Disgraced star set to make St George Illawarra debut against Gold Coast.
St George Illawarra coach Steve Price is not ruling out rushing his latest signing Josh Dugan into the starting to take on the Gold Coast Titans this weekend.
The shock announcement comes after the Dragons Dugan a career lifeline by signing the wayward fullback for the rest of the NRL season.
Dugan was earlier this year sacked by the Canberra Raiders for multiple off-field infringements, with the final straw being a drinking sessions captured on social media when he was recovering from an injury.
Calls grew louder for Dugan to be delisted from the NRL when more off-field incidents linked with Dugan surfaced in-between clubs.
However, he has found a home at the Dragons, who needed to fill the fullback place left open by Gerard Beale’s season-ending knee injury, and Price said he could aim his newest weapon at the Titans this weekend.
“We will have our captain’s run tomorrow before we go to the Gold Coast tomorrow and I will make a decision then – I’m not writing it off,” Price said.
“I just have to get a gauge on where Josh is at. He is in a really good head space. He has been training behind the scenes on his own.
“I’ll have a look at him tomorrow and make a decision then.”
Dugan said he was looking to earn a long-term deal at the Dragons and expressed his remorse for his actions since the start of the season.
“It made me realise what I had and what I lost,” Dugan said.
“I didn’t realise how much things were affecting me at the time. Looking back, I’m remorseful of how things went down and appreciative of the opportunity I’ve been given (by the Dragons).”
NRL boss David Smith said Dugan would still be enrolled in the game’s welfare and education program, with his progress to be monitored closely on and off the field.
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