Deja vu for Warrington says head coach as Matt Dufty suffers knock on debut
Warrington’s latest recruit Matt Dufty is set for a scan after leaving the field during his debut and the defeat to Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Head coach Daryl Powell confirmed that the full-back will get scan on Monday. He came off just before full-time after struggling with a foot injury.
Dufty, 26, made his first Super League appearance less than a week after flying into the country.
“Matt Dufty will get a scan on Monday,” Powell confirmed. “He was limping about in the second half.
“I thought he looked really sharp, dangerous, you could see what he can do.
“He’s an exciting player, I thought we could have got him a little bit more ball in the first half.”
Meanwhile, half-back George Williams was a late drop out for the visitors with a bad migraine. It meant a reshuffle in the halves, with Stefan Ratchford partnering Peter Mata’utia.
“He [Willians] has issues with it,” Powell explained. “It arises every now and again. He’s on medication but there are times when he can’t get rid of it.
“He pulled out this morning and it forces a reshuffle. We were in a position to win the game so there’s no excuse but, if there is any luck about, it’s bad luck. We aren’t getting any breaks.”
Deja vu for Wire
The 32-22 loss to the Giants marked Warrington’s third straight defeat in Super League. It’s also the third time in recent weeks the side have let a lead slip, having led 22-14 over Huddersfield with 25 minutes left.
The week prior, Powell’s side let a 22-12 lead go against Hull KR to lose 30-22. The Wire also fell to a 24-32 home defeat to Salford, conceding three tries in the final 10 minutes.
The turning point against Huddersfield came mid-way through the second half. Joe Bullock was sent to the sin-bin before the hosts crossed for three tries.
“It’s deja vu,” added Powell. “It’s tough to take. There’s a consistent theme but this was a little bit different with the weight of possession against us.
“It’s a pretty tough period when you get a bloke binned – they had the ball 11 minutes more than us in the game. I thought we did some really good things at times but we have to defend better.”