Dugan is off-contract at the end of the season with Cronulla’s bitter local rivals St George Illawarra. The Sharks have been circling the 27-year-old since losing young star Jack Bird who signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Brisbane. Gallen told the Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday morning that Dugan would be the perfect replacement for Bird.

"I think he would be a massive plus for our club," he said.

"I think he is a great player obviously and he is a good person… I think he can fit in our club really, really well."

The public courting of Dugan by Cronulla will be a worry for Dragons fans after Sharks coach Shane Flanagan did not deny the reports that Cronulla were interested in Dugan when speaking to the media last week.

“He’s an Australian centre at the moment so he’s a quality player. We’ve always said we’re after quality players at our club,” Flanagan said.