Canberra Raiders interest in Matt Dufty goes cold

[Scared Hitless]

I expect him to either tear us to shreds next week and announce he has passed on our offer or play like today after we announce we have signed him for $3.5M over 5 years.

[Seiffert82]

Oh dear.

[gerg]

Red, you need to drop this obsession with driving players backwards, it's just strange.

I'm as strong an advocate as you are for a solid defensive unit, and was with you all throughout 2017-18 when our defence just STANK, but this whole "driving the opposition players backwards" thing that you've clung too recently, well... it's truly bizarre.

What you have done with this meme is inconceivable!

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[Chicka Chicka Chicka]

Anyone else think Don is asking how to recall his email to Dufty’s manager?

[GreenMachine]

The surprising thing for me are some of the reactions in here…
This has been Dufty’s career to date. Hot and cold. Great attack, poor defence….
It as if some of you only followed his performances based on last week…
It’s a risk…one the club should take given we need points.
It WILL come with pain too..

[Rickmando]

How about all the mouth breathers on here dissecting his performance today and panicking… we aren’t basing our signing decision on what he did in this particular 80mins.

The guy is the most speculated-about in the league at the moment… his own club have handled his non-re-signing very awkwardly… I’ll give him a pass that his head might not be right in the game today.

[Hong Kong Raider]

I'm starting to think whether having a $400,000 fullback would really assist us winning the comp. Sure, Dufty can improve, but he's been in FG since 2017. It's not like a CNK when he was signed from reserve grade / not a consistent FG. May be better to find and buy the next Reece Walsh - cheap with warts and all but upside to develop or wait and pay double of Dufty's price to Joey Manu. He, like Hynes, would improve our premiership chances.

[GreenMachine]

Manu is a pipe dream. Chooks have cap room now, so they’ll keep all their stars and possibly add some…

[afgtnk]

The surprising thing for me are some of the reactions in here…

Really?

Hi - welcome to every sports forum on the internet. The place where opinions of someone or something can swing wildly purely on a game to game basis.

[Damoni]

Have to remember the club turned an unknown reserve grade winger into a great defensive fb

I’m guessing the club is backing themselves to do it again

[Rickmando]

The Dufty era is gonna be fun

If some people on The GH have had an obsession with Jarrod Croker’s defence, imagine what it’ll be like with Dufty.

Rightfully so. Croker has been a woeful defender at a position where it is a crucial skill, for an entire decade. It’s at least half the job as a centre, you could argue that’s it more.

Different story at FB - defensive positioning is important, but if you’re expecting them to make bone jarring tackles or have dominant defensive traits as the highlights of their game, you are focusing on the wrong details.

[Green Blogger]

Don’t panic - Dufty is just playing for an early release now!

[GreenMachine]

The surprising thing for me are some of the reactions in here…

Really?

Hi - welcome to every sports forum on the internet. The place where opinions of someone or something can swing wildly purely on a game to game basis.

[Boomercm]

That was, without hyperbole, one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen a fullback put in. I genuinely don’t know what he could have done to be worse it was that bad.

You could say that about the whole Dragons team.
You can’t generate momentum when your forwards are being belted..
That being said, crap performance from him to go with the great performance last week…
Is what it is, we knew this was a gamble…

But why make the gamble?

Surely not jumping the gun into signing whoever is available is not super smart recruiting. I think I'd prefer another season of the reliable CNK and hit the market for 2023 rather than sign a poor defensive player.

We need points.
Our attack and speed in the backline is lacking..
It’s a calculated risk…
Tigers and Eels passed on Papenhyzen for similar reasons… undersized and wasn’t the best defensive fullback..

Yes and they paid reserve grade money for him, and he played in reserve grade until he proved he had earned his spot within their system. If we do that with Dufty, happy days. You lose nothing if he doesn't work out.

[Azza]

We stink

[GreenMachine]

That was, without hyperbole, one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen a fullback put in. I genuinely don’t know what he could have done to be worse it was that bad.

You could say that about the whole Dragons team.
You can’t generate momentum when your forwards are being belted..
That being said, crap performance from him to go with the great performance last week…
Is what it is, we knew this was a gamble…

But why make the gamble?

Surely not jumping the gun into signing whoever is available is not super smart recruiting. I think I'd prefer another season of the reliable CNK and hit the market for 2023 rather than sign a poor defensive player.

We need points.
Our attack and speed in the backline is lacking..
It’s a calculated risk…
Tigers and Eels passed on Papenhyzen for similar reasons… undersized and wasn’t the best defensive fullback..

Yes and they paid reserve grade money for him, and he played in reserve grade until he proved he had earned his spot within their system. If we do that with Dufty, happy days. You lose nothing if he doesn't work out.

We’re not going to be paying overs for Dufty. That’s the point.
He’s hardly a reserve grade winger?
He played rep level juniors (much like Papenhauzyn)…you need to chill out on the performance today. The Dragons stunk and he played like ****… it happens…

[Botman]

A lot of how people should feel about this should come in the detail of the deal

If this is 4 years and 600k a year
We got a problem

If it’s 2 years and 350-400k a year, well that’s a low risk gamble

[Canberra Milk]

The surprising thing for me are some of the reactions in here…

Really?

Hi - welcome to every sports forum on the internet. The place where opinions of someone or something can swing wildly purely on a game to game basis.

And within games! I follow a few EPL teams on facebook. The half-time reactions when a team's losing are hilarious, especially when they turn it around second half

[Rickmando]

A lot of how people should feel about this should come in the detail of the deal

If this is 4 years and 600k a year
We got a problem

If it’s 2 years and 350-400k a year, well that’s a low risk gamble

If you believe the reports, we are only bidding against ourselves. Let’s hope Don understands the concept of leverage (not that he understands many concepts, old Donny, but this ones pretty simple surely)

[Roger Kenworthy]

Seriously though, how are people just realising Dufty is erratic?

[Botman]

Seriously though, how are people just realising Dufty is erratic?

I don’t imagine many people make time in their week to watch the dragons
But yeah anyone who’s watched him is well aware he is a high variance player

[afgtnk]

The surprising thing for me are some of the reactions in here…

Really?

Hi - welcome to every sports forum on the internet. The place where opinions of someone or something can swing wildly purely on a game to game basis.

And within games! I follow a few EPL teams on facebook. The half-time reactions when a team's losing are hilarious, especially when they turn it around second half

Oh we've got nothing on supporters of EPL clubs. That's just a completely different level. Their reactions and attitudes towards officiating too. You would swear every single ref is corrupt and utterly detests their team if you only read their rubbish.

We're a beacon of rationalism and objectivity in comparison.

[SeeBee101]

People really want this guy over CNK?

CNK doesn't do 30m cut-out spiral passes in both directions.

CNK can’t even do a 2 metre pass to his centre…


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[Canberra Milk]

Dufty only sets up tries every second week? As opposed to CNK never setting them up at all? Gee he gets off light from a lot of Raiders fans

[Northern Raider]

Seriously though, how are people just realising Dufty is erratic?

I don’t imagine many people make time in their week to watch the dragons
But yeah anyone who’s watched him is well aware he is a high variance player

That's a fair call. To really get an understanding of Dufty's levels of consistency would require somebody to watch all Dragons games. Not even Dragons fans would do that.

[Azza]

A lot of how people should feel about this should come in the detail of the deal

If this is 4 years and 600k a year
We got a problem

If it’s 2 years and 350-400k a year, well that’s a low risk gamble

If you believe the reports, we are only bidding against ourselves. Let’s hope Don understands the concept of leverage (not that he understands many concepts, old Donny, but this ones pretty simple surely)

[Roy Rover]

Manu is a pipe dream. Chooks have cap room now, so they’ll keep all their stars and possibly add some…

Joe Tapine?

[Johno]

The surprising thing for me are some of the reactions in here…

Really?

Hi - welcome to every sports forum on the internet. The place where opinions of someone or something can swing wildly purely on a game to game basis.

Except for yours

[GreenMachine]

Manu is a pipe dream. Chooks have cap room now, so they’ll keep all their stars and possibly add some…

Joe Tapine?

No chance.

[Beejay]

Dufty will be in Canberra within the month.
Dragons leaked a detailed 6 point breakdown of why Dufty is not a good fullback, which was essentially a personal hit piece on him to make themselves look better after he played well last week.
Then they expect him to perform for them this week?
Not going to disagree that he has ups and downs, but way more to the form today.

[zim]

The way it's shaping he'll improve our chances of making the 8 one way or the other.
That performance today stunk even by his own low tanking standards.
If he gets a release he'll be full of enthusiasm.

[Botman]

Dufty will be in Canberra within the month.
Dragons leaked a detailed 6 point breakdown of why Dufty is not a good fullback, which was essentially a personal hit piece on him to make themselves look better after he played well last week.
Then they expect him to perform for them this week?
Not going to disagree that he has ups and downs, but way more to the form today.

I think that's a pretty solid point
I dont know that you can really expect quality performances from a player in the week where your club has very clearly and obviously orchestrated a hatchet job on mid week

His style of play is extremely high variance but you can probably go and chalk up the low end of that in the week his club and coach throws him so publicly under the bus as a means to try to win over fans on an controversial move.

[greeneyed]

The Boyd Cordner retirement shouldn't free any salary cap. They said on NRL 360 tonight that they have agreed to pay out the full amount of his contract. (Of course, that won't stop the Roosters trying to have it exempted from the cap...)

[Botman]

The Boyd Cordner retirement shouldn't free any salary cap. They said on NRL 360 tonight that they have agreed to pay out the full amount of his contract. (Of course, that won't stop the Roosters trying to have it exempted from the cap...)

This is good news for us.

[RedRaider]

Red, you need to drop this obsession with driving players backwards, it's just strange.

I'm as strong an advocate as you are for a solid defensive unit, and was with you all throughout 2017-18 when our defence just STANK, but this whole "driving the opposition players backwards" thing that you've clung too recently, well... it's truly bizarre.

Happy recent Birthday Nickman. As I've said many times, we all look for different things watching Rugby League. I watch some sides apply defensive pressure on opposition sides and we don't. I watched the Raiders apply such pressure in 2019 and to a lesser extent in 2020. It was based around defensive numbers in tackles and you will not like the expression, but 'driving the ball carrier backwards' particularly early in sets. In 2021 Storm regularly do it, Panthers regularly do it, Chooks regularly do it even with all their injury. Raiders rarely.

There could be many reasons for the Raiders not using this defensive pressure play. Some will argue lack of fitness. Others coaching issues. NRL is a pressure sport and we don't seem able to apply that pressure when we don't have the ball, as we once did.

I trust you are well