LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
Matty Johns has come to the defense of Toby Sexton after the Bulldogs made the tough decision to replace him with Lachie Galvin.
Canterbury's coach, Cameron Ciraldo, opted to drop Sexton, which led to a narrow two-point victory over the Dragons, with Galvin facilitating the game-winning try.
Despite this, Galvin's performance was mixed; while he displayed moments of excellence, he did not significantly enhance the Bulldogs' overall attack.
Ciraldo's decision was driven by a desire to improve the team's offensive strategy and adapt to the competitive landscape of the league.
His choice has been viewed as justified, particularly considering Sexton's lackluster attacking stats before his replacement.
Notably, Sexton had not recorded a try assist in his last seven games and had the fewest try assists and line breaks among halfbacks from the top four teams this season.
However, Johns criticized this focus on statistics, arguing that it unfairly undermines Sexton's contributions to transforming the Bulldogs from struggling competitors into serious title contenders.
"One thing that does irk me a bit is the stat sheet that has been released to all the journalists on Toby Sexton," Johns stated on SEN radio.
He went on to emphasize the merit of Sexton's efforts, insisting that he deserves more recognition for the improvement he helped bring to the team and labeled the critical stats as "disrespectful." "I just think he deserves a lot better than that.
So it's pretty crook," Johns concluded.