Jane Murray
Bench
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Lately our club has been given some unfair criticisms. Firstly, our team was labelled arrogant, and cocky. Ivan is now being blamed for the problems at the Tigers.
The below article is refreshing.
Alex Sumsky
Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler has declared ‘heaps’ of Penrith Panthers players will likely be included in his Origin squad when it gets announced next month, including potential bolter Matt Burton.
The young gun is Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs bound next year in a bid to get game time in the halves because he is the second choice to Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai at Penrith.
Burton has been filling in at centre since Round Four but you would never know he is playing out of position, racking up a try every game, 11 tackle breaks and is averaging 124 run metres, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Speaking in his role as commentator for Channel Nine on the Sunday Footy Show, Fittler said: "Matt Burton's been outstanding. Just the quality...you can see how many positions he plays, he's a great player.”
NSW Origin great Peter Sterling said of Burton: "He'll play Origin.”
"I don't think anyone realised how good he was,” Fittler said.
"When I looked at the decision when Ivan picked Jarome Luai, because Matt Burton had that little bit of run just prior to Ivan coming there and I'm thinking, 'Well you know what, Jarome? I know they played together him and Nathan.
"But then, Jarome's just been scintillating and we haven't really been able to see how good Burton is until every time he plays, he's the best player and then he comes and plays centre and he's the best player there as well.
"He's pretty special.”
21-year-old Burton has been playing inside another NSW player and NSW Under-20’s representative Brian To’o, who is currently leading the NRL in tackle breaks, run metres and post-contact metres as a winger.
“The amount of work he gets through in a game is unbelievable, so to play alongside him it’s really special and the amount of metres he clocks up in a game is phenomenal; he’s such a good player and such a good bloke as well,” Burton said of To’o.
Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Stephen Crichton and Luai, were all picked in Fittler’s NSW side last year and it looks as though a large Panthers group may get the nod again this year after Fittler likened Penrith to the Melbourne Storm and how they play well together in club land and at a representative level.
“They do it so well together when you take a chunk of them,” Fittler said.
As well as To'o leading the NRL in stats, Cleary leads the league in kick metres and amount of kicks, while his halves partner Luai leads in try assists and line break assists.
The below article is refreshing.
Alex Sumsky
Brydens Lawyers NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler has declared ‘heaps’ of Penrith Panthers players will likely be included in his Origin squad when it gets announced next month, including potential bolter Matt Burton.
The young gun is Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs bound next year in a bid to get game time in the halves because he is the second choice to Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai at Penrith.
Burton has been filling in at centre since Round Four but you would never know he is playing out of position, racking up a try every game, 11 tackle breaks and is averaging 124 run metres, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Speaking in his role as commentator for Channel Nine on the Sunday Footy Show, Fittler said: "Matt Burton's been outstanding. Just the quality...you can see how many positions he plays, he's a great player.”
NSW Origin great Peter Sterling said of Burton: "He'll play Origin.”
"I don't think anyone realised how good he was,” Fittler said.
"When I looked at the decision when Ivan picked Jarome Luai, because Matt Burton had that little bit of run just prior to Ivan coming there and I'm thinking, 'Well you know what, Jarome? I know they played together him and Nathan.
"But then, Jarome's just been scintillating and we haven't really been able to see how good Burton is until every time he plays, he's the best player and then he comes and plays centre and he's the best player there as well.
"He's pretty special.”
21-year-old Burton has been playing inside another NSW player and NSW Under-20’s representative Brian To’o, who is currently leading the NRL in tackle breaks, run metres and post-contact metres as a winger.
“The amount of work he gets through in a game is unbelievable, so to play alongside him it’s really special and the amount of metres he clocks up in a game is phenomenal; he’s such a good player and such a good bloke as well,” Burton said of To’o.
Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Stephen Crichton and Luai, were all picked in Fittler’s NSW side last year and it looks as though a large Panthers group may get the nod again this year after Fittler likened Penrith to the Melbourne Storm and how they play well together in club land and at a representative level.
“They do it so well together when you take a chunk of them,” Fittler said.
As well as To'o leading the NRL in stats, Cleary leads the league in kick metres and amount of kicks, while his halves partner Luai leads in try assists and line break assists.
