Dragons fullback Matt Dufty was a conversation away from leaving the Dragons for the Warriors
IF it wasn’t for a Paul McGregor and Ben Hornby plea to stay, St George Illawarra fullback Matt Dufty would have been lost to the Dragons forever.
NRL
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IF it wasn’t for a Paul McGregor and Ben Hornby plea to stay, St George Illawarra fullback Matt Dufty would be playing for Friday’s opponents — the New Zealand Warriors.
The Warriors expressed interest in signing Dufty in 2016 while he was carving up the under 20s ranks.
Thankfully for the Dragons, encouraging words from McGregor and Hornby convinced him to knock back a move to Auckland.
“But the Warriors showed a lot of interest,” Dufty recalls.
“I was coming off an injury, I was off-contract at the Dragons and they hadn’t talked to me, so my manager said we’ll talk around.
“I was a bit worried because I didn’t know if the Dragons wanted me or not.
“I was in the 20s and your career is definitely not set in stone then.
“I thought it was a realistic thing the Warriors, but then Mary and Benny Hornby came up to me and said there is no way we are letting you go.
“Mary called and said, ‘what are you doing’, but it was more Hornby who said we want you to stay and that made me happy.
“That was probably the best thing that has happened to me.”
Dufty still shares a close relationship with Hornby today. He works closely with his former SG Ball coach, who is now an NRL assistant, on a daily basis.
“Inside the club he (Benny) is definitely my biggest critic,” he said.
“He tells me everything I do wrong and he has no problem saying it.
“That is the type of relationship we have.
“He even said he was over the moon for me, but he just wants to see me keep getting better.
“Besides my parents, he definitely criticises me well.”
Another major factor in Dufty knocking back the Warriors to stay with the Dragons was the looming departure of then fullback Josh Dugan.
He was told Dugan would likely leave the club, providing a pathway for him to don the No. 1 jumper.
The Kangaroos and Blues star signed a lucrative four-year deal Cronulla, opening the door for Dufty to earn a starting position at fullback.
And the Hurstville-born flyer hasn’t let the table-topping Dragons down, scoring six tries in six games to start the season.
Dufty will look to maintain his fine form when he takes on the Warriors, the side he could have joined, at Mt Smart Stadium this weekend.
He is particularly looking forward to the battle of the forwards.
“The Warriors are always a big team, but I reckon our pack is one of the best in the comp,” he said.
“It will be a good challenge to see who wins the arm wrestle there.”
Dufty was on a second-tier deal last season worth approximately $50,000, including match payments.
He is now on a full-time deal and one of the form fullbacks in the NRL.
Dufty, though, is refusing to let his success result in a bighead.
“It helps when you’ve got a pack and halves like we do,” he said.
“Coming off last year I was still on a high and buzzing coming into round one and that has just carried on.
“I just want to keep playing good footy. I’ve only played 12 NRL games and anything can change.
“I’ve wanted to work on my defence and that is something that has definitely improved in the opening six weeks.”
As a Penshurst RSL junior born in Hurstville, Dufty is also regularly reminded of the local pathway that helped him reach the top.
This was on display on Monday when the fullback attended a junior Gala Day in Blakehurst — in the heart of Dragons territory.
“The kids yelling out, ‘Dufty, Dufty’ is pretty humbling because that was me 10 years ago,” he said.
“I take a lot of pride in that.”
Dufty described the Dragons’ unbeaten start to the season as “incredible”, but says his side are refusing to get carried away.
“How many years do you go 6-0, but the boys are pretty humble about it and get to training and go about our business,” he said.
“We haven’t put a number on it (the winning streak), but we know if we come out and everyone does their role week to week we’ll have a good chance of winning.”