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'Stuck with me': ex-Bulldogs half explains NRL return
Sebastian Tan, AAP • September 23rd, 2026 5:40 pm
Former Bulldogs halfback Toby Sexton is looking forward to his NRL return with the Perth Bears | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
A refreshed Toby Sexton has revealed how a conversation with Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga drew him back to the NRL.
Sexton will make his return to the competition next year when he runs out with the Bears, and he'll be looking to remind the league of his abilities.
It follows a tumultuous 2025 campaign, when he was dropped from Canterbury's halves mid-season to make way for recruit Lachlan Galvin.
Despite a solid season, Toby Sexton was overlooked after Lachlan Galvin joined the Bulldogs | Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP
The axing came despite Sexton helping the Bulldogs to win 12 of 16 games when he started at halfback.
The 25-year-old was recalled to the main halves pairing in the finals after the Bulldogs' injury list ballooned.
But there was no hope of him staying with the club because he had already inked a deal to play for the Catalan Dragons in the Super League for 2026.
"It's been a nice refresh given everything that's happened over the last couple of years," Sexton told the Big Bears Podcast.
"I've just been given a bit of an opportunity to get away from lots of things and just be a normal person.
"I want to be back in the NRL.
"I've got a lot to prove to myself. I've got a lot to prove to the coaches in Perth ... I've got a lot to prove to everyone."
Asked how Meninga lured the 25-year-old to the NRL's soon-to-be newest club, Sexton thanked an inspirational conversation.
Inaugural Bears coach Mal Meninga inspired Toby Sexton to join the Perth side | Photo: James Worsfold/AAP
"He said something that stuck with me, and it was about proving people wrong," Sexton said.
"I feel like I'm in a similar position where I've got a lot to show and a lot to prove to people about why I should be an NRL halfback.
"I remember when I met up with Mal at the start, and I didn't really know what to think. The conversation wasn't that long, but I knew as soon as the conversation was done ... that's where I wanted to be."
Perth will be out to defy expectations because they have yet to land a marquee name for their inaugural season, while the PNG Chiefs, who enter the competition in 2028, have attracted the likes of Jarome Luai, Brian To'o and Zac Lomax through lucrative tax-free contracts.
Regardless, Sexton is backing the expansion franchise to succeed.
"Me and Joshy Curran (former Canterbury teammate, who has signed a three-year deal with the Bears) are close mates. We've been chatting all year. He's that pumped as well," he said.
"Every time there's a new signing, it gets announced in the chat, and everyone gets around each other. It seems like a really good bunch of guys."
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