Widnes Vikings boss confirms failed Matt Dufty approach as transfer admission made

Widnes boss Allan Coleman has confirmed the Vikings were ‘deadly serious’ in their efforts to sign Matt Dufty before the full-back opted to return Down Under.

Australian ace Dufty arrived in the UK with Widnes’ local rivals Warrington Wolves midway through the 2022 campaign and remained with the Super League side until the end of last season.

Having fallen out of favour at the Halliwell Jones Stadium following internal disciplinary issues towards the end of 2025, Dufty lost the #1 shirt ahead of 2026 and his exit from Warrington was on the cards for a number of weeks before it was confirmed.

Championship outfit Widnes were among the clubs chasing Dufty’s signature, but he ultimately chose to return to Australia having come to an agreement to cut his Wire contract short.

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Widnes Vikings boss confirms failed Matt Dufty approach as transfer admission made

Just over a week out from their Championship opener away against title favourites London Broncos, Widnes travelled to Warrington on Friday night for the pair’s annual pre-season friendly, losing out 50-12.

Speaking to the media – including LoveRugbyLeague – at the HJ after that friendly, Coleman shed light on the club’s involvement in the Dufty saga, which came to an end earlier this week.

The Vikings head coach detailed: ” We certainly had a good conversation.

“We expressed our interest, we met Matt and spoke with him, and he was a great guy.

“He had a big decision to make, I know his partner’s pregnant and she’s in Australia, so he chose what was right for him and his family, which we fully understand.

“But we were deadly serious and we were keen to bring him in.

“I just think if you get a superstar like that in the Championship, we’ve all seen what he’s done in Super League, so he’d certainly have been a massive plus for us to have as a club.”

It would appear that Widnes are not done with their recruitment for 2026 just yet though, with a full-back still on the agenda for Coleman.

He explained: “The board have been brilliant with me. We’ve spent well, we’re just more consistent and that will bring results, but we still need that X-factor.

“The club has openly said (to me) that if you see somebody, we’ll back you, so that’s pleasing for me as a coach.

“We’re speaking with somebody at the moment, one in particular who we’re trying to get over the line, we’ll hopefully have a decision on that over the weekend.

“We thought we’d have had it tonight and before the game we could have announced something, but unfortunately not.

“We’re not that club anymore where if we lose someone, we’ll just get by. We can’t afford to be like that, we need to bring some competition in.

“It’s got to be quality and whoever we bring in will certainly be a quality addition for us.”