Burton comment to spark three-way Blues race

Bulldogs star Matt Burton has spoken out on his intentions to play at five-eighth next season, for both his club and at the State of Origin level.

Burton has played a variety of positions so far in his 79-game NRL career, mixing his minutes between the centres and the halves.

However, as he heads into his third season with the Bulldogs, Burton has told coach Cameron Ciraldo that he is ready to settle into the No.6 jersey.

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"Even speaking to him (Ciraldo) yesterday, I just said to him that I wanna play five-eighth," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"I've got a few things to work on in fixing my game. If I can do that, then I'm heading in the right direction."

The 23-year-old is also hoping to represent his state in the halves, where he'll likely have to compete with former Panthers teammate Jarome Luai and Souths star Cody Walker for the five-eighth spot.

Burton has previously represented NSW on two occasions, but played in the centres both times. 

"I think if I can knuckle down and play my best footy at six, then I think that there might be a chance to play rep footy at six.

"I've obviously played there at centre before. It's always a privilege to wear (representative) jerseys.

"I'm striving to get back there, so it's all good."

The five-eighth spot is expected to be one of the most hotly contested positions in the NSW Blues side for 2024, and will be Michael Maguire's biggest selection headache if he is to accept the job as coach.

Luai was mostly the No.6 of choice for Brad Fittler during his tenure as Blues coach, with Fittler largely sticking to Panthers combinations all over the park.

However, he shifted away from that for the series finale last year, with Walker performing admirably after being recalled from Origin wilderness. 

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