St George Illawarra fullback Matt Dufty says his future at the Dragons is unknown and believes he is a "50-50" chance to be at the club next season.
The off-contract incumbent faces an uncertain future at Kogarah for the first time since signing an extension with the Red V in 2019 - a deal that followed just 12 months after he one prior.
Now facing another season unsigned, the 25-year-old has admitted there is a high level of unpredictability as the 2021 season progresses.
Fullback
Tries
Try Assists
All Run Metres
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Dufty said his manager was handling things at the moment but said he doesn't know where his future lies at this point.
โThere are some things in the works, my manager is talking to a few other clubs, so weโll see what happens,โ he said.
โRight now it feels like itโs a 50/50 scenario [whether I stay here].
SEE ALSO:ย Two clubs urged to pursue Parramatta star
โIโd love to be at the Dragons, it feels like weโre building something really good here with the people we have and the squad weโre building.
โIf you look at all the other teamsโ fullbacks, they have a decent fullback there - so if I want to play fullback, the Dragons are my best option.
โI love playing there, itโs my main position. Last year and this year I feel like Iโm starting to cement myself as a fullback in the NRL.โณโฃ
Dufty admitted that the angst of waiting to find out whether the Dragons want him next season or whether he should look elsewhere wasn't easy to deal wit.
โWith every week that goes by, it gets a bit more stressful."
Dufty is not the only Dragon without a deal beyond 2021 with star Corey Norman also without a contract.
SIGNING NEWS:ย Warriors young gun set for move to Sydney club after release
However, Norman is far more relaxed about the potential of a new deal.
โThere are plenty of spots up for grabs and with clubs needing halves. Iโll worry about it when I need to,โ Norman said.
โWhatever will be will be. And I trust Iโll play good enough footy to get a contract. Iโm backing myself.
โEngland is too cold for me. It depends, if I donโt get a club here I might have to look over there. But thatโs not where I want to be at at the minute. Iโll worry about it when the time comes.โณโฃ
For each try he produces , he mostly does enough mistakes to give a couple of tries to the opposition.
I agree the mistakes need to be minimised for a long career. That said, you need points to win matches and more often than not it’s Dufty supplying them either himself with speed or a nice pass to support. I want his defence to improve but he would already be signed if I was running the club. Never let a player go that can come back to haunt you!
Perhaps?
Iโm thinking that the club feels that the mistakes will never stop? Heโs always done them & he isnโt physically able to stop anyone scoring on the try line.
He gave the Warriors two tries in the last game. One directly from a non grounded in goal low kick & one indirectly from a dropped bomb.
It depends on how the club & supporters feel about his real worth I suppose?