Dragons fullback Matt Dufty vows to fight for his fullback spot
St George Illawarra fullback Matt Dufty had to learn he wasn’t the club’s first-choice No.1 from The Sunday Telegraph. And now his future at the Dragons in doubt.
Dragons
Don't miss out on the headlines from Dragons. Followed categories will be added to My News.
St George Illawarra’s Matt Dufty found out Zac Lomax would get first crack at the starting fullback spot next season from a report in The Sunday Telegraph.
In the exclusive story, Dragons coach Paul McGregor revealed Lomax had the jump on the No.1 jersey.
“I just got told about what was in the paper … people were saying it before but I don’t really listen to what people have to say. But there’s not much for me to say about it, if Mary (McGregor) wants to do that, he’s the coach,” Dufty said.
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
While McGregor has been tight-lipped with Dufty about his spot in the side, the local junior said the Dragons were open to granting a release from the final two years of his deal if he found another club.
“I have been told I can (go) … but that doesn’t mean I have to, they aren’t forcing me out the door or anything like that,” said Dufty, who was dumped as fullback in round 20 this season.
“They want me to be honest about whether I’m willing to stay and work hard or if I’m just waiting to go. But I’m here to work hard and get my spot back and I told Mary that as well.
“If that’s the way Mary wants to go at the start (of 2020) then I have to rip in and prove to him, like I did a few years ago, that I’m the right man for the job. Ultimately, it comes down to whether Zac takes his opportunity with both hands.”
Dufty, who has the lowest body fat percentage at the club, has found himself in the last place he expected to be in during the pre-season – the “Cuzzy Club” or “Fat Club”.
While the players around him are working to sweat off the extra kilograms piled on during the off-season, Dufty is in the Cuzzy Club to gain weight.
The diminutive fullback was only 78kg when he debuted in 2017 and is hoping extra weight will help him in his duel with the 94kg Lomax.
“I’m definitely not fat, I have the lowest fat percentage, it’s around 10 per cent … it’s more to do extra gym so I can put on a bit of extra weight. I’ve already put on two kilos since we started,” Dufty said.
“They give us three to four protein shakes a day and they feed us. I don’t necessarily have a goal weight but I’d like to get to 85 kilograms.”
MORE NEWS
Giants set to swoop on born leader
Fresh move to ban Russia from Olympics
Lomax, who is off contract at the end of 2020, is the target of at least six NRL clubs with the 20-year-old spotted by The Daily Telegraph having a meal with Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire in August.
The talented youngster wants to play from the back to increase his involvement in matches but he understands his work defensively will be as vital as what he can inject in attack.
“The defensive side of things is probably the biggest thing as a fullback. That’s a major learning, understanding defensive reads a little bit more and I’ll be doing a fair bit of review and video. It’s going to be a long task but hopefully it’s going to be a good one,” Lomax said.
Originally published as Dragons fullback Matt Dufty vows to fight for his fullback spot