‘Young halves these days get so much pressure put on them’: How a stint in reserve grade unlocked Toby Sexton’s true potential

Bulldogs halfback Toby Sexton says a stint in reserve grade at the start of the year was “the best thing for me” after he continued his stellar season with two crucial try assists on the weekend to have his side on the cusp of a top-four spot.

In a world where young playmakers are expected to dominate from the moment they debut, Sexton, 23, has had to bide his time following a mixed stint with the Titans before he linked up with Canterbury midway through the 2023 season.

He’s not the flashiest player but he complements Matt Burton perfectly, with Sexton setting up two tries for Bronson Xerri in the space of four minutes on Saturday as Canterbury downed their rivals to stay in fifth spot.

The Bulldogs are 9-2 in the games he’s played this season, with Sexton also winning six of his seven games in NSW Cup and scoring six tries while Drew Hutchison was the preferred playmaker in the NRL side.

It wasn’t easy at the time to hear that he wasn’t playing first grade, but the young half looks back at that stint as the reason why many people are saying he’s in career-best form.

“I worked on everything that a halfback has to do well in the NRL. It was stuff to do with my kicking game, my contact in defence and leading a team around,” he said.

“I got to work on those three things without the pressure of NRL and wins and losses.

“Although it was hard at first because I wanted to play first grade, it’s been the best thing for me.

“I’ve got a pretty simple job in this team, and the whole coaching staff have shown a lot of confidence in me to do my job. They’re backing me to do what I see, and I was probably a bit fortunate that a couple of plays came off (on Saturday).”

Halves partner Burton has deservedly dominated the headlines this season with his clutch field goals and booming left boot, but Sexton’s development hasn’t gone unnoticed at Belmore.

“To go back and work on those things in NSW Cup that we wanted him to work on, he did an outstanding job (with that) and then came back a far better player and has really added something to our team since he came back,” coach Cameron Ciraldo said.

“He’s still only young. He’s still learning along the way, but he’s doing a really good job at the moment and we’re feeding off the back of that.”

Sexton still has another year left on his deal and there have already been calls for the club to re-sign him.

But the halfback is more focused on developing his game having taken inspiration from veterans like Daly Cherry-Evans, Adam Reynolds and Shaun Johnson who have played some of their best footy at the back end of their careers, while younger playmakers continue to be attacked for not living up to the impossible hype placed on them from the day they debut.

“Young halves these days get so much pressure put on them from such a young age,” he said.

“People think they should be setting the world on fire, but the reality is that it’s a pretty tough game to be a halfback. If you’re losing games, it always come back to you, but if you’re winning games, it’s just expected.

“I’m just fortunate that the coaching staff have shown a lot of confidence in me and have allowed me to work my way into first grade this year. It’s starting to come together now at the right time of the year.

“I’m just reaping the rewards for all the trust the coaches put in me.”