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AAP
AAP
Sport
George Clarke

New Bulldog Sutton puts turbulent 2022 behind him

Found things tough in the first week at your new job? Then spare a thought for new Canterbury prop Ryan Sutton after he made the move from Canberra to Sydney.

Sutton recalled the agony and ecstasy of his first seven days after leaving the Raiders - which were spent sleeping on a hospital floor.

Expecting fraternal twins with his partner Kate, the Englishman feared the worst when a routine scan showed his daughter was not moving.

"I looked at my phone after we got back from the hospital and I had 40 missed calls from the doctor," Sutton told AAP.

"We had to rush in the next day for an emergency c-section, it was complete madness but at the same it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to me.

"(My daughter) had cholestasis, which is where your liver isn't getting any blood and that meant she couldn't move.

"My daughter (Dakota) was only 1.9kg, whereas my little lad (Ryder) was 2.4kg - they were five weeks premature.

"It was probably a godsend we got her out when we did."

Drained of emotion and energy, Sutton spent the next month travelling back and forth to the hospital.

Getting the call to say he had missed out on selection for England's World Cup squad was another twist on his first week in new surroundings.

"I was upset, but even if I had got picked there's no way I could've left," Sutton said.

"I don't want to say it was a relief, because I wanted to play for my country, but it was because I got to spend a good amount of time with the twins."

Sutton describes his last season as "the hardest" of his career after an up-and-down campaign with the Raiders.

Despite being one of Canberra's best in 2021, Sutton was dropped by Ricky Stuart after he had agreed to terms with Canterbury.

His partner publicly labelled the decision "bitchy", with the prop forced to start the year in reserve grade.

"So many things went through my head and it got blown out of proportion," Sutton said.

'It was definitely my hardest year, there were lots of ups and downs but I really wanted to finish with a statement.

"What I did learn from all of that is I've got a good level of resilience, I went down to NSW Cup and gave it my all and got back in.

"This last 12 months have given me a really good fire in the belly - I didn't make the England squad, didn't have a good year and I'd like to rip in this year with the Dogs."

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