Boom boy Burt about to blossom
31 March 2004
In his Editor's View this week, Big League Editor Neil Cadigan recognises a talented league player who often passes under the media's radar.
It's a shame that all the controversy of the past few weeks has overshadowed some great on-field stories and achievements. And to me, one that has been completely overlooked has been the re-emergence of potentially one of the game's most exciting players in Eels fullback Luke Burt.
Two stunning tries Burt has starred in - one he created for Eric Grothe with his brilliant returning of a kick against Brisbane and the other that he scored against Newcastle last Saturday night - indicated that Burt may finally be ready to establish himself as one of the game's genuinely brilliant runners of the football, a player who can take your breath away.
It's over five years ago now since Burt made his top grade debut as a 17-year-old in the opening round of 1999, before over 100,000 at the first-ever double header at the Olympic stadium.
Back then he was a slightly built centre playing wing, with the sun-bleached fair hair and heart-throb boyish looks that made him an instant favourite with the young female fans.
Injury, lack of size and perhaps the sizeable burden of expectation has seen him play just 77 first grade games in five seasons and never emerge to the heights predicted.
Our first glimpse of him last year was in the World Sevens when he scored some amazing individual tries through his exceptional pace and ability to change direction.
But his season was cruelly cut to just three Telstra Premiership games because of a shoulder injury.
Coach Brian Smith and the Parramatta club have never wavered in their belief in Burt's talent in times of heartbreak and while he unfairly copped the "over-rated" tag at times, he has refused to let his many hardships bring him down.
I really believe his ability to find open space from fullback and his extraordinary anticipation and sense of opportunism could see him join Anthony Minichiello, Rhys Wesser and Billy Slater as the most exciting running fullbacks in the game.
In fact, (despite Darren Lockyer's switch to five-eighth) we are blessed, in times of clinical "kick chases" and improving defences with some marvellous attacking fullbacks when you add Matt Bowen, David Peachey, Brent Webb, Motu Tony, plus the all-rounder Clinton Schifcofske and ex-Origin star Brett Hodgson, who is slowly regaining confidence.
Burt is now far more robust at 88kg to weather the physical aspects of the game.
He has always had football maturity but now has that air about him that suggests he is equipped to take that next step in his career.
The irony is that his leap to another level as a player may coincide with that of his mate from the same junior side at Eleebana in Newcastle, Brett Finch, whose performances have grabbed far more attention than Burt's in the first three weeks of the competition.
It is too easy to overlook that the pair are just 22 after entering the top grade before they'd turned 18.
Finch has almost a season's more experience (18 games extra, he's set to make his 100th appearance against Brisbane on Friday week) after managing to avoid the injury mishaps that Burt has had to endure.
Finch too has fought through the doubts from critics who thought he may not develop into the elite performer that was expected of him at such a young age, and it is true his progression seemed to have geniused somewhat in the past two years – until his past eight or so appearances.
Neither Burt nor Finch have played senior representative football while others who played Junior Kangaroos with them in 2000 have gone onto Origin or Test careers: Anthony Minichiello, Timana Tahu, Chris Walker, Mark O’Meley, Dane Carlaw, Brad Meyers, Phil Bailey and Luke Bailey.
But there seems to be a new surety to Finch's play since the concluding rounds of last season, obviously created by his tutoring from Ricky Stuart and Brad Fittler.
He rarely inflicted a dominating impression on a match until recent games but, like Burt, may become a genuine match winner this year.
