Down 16-0 after 20 minutes, Canterbury rallied to draw level early in the second half before Burton produced a massive final five minutes to claim the win for the Bulldogs.
The five-eighth batted back a kick to help set up a try, forced and error and then kicked a field goal with two minutes to play to snap the Dogs’ own four-match losing streak.
The win will offer some hope to Canterbury fans over the summer, with new coach Cameron Ciraldo incoming and Reed Mahoney and Viliame Kikau among key signings.
But rarely has the last match of a season summed up a year like it did for Manly on Friday night.
When the Sea Eagles last won way back in mid-July, they sat eighth on the ladder and were still a genuine contender as they threatened to find form without Tom Trbojevic.
Since then though they have had their season drastically derailed by the pride jersey saga, failing to win another match and dropping their last seven for the first time in the club’s 76-year history.
But for the first 20 minutes at Accor Stadium it was a case of “where-has-this-been” for under-pressure coach Des Hasler.
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Prop Toafofoa Sipley was humming, busting through the middle to allow Daly Cherry-Evans to score Manly’s first try and regularly putting the visitors beyond the advantage line.
Cherry-Evans was also firing, backing up his opening four-pointer by putting winger Christian Tuipolotu over with a nice cut-out ball.
And when departing prop Martin Taupau pushed his way through Corey Waddell to go over and make it 16-0, the more-dangerous Sea Eagles were back.
Then after completing their first 13 sets, Manly coughed up the ball in four of their next six and the Bulldogs were back in the match.
Canterbury’s first came when Raymond Faitala-Mariner offloaded for Braidon Burns, before Zach Dockar-Clay had it back to 16-12 by halftime.
Aaron Schoupp then intercepted a Kieran Foran pass and when he went 90 metres to score, it was back level.
Haumole Olakau’atu briefly put Manly back in front when he chased down a Cherry-Evans grubber.
But the Sea Eagles’ reprieve was short-lived, as Tevita Pangai put on a flick pass for Kyle Flanagan to level again after a Burton bat-back.
Burton then launched a massive torpedo bomb at the end of the next set, forcing an error from Manly fullback Kaeo Weekes before icing the field goal from 20 metres out to win the match.
© AAP