NRL 2021: Unwanted Dragons Matt Dufty leads St George Illawarra to victory over Broncos
The Dragons victory over Brisbane was a bittersweet one with fans enjoying the result but left wondering over the club’s retention policy.
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Jack de Belin returned to give the Dragons what they had been lacking for two seasons, but Matt Dufty showed what the Red V will be missing in the years to come with a best-on-ground performance in his side’s bruising 52-24 win over Brisbane.
Playing in his first NRL match since the 2018 finals series, de Belin was solid without being spectacular as he eased his way back after spending two-and-a-half years out of the game under the league’s no-fault stand-down policy.
The Dragons veteran was met with loud cheers when his name flashed on the big screen before kick-off and then received a standing ovation from 5107 fans when he came on after 28 minutes to replace Daniel Alvaro who had suffered a head knock.
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“To see him in the NRL sheds, I thought that was great for him and great for the club,” Anthony Griffin said. “The way that he played shows what a talented player he is and a mentally tough person to be able to do that.
“He’s one of those players (who lifts his teammates). He’s got some really good leadership qualities about him, so it’s helped him coming back.”
It was a vastly different reception to the one Matt Lodge received when he was booed every time he touched the ball in the corresponding clash in 2018 when he made his return to the NRL.
De Belin had a run in his first set but missed a tackle minutes later as Albert Kelly stepped inside him to set up TC Robati for his second try.
He came off with 26 minutes to go having made 61 metres from his eight carries, but it was the things he did away from the ball with his line-speed and ball-playing out the back that highlight his importance to the team.
“He’s a classy player, and that’s what they do – they make the people around them better,” his coach said. “The fact he can come in and do that is going to help our team. They never lose their class or ability.”
SHOW ME THE MONEY
De Belin showed in 26 minutes what the Dragons had missed while he was out, but it was Dufty’s performance that had the Red V faithful on their feet demanding management to re-sign him.
The off-contract fullback is sensationally unwanted by the club beyond this season, but showed on Thursday why he looms as one of the best attacking weapons on the open market as he and Ben Hunt tore Brisbane’s defence to shreds.
In his first game back from a shoulder injury, the gun No. 1 continued his attacking hot-streak with five try-assists and two of his own against a team that could do with his services in 2022.
Dufty said after the match he just wanted to do the fans proud after being left “heartbroken”
by the club’s decision to move him on.
“I love the Dragons,” Dufty said. “I played all my junior footy here and I grew up in the area. All I wanted to do was play for the Dragons.
“It was heartbreaking. I was super upset. I wanted to do the fans proud. The fans have had my back. I feel like I owe them to finish strong.”
He said he had no idea if the club could change their mind after his stellar performance.
“It’s been hard sitting on the sidelines,” Dufty told ABC Sport.
“I love playing at Kogarah. I wanted to play some good footy.
“It’s out of my hands. All I can do is try and play good footy.”
Dufty used his blistering speed to set up Jack Bird, delivered a perfect pass to send Gerard Beale on his way and then embarrassed Jamayne Isaako in the shadows of halftime when he caught the fullback napping to ground a Corey Norman grubber.
He produced another peach of a pass to set up Cody Ramsey – the man who dropped a simple bomb and is tipped to replace him at the back next season – and then backed up a Hunt break to cap the best game of his career.
“I can understand (why people think he should be re-signed),” Griffin said. “There are a lot of things that go into that. It’s not about one game or a performance.”
BRONCOS GO BACKWARDS
They produced the upset of the decade against the Roosters two weeks ago, but the Broncos are trending in the wrong direction after another dismal display on the road.
Kelly was a rare shining light with three try assists in the first half, but he didn’t have many friends as they squandered an 18-12 lead to suffer another hefty defeat.
Robati spent 10 minutes in the sin bin for a high shot, Kobe Hetherington limped off with an ankle injury, while Isaako had a night to forget with errors and a blown challenge before he was eventually hooked.
“The one on halftime was a killer for us,” coach Kevin Walters said. “A couple of the boys had tough nights with errors, so it wasn’t just Jamayne. But he had a rough night at the office.”
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Originally published as NRL 2021: Unwanted Dragons Matt Dufty leads St George Illawarra to victory over Broncos
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