Wayne Bennett wants Matt Dufty to play his natural game and not use his axing by St George Illawarra as extra motivation when he plays his first NRL game in 1420 days.
The NRL gave South Sydney an exemption to promote Dufty to the first-grade squad after Jye Gray was ruled out for up to a month with an AC joint injury.
Latrell Mitchell was an option to fill at No.1, but he spent no time training in the physically demanding position over summer, and it would have forced a reshuffle to the back line where there are few fit alternatives available.
Dufty returned home from the Super League at the end of last year to be close to family, with his partner expecting a baby.
The 30-year-old started his career at the Dragons, but struggled to retain his fullback spot and was regularly criticised for his defence. At one stage he fell behind Jack Bird and Tyrell Sloan in the No.1 pecking order and was released by the club at the end of the 2021 season.
Dufty was also not close to former coach Anthony Griffin, and when asked to describe their relationship, told this masthead at the time: “I don’t know. Difficult? Maybe. The funny thing is when we don’t talk about footy we get along.”
After a one-year stint with Canterbury, Dufty packed his bags for the north of England to join Warrington.
Dufty signed a NSW Cup deal with Souths in the new year, and has been a standout in the early rounds, scoring a hat-trick against Canterbury on Good Friday.
“I think he’s pretty pleased with himself,” Souths coach Wayne Bennett said on Tuesday. “He came back, nobody wanted him, he was trying to get a club, he turned up here, he was friends with [assistant coach] Ben Hornby, and we thought he could be good for us.
“He’s been playing really well. Reserve grade is a pretty high standard. He’s really fit, he’s trained well, so [first grade] won’t be an issue.
“He also played with us in the trials and went well. He’s energetic. He’s good.”
Halfback Jamie Humphreys smiled and said Bennett had produced a coaching masterstroke by unleashing Dufty against his old club, who remain winless this season, on Saturday evening at Accor Stadium.
“Wayne is always four steps ahead of anyone – he knows what he’s doing,” Humphreys said. “I’m sure it will mean a little more to him to come up against them this week.”
When asked about Dufty having a point to prove against the Dragons, Bennett said: “I don’t think he’s trying to be motivated by that – I don’t want him to be motivated by that.
“That’s all over and long gone. That won’t help him if he thinks he’s going to play well getting [motivated] by that.”
Humphries said Dufty still had excellent speed, and in some respects Souths were getting a like-for-like replacement for Gray.
“He’s been killing it in the NSW Cup – he’s lightning, and so similar to Jye in the way he plays,” Humphreys said.
“He has really good ball skills as well. He’s great with the three-on-two [scenario]. It will be up to me and Cody [Walker] to make that space for him, and hopefully he can ice those opportunities.”
Meanwhile, Humphreys said he wanted to string a few more games together before sorting out his future beyond this year.
He has been linked to the new Perth Bears team, but the 24-year-old is enjoying his time at Souths and playing under Bennett.
