Sam Burgess explains trio’s absence in Catalans Dragons win as Matt Dufty update issued
Warrington Wolves' Matt Dufty attempts to get away from Hull FC defenders Amir Bourouh (left) and Cade Cust (right) during a Super League clash in 2025
Warrington boss Sam Burgess has explained the absences of Matt Dufty, Toby King and Paul Vaughan for Thursday’s win against Catalans Dragons: with all three missing for different reasons.
Wire picked up a 30-22 victory following a second half comeback on home soil, with that their first win in four outings having been beaten by Castleford Tigers, Leigh Leopards and Wigan Warriors prior.
When the teamsheets were announced on Thursday night, Stefan Ratchford remained at full-back, with Dufty missing for the second consecutive week following internal disciplinary procedures.
More of a surprise were the absences of King and Vaughan though, and Burgess has now delivered his reasoning.
Sam Burgess explains trio’s absence in Catalans Dragons win as Matt Dufty update issued
Speaking post-match, the Wolves head coach confirmed Vaughan missed out through a minor injury, while King had been dropped on form.
Burgess detailed: “Vaughany’s got a couple of niggles. He had to have some medical treatment, so he couldn’t make this game, but he should be ready to go next week hopefully.
“Kingy was dropped on form.”
Dufty’s absence relates to a missed recovery session following the defeat to Leigh, though that is believed to be the most recent in a number of poor disciplinary actions.
On the full-back, Burgess said: “He’s got to show me he wants to play at this club and play up to our standards. They (Dufty and King) will both play reserve-grade this weekend, and we’ll see if they put a good performance in.
“I love Matt. He’s one of my great friends, but I thought the team were good last week against Wigan in defeat and I thought they deserved to have another go as a group.
“We all know what Matt can bring, he’s a brilliant player, he’s been brilliant at training and he’s handled things really well.
“I think if he gets a good performance out (for the reserves) on Saturday, we’ll more than likely see him back in the side next week.
“I’ve challenged him. He’s a high-profile player, so you guys (the media) are going to ask questions, and that’s also a little bit embarrassing for him.
“But it’s part of his development. There’s no one that believes in Matt Dufty more than me.
“I think he’s a wonderful player, but we have a couple of standards here and he’s just missed them. It’s where we’re going as a club, we’re going forward and changing a few things.”
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