Canterbury Bulldogs GM of Football Phil Gould has addressed rumours that the club were considering releasing Matt Burton from the final season of his contract.
Contracted until the end of 2027, rumours emerged over the past fortnight that Burton could depart the club earlier than expected to link up with the Perth Bears for their inaugural season.
The report stated that the Bulldogs five-eighth was possibly looking at a package deal that would see him play alongside brother-in-law Aston Warwrick, who is currently playing in the NSW Cup competition for the Sydney Roosters.
However, Bulldogs GM of Football Phil Gould has shut down the rumours, revealing that the journalist - The Mole from Wide World of Sports - who wrote the original story made it up.
"I have absolutely no idea where that story came from, so much so that I fronted the journalist that originally wrote the story and he admitted that he speculated and made it up," Gould said on 100% Footy.
"That's the stuff that we have to deal with every day and we have to mop up that sort of stuff and thankfully we've got a great relationship with Matt.
"I showed him the exchange of text messages and he was more than comfortable.
"The rumour actually involved his brother-in-law who's been playing with the Roosters, they were going in a package deal apparently but neither of them knew anything about it."
Burton isn't the first Bulldogs player to find himself linked to the Perth Bears, with the expansion side eyeing halfback Toby Sexton and young forward Zyon Maiu'u in recent weeks.
Although Sexton has agreed to join the Catalans Dragons on a two-year contract, he has previously confirmed his interest in making the move to the side and is likely to have an NRL clause in his Super League contract, although this has yet to be confirmed.
On the other hand, Maiu'u is one of the club's newest signings after joining from the New Zealand Warriors, but has failed to make an impact and has spent all his time playing reserve-grade in the NSW Cup.
Only 22, the back-rower was recently offered to rival teams in June, less than six months after he arrived at the club.
“Eventually it's something that might interest me,” Sexton said about a possible move to the Perth Bears in the future.
“At the moment, I've signed a two-year deal with Catalans, so that's my focus. Where we're at by the end of it is something I will work out when I sit down with my manager.
“I'm happy with the contract I've signed over there, and at the end of that, I will work out what the best option is for.
“But I'd like to think the NRL isn't finished for me and I can play NRL again one day.”
