Dugan glad to have his spine intact

St George Illawarra fullback Josh Dugan is banking on Benji Marshall's quick recovery from a hamstring injury as the Dragons look to maintain their loosening hold on a finals berth against Penrith this week.

Marshall is undoubtedly the axis on which the Dragons attack spins, with the 30-year-old topping the list in key offensive categories with 25 linebreak assists - second in the NRL behind Broncos halfback Ben Hunt - and 19 try assists.

The Dragons were without Marshall for 65 minutes of their 36-0 victory over the Warriors but his absence was far more telling in Friday's 32-6 loss to the Broncos.

Coach Paul McGregor pulled a surprise in starting interchange forward Jack de Belin at halfback, with young gun Drew Hutchison coming off the bench in the 52nd minute.

It left Gareth Widdop to shoulder the bulk of play-making duties and the Dragons couldn't dent the Broncos line despite enjoying 55 per cent of first-half possession and starting five sets inside the Broncos 20-metre zone.

Dugan is expecting Marshall to be fit for Thursday's clash with Penrith and welcomed the return of the Dragons' first-choice spine.

"A lot of the pressure was put on to Gaz [Widdop] and he handled it as best he could," Dugan said.

"It was just one of those games where we were trying to create things and the Broncos were just too good.

"They're one of the best defensive sides in the comp and I think we were getting frustrated at times at not being able to crack them and started overplaying our hand a bit.

"We trained well all week and did what we had to and had the right preparation. I think we were just blown off the park a little bit and then we were chasing points the whole game.

"I think over the last few games we have lost we've been chasing points and that's not our game.

"We'll watch the video and have a look at it but hopefully Benji will be right this week and we can go back to having our spine there."

With Marshall missing, Dugan was forced into a ball-playing role on the Dragons' right edge but is hoping to return to his role as one of the game's most lethal ball-runners against Penrith.

"I prefer myself to be a ball-runner and it's always good having the two halves to create those opportunities for me," Dugan said.

"Benji's looking like he'll be fit. He did everything he could to be right for last week, it was just a small tear so he was only looking at one or two weeks out anyway. I'm expecting him to play on Thursday.

"'He's massive for us. Him and Gaz work together so well and it helps me out a lot with my lines and where I need to be.

"Jack did a great job stepping in the there for us but he's not a natural half.

"Having Benji back this week will be a big boost for us."