“We always speak about it back at training, but he went down to NSW Cup and learnt the basics of his game, Ciraldo sent him away to work on his game,” Crichton told foxsports.com.au.

“I think if he was given the No.7 jersey straight away he wouldn’t have learnt those lessons … he just worked really hard, even a few weeks before he played he was coming to talk to me about plays and things like that.

“The only person that had done that with me was Nathan (Cleary) at Penrith, he works so hard on his kicking game … so I’m happy he’s on our side.”

Sexton said Ciraldo was “very honest” about why he wasn’t given first crack at halfback.

“That’s something I’m very grateful for. We’ve been able to build a pretty strong relationship and he gives me some honest feedback at times,” Sexton said.

“But it’s feedback I want and a lot of it was just based around owning the team, kicking well and defending well.

“He was adamant that whole way that if I did that well in reserve grade that I would get an opportunity somewhere along the line, and it took a little while.

“But I’m very grateful that I got to be able to go back and come into first grade full of confidence.”

Decorated former halfback Jason Taylor, signed as Ciraldo’s assistant ahead of 2024, was also a major factor in Sexton’s NRL return.

“We’ve been able to form a close relationship. Over the pre-season and the start of 2024, I would sit down with him once a week and figure out what I was going to do in Cup that week,” Sexton said.

“What our game plan was and try to relate it similar to what the NRL side was doing. Since I’ve been back in the NRL side, he’s someone that I work pretty closely with.

“I love everything about rugby league, I love the game and I’m a bit of a footy nerd and I think he’s pretty similar … his level of detail is just crazy and I love that.”

Sexton returned to first grade in Round 5 off the bench, then reclaimed his halfback spot from Round 12.

In the 16 games he played, the Bulldogs won 11. Ciraldo’s side won 14 games in total en route to a drought-breaking finals appearance.

Sexton played a crucial role in Canterbury’s five-game winning streak from Round 21 to Round 25, which cemented their top-eight place.

Ultimately, the Bulldogs lost to Manly in week one of the finals. It was a “tough” end to their season, Sexton said, though they took pride in a first post-season appearance since 2016.

“At the start of the 2024 season, the team had a lot of new players and it took a lot of time for them to gel and grow as a football team,” Sexton said.

“I was probably fortunate in the way I came into the side midway through the year where a lot of the combinations had kind of been built, and I just got to come in and be a general and lead.

“Naturally we found results were taking care of themselves.”

Hooker Reed Mahoney said Sexton provided a point of difference in the halves, allowing superstar Matt Burton to play his natural game.

“He was just so committed to what we were doing, he wanted us to be better and he wanted to take control and that’s something we didn’t have,” Mahoney told foxsports.com.au.

“Burton is probably not like that, he’s a bit free. Roaming around the ruck and running when he wants, but [Sexton] just took full control.”

Then came November 1. A wave of headlines linked Canterbury to superstar Dragons halfback Ben Hunt, while Sexton came off-contract and had to question where he stood.

“It was a strange kind of period of time to be honest, but Cameron and the whole club were talking me throughout it and I had no worries,” Sexton said.

“It’s kind of a situation where it was out of my control and I wasn’t going to put any attention towards it because that’s going to go nowhere.”

Ultimately, the Bulldogs opted out of the race for Hunt and he signed with the Broncos. Canterbury have put faith in Sexton for this season but his contract still expires after 2025, with conversations ongoing between his management and Bulldogs bosses.

“The whole time I wasn’t rattled about it, I know the game’s a business and the club has got to make the best decisions they think that will win them a premiership,” Sexton said.

“The whole time I was talking pretty closely with Cameron, and he was open and honest about where the club was it.

“I trust him a lot and yeah, it ended up playing out the way it did and it’s kind of been put to bed, which is good.”

While Sexton’s performances have been impressive on the field, off it, he’s a larrikin who loves a chat – perhaps too much, if you ask his captain.

“The boys don’t like rooming with him, because he just talks. He talks all night, the boys are trying to sleep and he’s just talking,” Crichton said.

“He was probably trying to interview you, he talks that much.”

Sexton was also nominated for the NRL’s Ken Stephen Medal, which recognises players’ commitment to community service.

Sexton led the Bulldogs’ volunteer efforts at the Rev. Bill Crews Foundation, helping serve food and prepare hampers for the less fortunate.

He also raised funds for his local football team on the Gold Coast and worked with students at Canterbury Boys High, delivering presentations and working in school programs.

Nicho Hynes won the medal but Sexton’s efforts weren’t about getting recognition.

“I feel like us as NRL players can have a real positive impact on the community, like you hear so many negative stories about rugby league players, which are whatever,” he said.

“But I feel like us as players can have a big influence on the community and I feel like it’s part of giving back.

“We’re in such a fortunate stage where we get to play, we get to live out our dreams of playing rugby league each day.

“And here’s so many people out there doing it so tough, and I feel like we get such a great opportunity to be able to give back and bring a smile to their faces.”