Dufty for fullback

[Dragonslayer]

I dont think we should have bought Quinlan or McCrone into the squad as it stifles opportunities for young kids.. however.. honestly.. I think Quinlan has more chance of 1st grade success than Dufty, and certainly in 2016/2017... not to mention Quinlan is virtually man of the match every cutters game, and winning is important too to development of the side... cutters being flogged every week is not the breeding ground you want for your next kids.

There was/is a window with Dugans injury to have moved Quinlan up to 1sts and Dufty to NSW Cup to get a taste.. would make it easier to make a call on his contract renewal too.. but on the other hand Dufty is finally having a year where the 20s side is winning games, so considering his miniscule size and the waste of a year 2015 was, its not the worst idea that he tries to actually find some consistent form.

Lastly on Nightingale, I have to say hes doing a much better job than I thought at the back, possibly lack of speed is not ideal but there is no safer man (other than duges) and hes already proved more useful in attacking plays than Dugan in just 1 game, im dissapointed because I feel like if Quinlan isnt going to be played, whys he still here.. but again the Cutters are playing so well with him, you can understand why JD just doesnt want to just throw Quinlan in the trash, though certainly he wont be renewed for 2017.

Hutchinson is in the same boat, if were not going to play him in 1st grade for injuries, get rid of him imo, hes had long enough that he should be able to handle a bit of 1st grade with an experienced 5/8 beside him as part of his development.

100% agree with this.

As I've said before, the issue now is that ALL our teams are fighting for finals berths. U'20's sitting 8th, the Cutters 4th (basically 3rd as they have a bye in hand) and 1st who are teetering on the 8 on a game by game basis. Head would not want to loose his #1 player just to give him a "go" now, because a loss would drop them out of the 8. Quinlan is a star at NSW Cup level and JD wouldn't want to forsake him, actually when Quinlan has played in 1st's the Cutters have gone poorly. And our 1st are fighting each week. With Dugan out the only safe option was Nightingale, and so he got the gig, the only variable was who would play wing in his place, and again we don't have many "experienced" wingers, yes a lot of talented players, but no experience, hence Mann got the gig.
We had to win that Cowboys game, it was integral to our season, and experimenting on a crucial game was a big no, no. The same applies this week against the Dogs where a win puts us a virtual 5th on the ladder with some breathing space. The only other opportunity may come against the Knights, but is it worth the risk?
This is what we face unfortunately, teams like the Broncos and the Cowboys and even the Storm CAN run the risk because there positions in the 8 are almost guaranteed, also teams struggling may also be tempted to trial new players to gauge talent for next year, We don't have that luxury in all our grades as the risk for reward is too great.

 

[mobels]

Dufty is and will always be a better player than Cummins.

Evanders issue was his shit atttitude.

Lies Evander is only 2 years older than Dufty and at the age of 19 tore the entire NYC competition to shreds and was named as the best fullback in the competition over players like Roger Tuivasa Sheck.

Regardless I hope Dufty will ultimately make it in the first grade, but the expectations from everyone here is way to high.

 

[BLM01]

after watching the good teams over the last few weeks the 1 thing that stands out to me is their fullbacks and what they can do.
I know everyone is going to say Duges is our best option but to me he's not going to blow a game open like the current crop of Barba, Boyd, Munster, Tedesco, coote. watching these guys lately they are the difference, fast, skillful, can ball play, safe under the high ball.
Duges runs a lot of metres for not much result, its like watching Arnie Schwarzenegger run. he cant pass or link around the back.
Its time for the Dragons to give Dufty a good crack, move dugan to the centres with Aitken and get rid of the Tin Man. sign Keary as a 5/8. get rid of benji or widdop ( we have 3 5/8s there.) there is every chance we could be sitting 5th or 6th at the end of this round and people will say he's not experienced enough. Crap. give him a shot and move forward, we have some good kids in 20s, give them a shot before we lose them.
go the Dragons....

I am sick of this talk re Dugan at centre or winger for our club and rep football and include the media and the Dragons club also in this.
If we have a a better or more excitable fullback option and if Dufty is the answer then Dugan can move to another club. If we dont then Dugan stays fullback for any game then Dufty waits his time...or goes elsewhere
Same with SOO if Dugan is not the best fullback in NSW at the moment (and Tedesco proves that) and in stupid solidarity by Daley he should not be playing origin or even test football. Simple

 

[BLM01]

Ask yourself which one out of Quinlan and Dufty has the greatest potential to succeed?

If it is Dufty then he should get the Cutter's job today.

The Cutters is the place where you transition the good juniors to your first grade side.

The Cutters winning games and a chance at winning their comp is just a huge bonus and should not confuse the selection / transition process.

Quinlan is never going to make an NRL career and if Dufty can he should be given every opportunity and that starts in the Cutters not U/20's.

Agree 100% and you can blame the NRL,TV and player managers for turning reserve grade into something a rugby league professional or player should be ashamed of.

 

[nrlnrl]

Quinlan has been given opportunities at NRL level & hasn't impressed at fullback - too tentative with the ball & passed to team mates putting them under pressure. The Dragons must give Dufty a go for the Cutters to see how he goes against open age players. Cameron Munster developed in Qld Cup & the results are being seen.

The approach of not wanting to destroy a young player's career is ridiculous. It can't be applied as a blanket rule. Each player must be assessed on his likelihood of playing NRL with a path through NSW Cup.

There are exceptions to fast tracking occasionally straight from NYC, but most of them need to have some game time in an open age comp. If the player isn't considered good enough for NRL, fair enough, but don't just protect them all from having a career ruined prematurely. That will result in them leaving & being given opportunities at other clubs.

 

[coast_dragons]

Its simple the Dragons need to stop with the using a feeder team and have their own.

Other clubs do it why can't they.

 

[WHOOSHKAA!!]

Surely this kid must be given the opportunity to show what he can do.
And im not talking 1 or 2 games as the dragons did with Mann. The dragons destroyed that poor kid...

If we dont seriously consider Duffy towards the end of this year or early next then will probably lose him..

Mary if ur good enough your old enough..... Remember JB..

 

[Get2dachopper!]

Re: Duffy, if you want to ease him into FG, why not start him on the wing? How much could he stuff up on the wing?
Flo has one wing spot sewn up for now but on the other wing we have FFL who, let's be honest, is as good as he is gonna get. He probably doesn't make fg in other teams.
If we are talking about transitioning future backs into fg, playing them on the wing initially is the way to go.

 

[Cagey Mac]

I'd play him off the bench against the Knights.
The Kid's brilliant IMO

 

[BennyV]

Lies Evander is only 2 years older that Dufty and at the age of 19 was tore the entire NYC competition to shreds and was named as the best fullback in the competition over players like Roger Tuivasa Sheck.

Regardless I hope Dufty will ultimately make it in the first grade, but the expectations from everyone here is way to high.

Gotta agree here. At the same age, Evander was a level above. However, as has been mentioned, his attitude and cockiness let him down, not his size. The fact that Dufty is shining, while not completely dominating, MAY be motivation for him to keep improving.

Its simple the Dragons need to stop with the using a feeder team and have their own.

Other clubs do it why can't they.

Money, I assume.

 

[ONPOINT]

Dufty should be playing Cutters, as all players who dominate U20s should. Far too early to simply throw him into firsts, but definitely worth re-signing and giving him 1-2 years in NSW Cup with some tastes of first grade here and there. Most important (to all youngsters with potential) is to let them know where they fit into the long term plan and give them something to work to. Penrith seem to be doing this brilliantly.



Could do, similar to Evander Cummins - on the small side, but quick, agile, strong and with top ball skills. Cummins even topped the tackles breaks in the u20s for 2 years in a row I believe. All came down to attitude. And that is something that can be helped by the coach.



Quinlan's partner has no relation to Peter Doust.

Mann should be playing fullback for Cutters TBH, with Dufty next in line if injuries bring Mann into first grade.

That's a great post Benny similar to evander but evander was a lot better. Dufty skill set is no where near some of the great small fullbacks being mentioned in this thread. He also looks lazy out there when his team is losing. Just some observations and I hope I'm proved wrong as the dragons could use a talented youngster coming through.

 

[2010]

Cleary's son did alright for Penrith today and is 18,

 

[denis preston]

Cleary's son did alright for Penrith today and is 18,

But he can tackle.

The club is concerned that if exposed , playing for the cutters , this part of his game could stuff his confidence and the staff are working on it . It appears his body is still boyish and want a good off season to develop it.

I hope they have given the kid a clear development path as he sure has the raw talent .

 

[Old Timer]

But he can tackle.

The club is concerned that if exposed , playing for the cutters , this part of his game could stuff his confidence and the staff are working on it . It appears his body is still boyish and want a good off season to develop it.

I hope they have given the kid a clear development path as he sure has the raw talent .

No doubt it is difficult to develop the youngsters especially if they are small guys.

With Dufty I think first and foremost we need to know can he make his presence felt in attack and read the game defensively from the back.

Also we need to know does he have a sound tackling technique and if so he will get better / more durable as he gets a bit older.

If he has attacking ability but suspect defence then he needs to be moved to the halves and become an edge defender to see if that benefits his development.

The trouble is you will never find out anything of value about him whilst he remains in the U/20's system because it is just a try fest with suspect defence by almost all teams.

Time to blood him in the Cutters.

 

[TheRev]

Cleary's son did alright for Penrith today and is 18,

Its the position as well, you cant hide @ fullback, you're going to take some big hits, and be expected to out-jump some very tall timber. Mitchell for the Roosters went straight to fullback, but hes a big big boy.

Personally I thought selecting Cleary over Soward was a terrible move, I can only assume its because they were going to lose him to another club so were seeing if hes rdy to start in 2017, though if the media is anything to go by, Cleary is the next immortal (the previous one was Luke Brooks).

Ive said it before, but if your dominating at 20's level, and especially if you have the size (ala Jack Bird) then absolutely you can slot onto the wing if nothing else, and no argument we have been slack with blooding our talented kids.. but Dufty does not in any way resemble Jack Bird, I cant stress this enough, I actually think Dufty could use more time to get his game sorted & grow a little at the same time, its a really tough call on how much to renew his contract for at the end of the year.

 

[TheRev]

If he has attacking ability but suspect defence then he needs to be moved to the halves and become an edge defender to see if that benefits his development.

The trouble is you will never find out anything of value about him whilst he remains in the U/20's system because it is just a try fest with suspect defence by almost all teams.

Time to blood him in the Cutters.

Yes.. whether he should be playing @ 5/8 instead of Fullback is a critical decision.. its the kind of decision imo we get wrong, we tend to select for the hole we have rather than the players ability, and Quinlan was an example of someone who played where we needed him, and probably should have been @ 5/8 from the beginning.

Having said that, Dufty doesnt look a natural passer, hes certainly a runner.. maybe 5/8 isnt his spot, but if we got it wrong with him at fullback, itll be too late to fix if we dont switch him soon, hes not the freaky talent that you can play anywhere (like a moylan), Dufty needs to work at it, the concentration on his face when hes ball playing.. he needs to practice that.

 

[denis preston]

He can pass but lets have a look at him today more closely.

 

[TheRev]

He can pass but lets have a look at him today more closely.

Ooh had no idea we were televised today from 1:30pm on Fox1, worthy of a post on its own.

 

[dragonsben]

yep we need some attacking spark.

 

[Dragsters]

U20's Half time dogs lead 18-12.

Dragons two tries both from Dufty try assists.

The first one was from a lovely in and away to get outside the defender and throw a nice ball to the try scorer.

Really classy.

The second he chimed into the backline and threw a lovely cutout pass to Thompson with a BMoz type finish in the corner.

Dufty reminds me a lot of a slighter version of aitken. Tough and gritty for a smallish bloke.