Last season may have been the best of Josh Reynolds’ NRL career, but defeat in the grand final still burns inside the combative Canterbury five-eighth.

Reynolds will play his first game since that 30-6 loss to South Sydney in the round one opener against Penrith on Sunday after recovering from off-season shoulder surgery that kept him out of all the Bulldogs’ trial fixtures.

It’s the second successive off-season Reynolds has spent recovering from a shoulder reconstruction and the 24-year-old admits he’s found it hard not to reflect about what went wrong against the dominant Rabbitohs in the October decider.

“I am still devastated about losing that grand final, I don’t take losing well at the best of times,” Reynolds said.

“That is two grand finals now. We have spoken about that as a team and said if it still doesn’t hurt you then you shouldn’t be here.

“You don’t want to be a part of grand final-losing sides. But having said that I was privileged to be part of that first NSW side to win Origin in a long time.

“That was a lifetime goal of mine since I was little kid so it was a great season for me personally.”

Reynolds also farewelled his close friend and mentor Michael Ennis after the grand final with the former Bulldogs skipper moving to Cronulla.

His replacement Michael Lichaa moved in the opposite direction with a huge reputation and Reynolds believes the 21-year-old will prove to be a huge hit in 2015.

Lichaa was peripheral member of a desperate Cronulla side last year after falling out with former stand-in coach Peter Sharp who dropped him after news of his impending move to the Bulldogs broke early last season.

But Reynolds said he has seen nothing to suggest Lichaa is a player with an attitude problem.

“He’s come in here as very much his own man, and with a great attitude.

“Myself, Trent (Hodkinson) and B-Moz (Brett Morris) have really been delving in to the little things we have to do as the spine of the team to help the team fire.

“But he is a great bloke and I can’t wait to see him playing for us. He looks a great little player.”