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Matt Dufty re-signs with Dragons until 2021

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Roar Rookie
18th February, 2019
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The St George Illawarra Dragons have retained Matt Dufty for a further two seasons, after the fullback signed a contract which will see him stay in the Red V until the end of 2021.

It will no doubt be a welcome announcement for Dragons officials, particularly in the wake of Gareth Widdop’s decision to leave the club at the conclusion of the 2019 season. The 23 year-old, who has scored 15 tries in 32 appearances for the Dragons, says that re-signing was a relatively easy decision for him.

“I’m very happy about re-signing for another two years. It wasn’t a difficult decision. The Dragons is somewhere where I think I could play my best footy and where I wanted to stay,” Dufty said.

“I feel like a weight has been lifted. I’ve had it over my head for a while now and I’m glad the positive discussions I’ve had with the club has ended this way.

“I’m really excited for this year to come. I’m not sure where I’ll play but it’s a good headache for Mary (coach Paul McGregor) to have.

“We have all been playing different positions, trying to get our different combinations sorted and with the strike force we have, it’s exciting to see how we all play.”

Dufty’s decision to stay with St George Illawarra comes on the heels of Tariq Sims’ choice to re-sign with the club until the end of the 2022 season. While the departure of Widdop won’t be easy for the team, this no doubt brings assurance to the club’s roster going forward.

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Although he has played the majority of his NRL career at fullback, Dufty will face some tough competition to retain the No. 1 jumper in the form of Corey Norman, who left Parramatta at the end of last season to join St George Illawarra on a three-year deal.

Dragons recruitment boss Ian Millward maintains that the acquisition of Norman wasn’t an issue in regards to Dufty re-signing with the club, and that his place in the team is secure.

“We have been in deep discussions and negotiating with Matt and his agent since last year. He was aware of our discussions with Corey Norman at all times and he knew where his future lied at our club at all times.

“As for this year, we’re really excited by 2019 with the depth and quality of our roster. In regards to what positions everyone plays, that’s up to the coach. [The coach] is excited by not only the spine he has in 2019, but also 2020 and 2021.”

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