Josh Dugan plays it safe and earns new-found respect: State of Origin

The little smirk that flashed across Josh Dugan's face said it all. He knew how lucky he was to be even talking to Laurie Daley again - let alone the media throng moments after his NSW recall had been confirmed.

"I haven't been near a bad headline for a while and I pride myself on that now," Dugan murmured when quizzed about the off-field stuff-ups that have slowed to barely a trickle these days.

Daley was said to be filthy with Dugan for skipping a NSW dinner over summer, in which he laid down the law in regards to team culture and standards for this year's series.

That he then went and set Dugan guidelines he had to meet in order to be considered for another Blues recall was a minor miracle in itself. Lesser men would have stamped his papers: "Never to play Origin again".

Let's not forget Daley was the one who stood by Dugan after a night on the tiles with Blake Ferguson hours after the pair were selected for game two last year.

Say what you want about Dugan's performances in games two and three last year - and they were good - his epic off-field one had the biggest impact on the destination of Origin supremacy in 2013.

Don't forget the Blues were already reeling from James Tamou's drink-driving ban in the lead-up anyway. They never really recovered.

So if NSW hadn't been desperately searching for a replacement for an injured Jarryd Hayne, would Daley have stuck by Dugan? Debatable.

But what isn't up for debate is Dugan has used eight of his proverbial nine lives in the Origin arena.

Those that know him best - both at St George Illawarra and inside the NSW Camp - almost speak in hushed tones about his transformation from rebel without any great cause to one who can lead the NSW cause in 2014.

The hushed tones are almost symbolic of not wanting to unbalance the ongoing Dugan balancing act. Keep him on the straight and narrow and he can be anything.

Dugan reckons he "stays away from situations that are going to get me into trouble" now. Ironically, the situation he'll be stuck in on Wednesday night has trouble written all over it: stopping Greg Inglis.

But even a herculean effort at ANZ Stadium that helps NSW wrest the Origin trophy out of Queensland's hands will only be a stepping stone for Dugan.

It will just be the first bump on a road littered with pot holes, which can trip up the game's ultimate enigma at any moment. Pass this test and solving rugby league's Rubik's Cube might be a little easier.