Dragons coach Anthony Griffin has openly elaborated on why Matt Dufty won't be returning to the Red V next season.
While the fullback is a core member of the Dragons' squad, Griffin told reporters that he's not part of the club's master plan moving forward.
Rumours that the decision was based around off-field behaviour was quickly shot down Griffin.
“Matt’s been here for five years and he’s a really good person. We haven’t got any other issues with Matt other than football-related," Griffin said, per Fox Sports.
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“I want to make that point clear, it’s never been anything off the field that we’ve had a problem (with) since I’ve been here and certainly the people that have been here before me back that up.
“We’ve got to build our list and Matt’s made a really good contribution here over the period he’s been here but come to the chase, we don’t see that going forward on our list.”
While Nicho Hynes' name has been floated around as a potential replacement for Dufty, Griffin told the media that development and youth is paramount and that the club isn't looking for a high-profile player.
“We’ve got some great young kids coming through in Cody Ramsey and (Tyrell) Sloane,” he said.
“We haven’t not offered Matt Dufty a contract so we can go out and offer a heap of money to someone else because we haven’t got a heap of money in next year’s cap.”
The question that needs to be answered now is what's next for Dufty?
A number of clubs are currently looking to lure Hynes in hope of strengthening their fullback stocks, with Dufty seen as the next best option at the No.1.
With several sides in the race for Hynes' signature, those that miss out are likely to turn their attention to the Dragons fullback.