Toby Sexton will wear No.7 jumper again for the Bulldogs this season, but his future beyond that remains unclear with one of the game's best young players breathing down his neck.
The playmaker enjoyed a career-best campaign with Canterbury last year, helping guide the side to its first finals appearance in eight long years.
Sexton formed a strong combination with Matt Burton and cemented himself as the club's first-choice halfback under coach Cameron Ciraldo.
Unfortunately, their season came to a devastating end with a nail-biting loss against Manly in front of a red-hot crowd at Accor Stadium in the first week of the finals.
Speaking to Wide World of Sports, the 23-year-old admitted there were parts of that match that weighed heavily on his mind before the entire club watched it together.
Toby Sexton during the 2024 season. Â Getty
"At the time, I watched it the next day but from more of an emotional level," Sexton said.
"I was picking each part of the game out and thinking what I could have done better.
"We watched the game back the other day and I took some lessons from it, especially for me in how to close out a big game. It's definitely going to be a very valuable lesson.
"It doesn't make it any easier … we will be eager to get back to that stage again."
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Canterbury won 11 of 15 games with Sexton starting in the halves as he registered the most try assists of his first grade career with 12 for the season.
While it wasn't all smooth sailing from the outset, Sexton hopes he has earned the trust of Ciraldo and the rest of the coaching staff to hold onto the job.
"It was a big year for me," he said.
"I started the year off in NSW Cup and even though that wasn't where I wanted to be playing, it gave me an opportunity to work on my game without the added pressure.
"I got to come into a side that was playing really well and reap the rewards from that.
"Hopefully I've cemented my spot moving forward and show I'm a genuine first grader."
There's little doubt that in the short-term, Sexton will be partnering Burton in 2025.
His game management freed the former Panthers premiership winner up to run the ball and have more of an impact for the Dogs.
But long-term, the future for Sexton isn't as crystal clear.
Mitchell Woods – the teenager who had the AFL and rugby union chasing him before committing long-term with the Bulldogs – has moved straight into the top 30 roster despite only finishing high school a few months ago and loos destined for stardom.
Mitchell Woods is already in the main NRL squad. Â NSWRL
Sexton had a similar rise out of junior footy, debuting for the Gold Coast Titans at the age of 20 after receiving plenty of plaudits coming through the lower grades.
"He's a great kid and he has a lot of very similar attributes to me when I first came through into grade," Sexton said of Woods.
"I had similar hype around myself coming through. It's a matter of taking things slow and not having too high expectations early in your career.
"You've got to be able to slow down and enjoy what you're doing, straight out of school and into a first grade program. Not many kids get to do that – he's got a great head on his shoulders and I think he's gonna be a good player for a long time.
"He's a massive learner too, always looking for ways to improve. He's had some tough time with injuries already, coming straight out of school he has found it tough, but at the same time he is always in the video room and studying his game.
"He's gonna be a good player and the club is very lucky to have him."
Woods is already locked in until the end of 2027, but the same can't be said for Sexton, who remains unsigned beyond this season.
Toby Sexton is loving life at the Bulldogs. Getty
While the expectation is that Woods will slot into the halfback spot in the years to come – or potentially even sooner – Sexton admits he feels right at home in Belmore.
"I'm not really gonna comment on that – that's up to my manager and it's something he will control, I'm just concentrated on playing footy at the moment," he said of his NRL future.
"I love it here. I love the club and what it's about, the community and our fans and how much they get behind us, and we've got such a good playing group and coaching staff.
"It makes for a really enjoyable environment."Â
Canterbury will take on old rivals St George Illawarra in the opening round on March 8.
