New Canterbury halfback Toby Sexton has been backed by two of his closest mentors to shine in the halves alongside Matt Burton after a whirlwind week.
The 22-year-old former Gold Coast playmaker will play for the Bulldogs against South Sydney on Saturday at Accor Stadium after securing a release from the Titans and inking a new deal at Belmore until the end of 2024.
Sexton shone as a schoolboy at Palm Beach Currumbin (PBC) High before joining the Titans, where he played 19 consecutive games at No.7 last year before being dropped for Tanah Boyd.
In the only chance Sexton got in the NRL this season he was man of the match in a 20-18 victory over St George Illawarra, scoring the winning try in the final moments with a show and go. He bravely played with a broken wrist and subsequently had to sit out a month of football.
Aaron Zimmerle was head coach of PBC when the side won the 2018 national schoolboy final against Patrician Brothers Blacktown, where Sexton was halves partner with North Queensland's Tom Dearden. Zimmerle is also a trainer for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup where Sexton has played the majority of this season.
"'Toby has run for 100 metres per game at Cup level this year and challenged himself to take the line on more," Zimmerle told AAP.
"He has always controlled the game and kicked well, which he is still doing, but he's also scoring tries, making half-breaks and playing a lot deeper into the line.
"I think the Bulldogs are getting him at a good stage where he has put his setbacks of last year behind him.
"Matt Burton is such a big body and is fast and physical. If Toby as a game manager can take some of that responsibility of directing the team around the field and let Matt take on (the line) ... I see it as a nice pairing. They both have really good kicking games."
At PBC Sexton took control of the kicking game and set up the structures, which allowed Dearden to be the running threat.
"This year I've seen Toby add more layers to his game," Zimmerle said.
Current PBC head coach Tim Maccan was Sexton's mentor in school teams and also at the helm of the Tweed Heads Seagulls 18s that won the national championships against Illawarra in 2019.
"Toby put on a show in the final and won man of the match," Maccan told AAP.
"The big thing about Toby is that he's a hard worker. Growing up he wasn't the kid making all the rep teams but his dedication to becoming the best player he can be was his big tick for me.
"(Canterbury general manager) Phil Gould is one of the most knowledgeable people in the game. To go to a new system at a club rich in history like the Bulldogs is a great opportunity for Toby."
