{"id":423222,"date":"2026-01-19T12:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/423222\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T12:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:34:11","slug":"former-dragon-matt-dufty-returning-to-sydney-with-shock-nrl-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/423222\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Dragon Matt Dufty returning to Sydney with shock NRL deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matt Dufty has made a surprise return to Sydney, pushing for a NRL return and joining the South Sydney Rabbitohs<\/a> on a NSW Cup contract after recently parting ways with Warrington as per reports from The NRL Mole on Nine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old fullback\u2019s career looked to be winding down following his release from the Super League club, but he has now started training with the Rabbitohs and is determined to reignite his rugby league career.<\/p>\n

“It’s a NSW Cup contract \u2013 not top 30 or development list,” Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly confirmed, stressing that the deal provides a pathway rather than a guaranteed first-grade spot.<\/p>\n

Dufty is known for his electric footwork and long-range try-scoring ability, having scored 44 tries in 82 games for St George Illawarra from 2017 to 2021, though his defence has often been questioned throughout his career.<\/p>\n

MORE: RLPA slams handling of Zac Lomax contract saga<\/a><\/p>\n

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After a brief stint with the Bulldogs<\/a>, where he played 12 games for one try, Dufty moved overseas to join Warrington and again impressed, scoring 47 tries in 88 games and finishing second in the 2024 Super League Man of Steel voting.<\/p>\n

Warrington, coached by Sam Burgess, released Dufty earlier this month with a year left on his contract, clearing the way for his return to Australia and a chance to reconnect with the NRL.<\/p>\n

The signing gives Dufty the opportunity to showcase his skills again and push for NRL selection, while South Sydney gain added depth and experience in their backline as they prepare for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

It is another astute, value signing for the Rabbitohs who continue to build impressively towards the launch of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matt Dufty has made a surprise return to Sydney, pushing for a NRL return and joining the South…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423223,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-423222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423222"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}