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Right on and welcome to the forum ....
Pretty fair assessment & welcome to the mad house.
I’m here because I care
Intelligent post mate and agree with your assessment on Duff. I’ve always been a fan despite his deficiencies and I don’t think we’ve seen his best yet.
I look at it this way , if Dufty makes a mistake and opposition score ( his mistakes are getting less ) , but he scores and sets up tries because without him no does much ..... Its about out scoring the opposition , so I'm all for him ..... He will only get better as time goes on and our team gets stronger , don't forget we are a bottom 8 team at the moment .....
Pretty sad the peanut couldn’t be bothered utilising his passing and shortDufty a triple threat for rebuilt Dragons
Matt Dufty is relishing the extra freedom he has been afforded as St George Illawarra's No.1.
Matt Dufty will tell you he's always been able to pass.
It's just that St George Illawarra's structure never quite allowed the lightning-fast fullback to show it in the NRL until now.
Carving out a reputation as an out-and-out speedster on his NRL arrival, the Dragons No.1 is now showing there's more to his game since being reinstated at the back midway through the season.
Getting the ball earlier and in space is allowing the 24-year-old to do things like his three-man cut-out pass on Friday night to set up Mikaele Ravalawa in their 28-24 defeat of Brisbane.
"I love being in that situation; it brings out all three options because you can run, pass or kick," Dufty said of his increased ball-playing duties.
"Everyone always did video on my running game and in the NRL once you're doing something well it gets shut down pretty quick.
"When I got put back into the team we changed it around to footy that suits me.
"I've always been able to pass, it just hasn't been in our attacking structure as much."
The win was the Dragons' second straight after their impressive defeat of Parramatta last week but at 6-9, and still two wins outside the top eight, they are at long odds to play finals.
Stand-in coach Dean Young said that wasn't the side's driving force, though.
"I want to know what we're going to get from the Dragons every week .. at the moment we don't and that's the truth of it," he said.
"We are a long, long way off from being as good as the top sides and I've told them that."
Meanwhile, the Dragons will wait on news regarding Korbin Sims' fitness after the forward limped off with an apparent calf injury in the final stages of Friday's game.
Australian Associated Press
https://www.theleader.com.au/story/6890681/dufty-a-triple-threat-for-rebuilt-dragons/?cs=13068
Dufty credits ‘life coach’ Clune with new outlook on league
Phil Lutton
August 22, 2020 — 2.48pm
Matt Dufty has credited his "life coach" Adam Clune with helping him to embrace a more professional approach to his career as he continues to impress in the Dragons' No.1 jumper.
It is this season the 24-year-old believes he has finally actioned the advice of coaches, past and present, who said he had to take extra care with the finer details of preparation and recovery if he wanted to be taken seriously as a top-line NRL player.
The results have been there for everybody to see.
And Dufty himself feels he is bringing far more energy to the game, as he takes a central role for a St George-Illawarra side that has won back-to-back games and continues to dream of finding a way into the top eight by the end of the season.
A central character has been Dragons halfback Clune, who has been constantly driving and pushing Dufty since they were teammates in the club's under-20 side. Dufty has appreciated every shove in the right direction.
"As a kid, I always overlooked it a bit – I just thought I'd go out and play some footy," Dufty said. "Last year was a roller-coaster season for me. I probably wasn't training as well as I could have and came into [this] pre-season with a real focus to try and be more professional.
Matt Dufty's increased attention to his match preparation and recovery has shown on the field.Credit:Getty Images
"After I broke my cheekbone at the nines, recovery was something to work on. It's been a big step to me playing consistent footy. I've got more energy, I'm around the ball more, I'm a better support player. It's just a better mindset knowing I've done everything possible during the week.
"Cluney has always been the ultimate professional: he watches a lot of video, he does all the recovery, he doesn't miss anything. In 20s he always tried to pull me along to do that stuff so having him there in pre-season really brought the best out in me.
"He's like a bit of a life coach for me; he doesn't let me get away with anything, which is good. I respect him and appreciate him."
Dufty's game has also been elevated by a shift in the Dragons' attacking structure. While it used to revolve around a big, running fullback, Dufty has been given added space and time to make key decisions in their back-line shifts.
That means the ability to not just run, but showcase his passing game, which came to the fore in Friday night's win over the Broncos when he floated a supreme cut-out that hit winger Mika Ravalawa flush on the chest, before he stampeded over the line and scored in the corner.
"I love being in that situation, it brings out all three options [pass, kick, run]," Dufty said. "My evolution as a first-grader – everyone always did video of my running game, which can get shut down pretty quickly.
"The Dragons always had an attacking structure with a big fullback. When Flanno [Shane Flanagan] took over the attack halfway through the year when I got put back into the team, we kind of changed it around to footy that suits me. I've always been able to pass, it just hasn't been in our attacking structure as much."
The signs are getting better for the Dragons, even if the top eight looks a genuine Hail Mary given some of the difficult assignments on their run home, which include the Raiders, Knights and Storm. With their spine all contracted for next season, Dufty wants a front seat for any resurgence.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/re...credits-life-coach-clune-20200822-p55oa7.html
Agree , without him don't have much attack , even with his mistakes .... And on that , I haven't seen Latrell from South's setting the world on fire at fullback , what I have seen is a lot of errors from him , but no one seems to bag him ..... Dufty and Latrell have same try assists , and Duff more tries ....
The Duff man is always going to cop for his size. The fact that he gets rag dolled a bit and Latrell doesn't will probably always count against him in the eyes of many as skills may be seen as something that can improve over time but lack of size cant really be overcome. Im not in that camp but I do feel like this is the reason, also this is the reason people talk about him moving to 5/8 because they still want him in the side somewhere.
For me he needs to stop surrendering bringing the ball back , that's when he gets rag dolled , he needs to run with oomph , so the opposition have to make a tackle ....
