‘It’s good times ahead’: Bulldogs must ramp up negotiations with Toby Sexton after withdrawing from the race for DCE

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has full faith in Toby Sexton and the young halves coming through at the club after it was revealed that Canterbury wouldn’t be going after Daly Cherry-Evans for 2026 and beyond. Head honcho Phil Gould praised the current Sea Eagles halfback but confirmed his club wouldn’t go after the rep star, with the Roosters and Dolphins now leading the race for his signature. Toby Sexton has done a terrific job since he joined the blue and whites midway through the 2023 season, while youngster Mitchell Woods has been mooted as a potential star of the future. “I think it was a bit of a surprise for everyone (to hear the announcement),” Ciraldo said. “I think Gus has pretty much covered it with everything he said last night. We’re really happy with how we’re going here. “Toby is doing a really good job and we’ve got some young halves on their way up so we’re going to stick to our plan. I wish him all the best.” Ciraldo praised Sexton’s work ethic, revealing he’s been the last one to leave training sessions this season, with the halfback picking up the slack while five-eighth Matt Burton has been out with a knee injury. The former Titan kicked for an unprecedented 1030 metres in last week’s win over the Eels, with contract talks set to ramp up in the coming weeks given he’s off contract at the end of the season and is currently a free agent. “We’re not worried about that at the moment,” his coach said. “I’ll leave that to Gus and Toby’s manager. My job is to try to help Toby become a better footballer every day, and Toby’s job is to become a better footballer every day and perform on the weekends. “He’s got a big responsibility with ‘Burto’ not being in the team, and I thought he did a good job last week. “He’s got a really good opportunity at the moment and we’re supporting him in that, and we’ve got a number of good young kids coming through that are going to push their claims to play first grade in the future. “It’s good times ahead.” Sexton and his teammates will need to be at their best against the Sharks on Saturday night, with the Bulldogs looking for their first 4-0 start to a season since 1993 when they also beat Cronulla in round four. “That’s a pretty cool stat, but it means nothing if we don’t win this weekend,” Ciraldo said, with his side coming off a short turnaround from their bruising win over Parramatta. “We’re not worried about what we’ve done in the first three weeks, it’s all about preparing for this game. “We’re under no illusions that it’s going to be a really tough game. Cronulla are a really good team and have added some strike with Addin Fonua-Blake there this year so they’re going to be a top-four team again. “After this weekend, we’ll really know where we’re at.”