Former Panthers general manager Phil Gould says the club may live to regret its hardline stance on Matt Burton after forcing the frozen-out 21-year-old to see out his final season in Penrith in reserve grade. Burton is widely expected to be one of the brightest stars of his generation yet when the two clubs fighting over him clash on the field on Saturday afternoon he'll be watching from the stands. The classy young half has already signed to join ex-Panthers assistant coach Trent Barrett at the Bulldogs from next season but attempts to bring him to Belmore this season have so far been blocked. There has been speculation that the Panthers will revisit the transfer request following this Saturday's clash yet, given Burton is contracted until November 1, Ivan Cleary is perfectly entitled to force him to see out his deal at the foot of the mountains. However, given Burton is the Panthers' fourth-string half, behind Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Tyrone May, Gould says the decision to hold onto Burton is cruel and will stifle his development unjustly.
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