Parramatta say they expect Josh Dugan to make an immediate impact when he returns to the NRL for St George Illawarra against the Eels on Saturday.
Dugan, who signed with the Dragons last week, hasn’t played since round one following his sacking by Canberra in March for a series of discipline breaches.
A remorseful Dugan faced the media last week after putting pen to paper with the joint venture and said he was keen to repay the Dragons for the faith they had shown in him.
Parramatta captain Tim Mannah said his side is wary of what Dugan can add to a Dragons side that has struggled in attack for much of the season so far.
“I don’t think the time away from the game will have done him any harm,” Mannah said on Friday.
“I think he is going to come back and people won’t be able to tell that he has been away.
“I’m not too happy to see him back. I’m happy he is back in the game but it would have been nice if he came back a week later. Everyone knows how good ‘Duges’ is and what he adds to a team.
“So for us, he is really going to be an obstacle and we will really have to do a job on him.”
Dugan returns in Jarryd Hayne’s 150th game for the Eels, with the Parramatta custodian in top form. It will be a good gauge for Dugan – who would have otherwise been a rival with Hayne for the NSW No.1 jersey – to see where he is really at.
Parramatta have bounced back from a humiliating loss to a below-strength Penrith in round seven with two impressive performances – first a tight loss to North Queensland and then a gutsy win over Brisbane.
Mannah said Saturday’s match in Wollongong, against a Dragons side with much to prove, like Dugan, will be another test of Parramatta’s new-found determination.
“We have really shown some resolve in the last two weeks after that embarrassing loss to Penrith,” Mannah said.
“Sometimes, there is only so much the coaching staff can do for you and, after that loss, it was up to us as NRL players to take ownership and responsibility for the performances we were putting together. Those performances are up to the individual and, since then, the attitude has been great.
“The attitude is there and it is something we can really build on for the rest of the season.”