Sexton comes of age as Canterbury halfback
Canterbury half Toby Sexton has been a prime mover in the side’s rise to fifth position and says he is ready to own his position in the NRL after a transformative two months of top form.
After a stint in reserve grade to start the season, the 23-year-old secured a starting spot in round 12 and hasn’t looked back.
The Bulldogs have won six of the eight games Sexton has played since, where his short kicking game has been a highlight.
Sexton was outstanding in the 41-16 win over Brisbane on Saturday, setting up a try for hat-trick hero Connor Tracey with a sublime grubber kick and continuing his burgeoning combination with five-eighth Matt Burton.
The Bulldogs’ No.7 jersey has so much history attached to it, with club legend Steve Mortimer, Michael Hagan and Brent Sherwin among modern title winners to have worn it.
“It’s pretty cool to be a part of a club with such a rich history, especially in the number seven department,” Sexton said.
“Every time I get to put on the number seven for the Bulldogs, it’s special to me and I’m just trying to soak up every moment with it at the moment.
“I spent a long period of the year, 11 games, in reserve grade, to go back and work on my game without that added pressure of the wins and losses each week.
“The whole staff and playing group show a lot of confidence in me.
“I’ve got to try to be a leader in the team and direct the boys around and if I can do that well, we saw (against the Broncos) that the strike we have got off the back with Burto’ and Connor is just crazy.”
Sexton’s control has unleashed the running game of Burton. They complement each other with Burton’s towering bombs a counterpoint to Sexton’s short kicking arsenal.
“He’s someone that I really enjoy playing with, and a special talent,” Sexton said.
“He’s getting all his effort areas really good at the moment and his long kicking game’s just something I’ve never experienced before, and it probably takes a lot of pressure off me as well, being a seven.”
Hooker Reed Mahoney has trust in Sexton and is more than happy to give him the ball when he calls for it.
“You learn to trust someone when they work really hard behind the scenes,” Mahoney said.
“Toby is a bit of a footy nerd. He is the first one at training watching vision and he wants to lead the boys around the park.
“He put so much into owning the team and preparing himself that the trust is always there.”
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