Matt Duffie

For the baseball player, see Matt Duffy.
Matt Duffie
Duffie while playing for Melbourne in 2010
Personal information
Full name Matthew Duffie
Born 16 August 1990
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Height 192 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 97 kg (15 st 4 lb)
Playing information
Position Wing, Centre, Fullback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2010– Melbourne Storm 53 33 1 0 134
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
2011 New Zealand 1 1 0 0 4
Source: NRL Stats

Matthew Duffie (born 16 August 1990) is a professional rugby league footballer for the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League (NRL). He was a part of the Melbourne Storm Under 20's Premiership winning team in 2009, scoring 25 tries. On 1 May Duffie was selected for the New Zealand Kiwis for the 2011 ANZAC Test.

Early life

Duffie attended Saint Kentigern College in Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand, where he was a part of the school's First XV, playing at fullback.[1][2] He also excelled at athletics, making the national finals of the 200 m, 400 m and high jump. He graduated his final year in 2008.

In his younger years, he played for junior clubs the Kaiapoi Bulldogs and the Pakuranga Jaguars.[3] He is the first Kaiapoi (now Northern) Bulldogs junior to be selected for the New Zealand Kiwis.[4]

As a 16 year old Duffie also played senior Australian rules football earning selection in the New Zealand national team, after which he was invited to an Australian Football League training camp.[5]

Rugby league career

Melbourne Storm scout Darren Bell discovered Duffie playing rugby union and offered him a scholarship. He moved to Melbourne at the end of 2008 and developed rapidly in their professional program.[3]

Duffie made his first-team debut against Harlequins RL at the Twickenham Stoop in the World City Challenge in 2010.[6]

He scored two tries in his NRL debut in round seven of the 2010 season.[7] and ended the year with a tally of 8 from 14 games played.[8] In the same year, he was named the Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year.[9]

Duffie played a major part in the Storm's comeback in 2011 scoring 12 tries in his 18 games played.[8] He underwent shoulder reconstruction surgery in October of that year.[10]

In April 2011, Duffie signed a three-year extension to his contract with the Storm, taking him to the end of the 2014 season.[11]

In 2012, he scored 10 tries in the 17 games he played.[12] In the Storm's round 19 match against the North Queensland Cowboys, he suffered another shoulder dislocation injury, to the same shoulder (left) as in 2011.[13] This caused him to miss out on Melbourne's 2012 Grand Final win.

After returning from his shoulder reconstruction, Duffie played the opening four games for the Storm during the 2013 season. He started the year scoring three tries, including a double against the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.[14] Following this, Duffie tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and re-injured his right shoulder whilst playing for the Cronulla Sharks in round 5 of the New South Wales Cup competition. This injury ended his 2013 season.[15]

Duffie returned to the lineup in 2014 playing in Melbourne's opening trial against the Canberra Raiders. He went to New Zealand and played in the NRL Auckland Nines competition, where he played in all three of the Storm's games. On 19 February, Duffie collided with a teammate during a training session and injured the same knee from 2013, rupturing his left anterior cruciate ligament. This caused him to miss the entire 2014 season.[16] In late September 2014, he signed a one-year extension contract to the Storm, seeing him through to the end of 2015.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "League: It's Storm all the way for talented teen". The New Zealand Herald. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Auckland Rugby Union – News Article". Aucklandrugby.co.nz. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.melbournestorm.com.au/default.aspx?s=player-profile-display&id=312
  4. ↑ Tony Smith and Steve Kilgallon (2 May 2011). "Canterbury league club hails first Kiwis rep". The Press. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Russell Gould (21 June 2010). "Matt Duffie to stay loyal to NRL | thetelegraph.com.au". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Muddy Storm thrills the Stoop as champions prove their class". Quins. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  7. ↑ "League: Storm 40 Warriors 6". The New Zealand Herald. 25 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Rugby League Tables / Matthew Duffie". rleague.com. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  9. ↑ melbournestorm.com.au. "NRL Honour Board". Club. Melbourne Storm.
  10. ↑ "Melbourne Storm winger Matt Duffie likely to have surgery at seasons end". Daily Telegraph (Australia). 16 July 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Duffie signs a new deal with Storm". Zerotackle. 17 April 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Player Profile Matt Duffie". NRL.com. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "Melbourne Storm winger Matt Duffie out of finals with shoulder injury". Herald Sun. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  14. ↑ "2013 Season Review: Matt Duffie". melbournestorm.com.au. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  15. ↑ "Duffie suffers season-ending ACL tear in comeback". ABC News. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  16. ↑ "Matt Duffie to miss 2014 NRL after rupturing ACL at Melbourne Storm training". ABC News. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  17. ↑ Melbourne Storm. "Matt Duffie re-signs with Storm". leagueunlimited.com. Retrieved 23 April 2015.

External links