Dufty for fullback

[dragoncountry]

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....

 

[Forster Dragon]

Totally agree and this is a good longer term plan.just look at the Sharks speed of youth experience and power

 

[Slippery Morris]

Totally agree. Didn't Valentine Holmes play fullback last year 1st year and killed it? Saints just take too many precautions when it comes to selection and blooding juniors and it ends up biting them in the ass. Dufty will leave the red V in similar situations as Bird and Hastings did. Because they never got a go in first grade.

 

[coast_dragons]

Bird left as he was told he may have to wait for an oppurtunity and well he got one early on with the Sharks and good luck to him.

Hastings never wanted to stay he made that very clear and that got up the nose of several team mates in the under 20's plus he wasn't well liked.

Dufty should be at the very least be given a chance to show what he can do yes and at the time Dugan is out its a perfect time.

Moving Nighty back to fullback screams of safeness.

I guess the thing to is if he has a shocker just like Mann will he get crucified and the answer would be yes.

 

[Old Timer]

Bird left as he was told he may have to wait for an oppurtunity and well he got one early on with the Sharks and good luck to him.

Hastings never wanted to stay he made that very clear and that got up the nose of several team mates in the under 20's plus he wasn't well liked.

Dufty should be at the very least be given a chance to show what he can do yes and at the time Dugan is out its a perfect time.

Moving Nighty back to fullback screams of safeness.

I guess the thing to is if he has a shocker just like Mann will he get crucified and the answer would be yes.

Quinlan should never have been re-signed and Dufty should have played Cutters.

At least then you would have some idea if his body can handle the bigger work load.

So the trouble now is the Cutters are in the top 4 so Dufty no chance to force his way in.

The NRL side is hovering around the top 8 so no way they will risk an upcoming player.

All the depth signings everyone applauds are the very reason why our juniors leave.

 

[Jubileeboy]

Quinlan should never have been re-signed and Dufty should have played Cutters.

At least then you would have some idea if his body can handle the bigger work load.

So the trouble now is the Cutters are in the top 4 so Dufty no chance to force his way in.

The NRL side is hovering around the top 8 so no way they will risk an upcoming player.

All the depth signings everyone applauds are the very reason why our juniors leave.

Injuries aside,I thought Quinlan is a depth signing on minimum wage anyway?
Play Dufty in a year ?

 

[pjljmjjj]

Quinlan should never have been re-signed and Dufty should have played Cutters.

At least then you would have some idea if his body can handle the bigger work load.

So the trouble now is the Cutters are in the top 4 so Dufty no chance to force his way in.

The NRL side is hovering around the top 8 so no way they will risk an upcoming player.

All the depth signings everyone applauds are the very reason why our juniors leave.

Totally agree. Every chance Dufty will be another junior gone to greener pastures where he is given a chance and show up the dull and boring attitude of Macregor and recruitment staff and their luck of foresight.

 

[ONPOINT]

Gonna call this one early. Dufty will never be a regular first grader anywhere he goes. Happy to be proven wrong

 

[Simon]

Blooding youngsters in first grade in tough, most don't make it. I believe most need to spend some time in reserve grade not the under 20's. Dufty is extremely small and probably needs to put some weight on before he plays against men. Not saying he won't make it at some stage but I'd suggest he's a while away from the NRL.

A lot of people on here like to suggest playing youngsters. The Knights are in this position and I for one don't want to see us in their shoes. Youngsters need to be blooded at the right time for them and the team.

 

[FlameThrower]

Ben Barba, Billy Slater, Matt Bowen,,,small and fast fullbacks, Even Moylan is on the small side?

 

[pjljmjjj]

Blooding youngsters in first grade in tough, most don't make it. I believe most need to spend some time in reserve grade not the under 20's. Dufty is extremely small and probably needs to put some weight on before he plays against men. Not saying he won't make it at some stage but I'd suggest he's a while away from the NRL.

A lot of people on here like to suggest playing youngsters. The Knights are in this position and I for one don't want to see us in their shoes. Youngsters need to be blooded at the right time for them and the team.

Yes Dufty maybe small but no smaller than Barba, slater, holmes, etc at same age. I am not saying he will be as good as them but how the hell will we know if he is not given a chance. Ideally he should have been given a go at Cutters this year but because of one reason only - the Doust / Quinlan connection he has not and from my understanding he wont because family comes first !!!!

 

[BennyV]

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.

Gonna call this one early. Dufty will never be a regular first grader anywhere he goes. Happy to be proven wrong

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.

Yes Dufty maybe small but no smaller than Barba, slater, holmes, etc at same age. I am not saying he will be as good as them but how the hell will we know if he is not given a chance. Ideally he should have been given a go at Cutters this year but because of one reason only - the Doust / Quinlan connection he has not and from my understanding he wont because family comes first !!!!

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.

 

[Old Timer]

Injuries aside,I thought Quinlan is a depth signing on minimum wage anyway?
Play Dufty in a year ?

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.

 

[Dragonslayer]

If Dufty really, really wants to play fullback then where will he go to play that position?
Let's look at the other teams fullback stocks.

Broncos - Darius Boyd: at least 2 more years in Boyd IMO.......so No
Cowboys - Coote: Just signed for 3 years and have Hughes, Galea-Mosby and Ponga.......so No
Dogs - Hopoate: signed as a marquee player on big money......so No
Raiders - Wighton: already played City/Country and Indig All stars, also have Zac Santo......so No
Sharks - Barba: enjoying his best season and have Holmes and Bird.......so No
Titans - Zillman: goes ok, have Hoffman and Mead as well as Davis.............so Possibly
Manly - Stewart: nearing end of his career but Trbojevic will replace him........so No
Storm - Munster: (not forgetting Slater) is a gun...............so No
Knights - Anybody: .........so Good Possibility (but jeez to go there would be a risk)
Eels - Gordon: safe and goal kicker, also have Gutherson and Moss........so No
Panthers - Moylan: SOO player this year..........so No
Souths - Walker: new to position but also have Johnson.....................so No
Roosters - Mitchell: unlikely to replace 1 rookie with another................so No
Warriors - Lolohea: exciting player and young..................so No
Tigers - Tedesco: arguably the form fullback of the comp.................so No

So, besides the Knights and possibly the Titans, where would the kid go. I hope the recruitment team are making these points to him, and creating a pathway so he can see where he best fits in to the Dragons ambitions going forward.

 

[BennyV]

If Dufty really, really wants to play fullback then where will he go to play that position?
Let's look at the other teams fullback stocks.

Broncos - Darius Boyd: at least 2 more years in Boyd IMO.......so No
Cowboys - Coote: Just signed for 3 years and have Hughes, Galea-Mosby and Ponga.......so No
Dogs - Hopoate: signed as a marquee player on big money......so No
Raiders - Wighton: already played City/Country and Indig All stars, also have Zac Santo......so No
Sharks - Barba: enjoying his best season and have Holmes and Bird.......so No
Titans - Zillman: goes ok, have Hoffman and Mead as well as Davis.............so Possibly
Manly - Stewart: nearing end of his career but Trbojevic will replace him........so No
Storm - Munster: (not forgetting Slater) is a gun...............so No
Knights - Anybody: .........so Good Possibility (but jeez to go there would be a risk)
Eels - Gordon: safe and goal kicker, also have Gutherson and Moss........so No
Panthers - Moylan: SOO player this year..........so No
Souths - Walker: new to position but also have Johnson.....................so No
Roosters - Mitchell: unlikely to replace 1 rookie with another................so No
Warriors - Lolohea: exciting player and young..................so No
Tigers - Tedesco: arguably the form fullback of the comp.................so No

So, besides the Knights and possibly the Titans, where would the kid go. I hope the recruitment team are making these points to him, and creating a pathway so he can see where he best fits in to the Dragons ambitions going forward.

Basically any/all of those places who you've listed with 1 fullback would be an option. He's not ready for first grade yet, but a junior with talent and drive to be nurtured would be a great first choice backup for a club with a view to build for the future.

We don't seem to have that!

 

[2010]

He at least needs a chance in FG, even off the bench, otherwise he will go

 

[TheRev]

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.

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.

 

[coast_dragons]

When Hutchison had been thrown into first grade his halves partner done sfa to help him he needed some guidance and got none.

I have zero faith in having a young half play along side Marshall or Widdop as they have zero idea how to control a game or lead the team they are both shit.

Throw in a coach like Mary who doesn't instill any faith and quick to drop players ie Mann if he has one bad game then your doomed to fail.

Playing JDB at 7 showed what a complete turd of a coach he truly is and he has actually made players worse.

 

[mobels]

Dufty reaks of Evander Cummins, someone that everyone hyped up to be the next fullback superstar but he was ultimately way to small and light to make it in first grade. And just remember Dufty isn't even dominating in the under 20/s like Cummins and Quinlan did at his age.

Ultimately I hope he proves me wrong and becomes a serviceable first grade player however i'm not going to be jumping on to his hype train yet.

 

[coast_dragons]

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

Evanders issue was his shit atttitude.