Canterbury are resisting the chance to put injury-hit captain Stephen Crichton on ice as Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo calls on Matt Burton to prove his masterclass against Melbourne wasn't a one-off.
Crichton played 80 minutes in NSW's 22-20 State of Origin win on Wednesday night, but has battled a shoulder issue for the last few months that even prevented him from taking part in every training session in Blues camp.
But Ciraldo is reluctant to give his star centre a week off given the 13th-placed Dogs' (4-7) form struggles and confirmed Crichton would return against Wests Tigers (5-5) at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
"I think his body's actually really good, he said from a 10-day Origin prep and resting it was like having a bye for him," Ciraldo said.
