Greg “Brandy” Alexander has expressed why he believes Matt Burton will stay at the Penrith Panthers.
In an interview on SEN 1170’s Morning Glory with Matty Johns, the Panthers great addressed the rumours of the young talent wanting to leave the club for the Canterbury Bulldogs.
“I think the public pressure and the pressure from the Dogs through the media is trying to unsettle Matt,” he said.
“It is an emotional issue when you’re talking about a young player, who perhaps wants to move on but he’s given no indication at training.
“I think the Dogs and Dave Riolo (Burton's manager) have thought: 'We’ll get him out of here before the season starts'.
“Now it’s only a month away it doesn’t look like Matt is going to be released.
“Matt Burton has class, he’s not dragging his feet kicking stones at training.
“He might want to go to the Dogs but he hasn’t given that indication through the way he’s training at Penrith.”
Andrew Webster stated that he spoke to Penrith CEO Brian Fletcher and he said: “There is absolutely no way that Burton is leaving this club.”
However, Burton’s agent David Riolo recently called on the Panthers to immediately release the young playmaker to Canterbury.
Riolo wants to bring the deal forward by a year as he believes Burton won’t get enough opportunities in the first grade this season.
“He’s surplus to Penrith’s 17 and their top team, and I think it would be a shame to see someone of his talent spent another year playing in the Cup (Under-20s),” Rioli told SEN 1170's Mornings with Matt White earlier this week.
Alexander explained what a crucial role Burton could have with the Panthers provided he stays put.
“If (Nathan) Cleary goes down, Matt Burton will be the halfback,” he said.
“He’s such an important player even though he’s not in the starting 17.
“He very well could be at some stage in the year.”
After an injury-interrupted 2020, Brandy laid out Burton’s role in this Penrith squad.
“If something happens Matt Burton is there,” he added.
“There's cover for Jarome Luai, Tyrone May can play five-eighth. But there's no one really there to play halfback and Matt Burton could do that.”
Listen to full chat with Brandy and Webby here: