Matthew Dufty

Not to be confused with Matt Duffie.

Matt Dufty
Personal information
Full nameMatthew Lawrence Dufty
Born (1996-01-10) 10 January 1996 (age 28)
Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia
Height179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight83 kg (13 st 1 lb)
Playing information
PositionFullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2017–21 St. George Illawarra 82 44 0 0 176
2022 Canterbury Bulldogs 12 1 0 0 4
2022– Warrington Wolves 61 38 0 0 92
Total 155 83 0 0 272
Source: [1]
As of 7 March 2024

Matthew Lawrence Dufty[2] (born 10 January 1996) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for the Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Super League.

He previously played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the NRL.

Background

Dufty was born on 10 January 1996 in Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia. He attended Marist Catholic College Penshurst from Year 7 to Year 10.

He played his junior rugby league for the Penshurst RSL RLFC, before being signed by the St. George Illawarra Dragons.

Playing career

Early career

From 2014 to 2016, Dufty played for the St. George Illawarra Dragons' NYC team.[3]

In July 2016, he played for the New South Wales under-20s team against the Queensland under-20s team,[4]

In 2016 he re-signed with the St. George club on a two-year contract until the end of 2018.[5] In September 2016, he was named on the interchange bench in the 2016 NYC Team of the Year.[6] Dufty played 65 games and scored 55 tries for 220 points in his U20s career from 2014 to 2016.[7]

Dufty playing for the Illawarra Cutters in 2017

2017

In 2017, Dufty graduated to St. George Illawarra's Intrust Super Premiership NSW team, the Illawarra Cutters.[8] In round 20 of the 2017 NRL season, he made his NRL debut for the St. George club against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles,[9][10] scoring a try and providing two try assists.[11]

2018

In the 2018 NRL season, Dufty made 26 appearances for St. George and scored 13 tries as the club finished 7th on the table and qualified for the finals. Dufty played in both finals games, the 48-18 upset victory against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium and the 13-12 elimination final defeat against South Sydney.[12]

Dufty playing for the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2022

2019

On 18 February Dufty signed a two-year contract extension to remain at St. George Illawarra until the end of the 2021 season.[13] On 25 April Dufty scored an individual 65 metre try for St. George Illawarra during their match against the Sydney Roosters in the traditional ANZAC Day game. Fox Sports Commentator Andrew Voss said of the try "What a try here at the SCG!, So many great tries over many, many years, and the name Matt Dufty belongs to one as of today. That is super. Tedesco is looking up saying, 'Which way did he go? ... How many steps Dufty? More than the Opera House!".[14]

Dufty made a total of 16 appearances and scored five tries for St. George Illawarra in the 2019 NRL season as the club endured one of the worst ever seasons finishing 15th on the table just above the last placed Gold Coast.[15]

2020

On 15 February, Dufty suffered a fractured cheekbone whilst playing for St. George Illawarra in the pre-season NRL Nines competition against Parramatta and was ruled out for six to eight weeks.[16]

Dufty returned to the St. George Illawarra side for their round 2 match against Penrith at Kogarah Oval. Dufty scored two tries in a 28-32 loss.[17]

In round 10 against Canterbury, Dufty scored two tries as St. George Illawarra won the match 28-22 at WIN Stadium.[18] This was Dufty's fifth try in three matches.

In round 20, Dufty scored two tries in a 30-22 victory over Melbourne at Kogarah Oval. Dufty finished the season with 13 tries for the club.[19]

2021

In round 3 of the 2021 NRL season, Dufty scored two tries in a 38-12 victory over Manly at WIN Stadium.[20]

In round 5 of the 2021 NRL season, Dufty scored two tries and created two try assists to defeat Parramatta.[21]

In round 9 of the 2021 NRL season, he scored two tries in a 32-12 victory over Canterbury.[22]

In round 13, Dufty scored two tries and had five try assists in a man of the match performance as St. George Illawarra defeated Brisbane 52-24.[23]

In June, Dufty was informed by the club that his services would not be required for next season as he was not part of their plans going into the future.[24] It was then reported that several northern hemisphere clubs, including St Helens, had expressed an interest in signing Dufty.[25] It was revealed in July that Dufty had signed with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on a one-year deal for the 2022 season.[26]

2022

In round 1 of the 2022 NRL season, Dufty made his club debut for Canterbury in their 6-4 victory against North Queensland at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium.[27]

On 21 July 2022, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs officially announced an early release grant for Dufty to take up an opportunity in the Super League. On the same day, Dufty signed a two-and-a-half-year deal to join English side Warrington.[28] In round 21 of the 2022 Super League season, Dufty made his Warrington debut against Huddersfield which ended in defeat. Dufty injured his foot during the match and was taken from the field in the second half.[29] In round 26 of the 2022 Super League season, Dufty scored four tries for Warrington in a 38-36 loss against Huddersfield.[30]

2023

In round 24 of the 2023 Super League season, Dufty scored two tries for Warrington in their 66-12 victory over Castleford.[31] Dufty played 28 games for Warrington in the 2023 Super League season and scored 13 tries as Warrington finished sixth on the table and qualified for the playoffs. Dufty played in the clubs elimination playoff loss against St Helens.[32]

2024

In round 5 of the 2024 Super League season, Dufty scored a hat-trick in Warrington's 58-4 victory over the hapless London side.[33] On 21 March, Dufty signed a contract extension with Warrington to remain at the club until the end of 2026.[34] On 8 June, Dufty played in Warrington's 2024 Challenge Cup final defeat against Wigan.[35] On 17 August, Dufty scored a hat-trick in Warrington’s 24-6 Magic WKND win over the Leeds Rhinos at Elland Road and was awarded the Betfred Man of the Match award. Dufty played a total of 24 games for Warrington in the 2024 Super League season as the club reached the semi-final before losing to Hull Kingston Rovers.[36]

Controversy

On 5 July 2021, Dufty was fined $23,000 by the NRL and suspended for one game after breaching the game's Covid-19 bio-security protocols when he attended a party along with 12 other St. George Illawarra players at Paul Vaughan's property.[37]

References

  1. ^ "Matthew Dufty - Career Stats & Summary". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  2. ^ Walter, Brad (22 April 2021). "Why Anzac round means so much to NRL stars". National Rugby League. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  3. ^ "D". NYC Database. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  4. ^ "NSW Under-20s Team Announcement". NSWRL. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  5. ^ "Dragons Re-Sign Dufty". St George Illawarra Dragons. 27 July 2016. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  6. ^ "2016 Holden Cup Team of the Year announced". NRL.com. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  7. ^ "18thman - U20s Player Records". 18thman.com.
  8. ^ "NSWRL Intrust Super Premiership - 2017 Round 3". League Unlimited. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Updated team lists: Dragons v Sea Eagles". NRL.com. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 26 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  10. ^ "NRL Late Mail: Round 20 v Sea Eagles". St George Illawarra Dragons. 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  11. ^ Gabor, Martin (23 July 2017). "Points galore as Dragons thump Manly". NRL.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  12. ^ McDonough, Joe (14 December 2018). "'The boys get around Duff': Dragons back their fullback to hold spot". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018.
  13. ^ Mee, Cameron (18 February 2019). "Matt Dufty extends stay at St George Illawarra with contract extension". Illawarra Mercury. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019.
  14. ^ Whittaker, Troy (25 April 2019). "Roosters v Dragons: Matt Dufty scores jaw-dropping 65-metre solo try". Sporting News. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019.
  15. ^ Chisholm, Ed (2 September 2019). "Paul McGregor facing the axe as St. George Illawarra Dragons coach following horror season". Sporting News. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019.
  16. ^ "Dragons fullback Matt Dufty suffers cheekbone injury in Perth after horror head clash at NRL Nines". Wide World of Sports. Nine Digital. AAP. 15 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020.
  17. ^ St John, Mark (20 March 2020). "Matt Dufty settles fullback debate with two try masterclass for Dragons". Fox Sports Australia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Sea Eagles Stun Eels Dogs Blow It Late". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  19. ^ Clarke, George (27 September 2020). "Tyson Frizell signs off in style as St George Illawarra Dragons down second-string Storm". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  20. ^ "South Sydney Rabbitohs defeat Sydney Roosters 26-16, St George Illawarra Dragons beat Manly Sea Eagles 38-12". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. AAP. 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  21. ^ Whittaker, Troy (11 April 2021). "Dragons knock Eels out of top four with fourth straight win". National Rugby League. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  22. ^ "St George Illawarra beats Canterbury Bulldogs 32-12, Manly defeats New Zealand Warriors 38-32". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. AAP. 9 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  23. ^ Kennedy, Chris (3 June 2021). "Off-contract Dufty brilliant as Broncos put to the sword". National Rugby League. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  24. ^ Walter, Brad; Newton, Alicia (14 June 2021). "'Special kids': Norman on call to back rookies at his expense". National Rugby League. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  25. ^ Pengilly, Adam (18 June 2021). "Unwanted Dragons fullback Dufty may become a different kind of Saint". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  26. ^ Conrad, Alex (10 July 2021). "Matt Dufty secured by NRL cellar-dwellers". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Canterbury Bulldogs edge North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, Parramatta Eels beat Gold Coast Titans". www.msn.com.
  28. ^ "Matt Dufty: Warrington Wolves sign full-back from Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs". www.bbc.com.
  29. ^ "Matt Dufty granted early release". Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Super League: Huddersfield Giants 38-36 Warrington Wolves - Matt Dufty scores four tries as Wire comeback falls short". www.bbc.com.
  31. ^ "Super League: Warrington Wolves 66-12 Castleford Tigers - Wire demolish struggling Tigers". www.bbc.co.uk.
  32. ^ "Highs and lows from Warrington Wolves' 2023 season". www.warringtonguardian.co.uk.
  33. ^ "London Broncos 4-58 Warrington Wolves: Two hat-tricks help Wire return to top spot". www.bbc.co.uk.
  34. ^ "Matt Dufty: Warrington Wolves full-back signs new deal until end of 2026 season". www.bbc.co.uk.
  35. ^ "Wigan beat Warrington to win Challenge Cup". www.bbc.co.uk.
  36. ^ "Warrington Wolves 2024 season review, February and March". www.warringtonguardian.co.uk.
  37. ^ "St George Illawarra Dragons players fined $305,000 and given match suspensions". National Rugby League. 5 July 2021. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
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