Matt Dufty return: Veteran shines in Rabbitohs win against Dragons after 1421-day NRL absence
A trip to the emergency ward, an NRL comeback, and a win over the club he debuted for almost a decade earlier: Saturday was a big one for Matt Dufty.
When the 30-year-old stepped onto Accor Stadium on Saturday night, it had been 1421 days since he’d last played in the NRL after spending four years in the English Super League. But it was like he’d never left.
Dufty scored a try and ran 333 metres in the Rabbitohs 30-12 victory against the Dragons. It was the most metres he had ever gained in an NRL match.
“I was a bit nervous this morning, but it wasn’t [due to] playing the Dragons, it was more being back in the NRL,” Dufty said after the match.
“I think I had a lot to work on when I went to England, and I think footy gets easier the older you get. I’ve come back a bit more mature, no need to push every pass. We’ve got so much strike, you realise where you fit into the team and your role.”
Dufty was given a one-year contract with South Sydney’s NSW Cup team for 2026. But when Jye Gray went down with a shoulder injury against the Raiders a week ago, Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett handed Dufty a Rabbitohs debut.
When he packed his bags and left for England in 2022, Dufty didn’t think he’d play in the NRL again.
“I think once you go there, you know it’s hard to come back, even if you’re killing it because the game is getting faster … [and then] you look at some of the fullbacks coming through, and they’re electric,” Dufty said.
“Sometimes, you do need an old head. I was lucky enough, even Jye Gray, he’s young, and he’s quick, and he’s electric. He does everything, he’s brave, so you know I just wanted to come and strengthen the squad because if Jye goes down like he did, then I can just step up and do my job.”
The days before Dufty’s NRL return were anything but relaxing, and hours before the match, Dufty and his wife were in hospital with health concerns for their baby daughter, who had been born a few days earlier.
“We were in emergency this morning, I was going, ‘Oh my God, but it was all good’,” Dufty said.
“It was fine, you know what newborns are like, you just get everything checked. Thank God, she’s all good.”
All good, too, are Dufty and the Rabbitohs seven weeks into the season.
Billie Eder is a sports reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
