JOSH Dugan will have to complete a contact session on Friday but Dragons coach Paul McGregor is confident of having his superstar fullback at his disposal for Saturday’s clash with Newcastle at Hunter Stadium.
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McGregor said Dugan, who’s made a quick recovery from elbow surgery, would be available for the Knights game following his side’s 20-10 win over Melbourne last week.
Dugan was left off his team sheet on Tuesday but completed a full opposed session with the “starting side” at WIN Stadium on Wednesday and is set to play against the Knights.
“I want him to do a nice tough contact session again on Friday but he got through today fine,” McGregor said.
“It’s been three weeks post-operation now, going into his fourth week. We said it’d be four weeks from the operation to him playing.
“He’s in a really good spot with his elbow but he just hasn’t done contact consistently time after time after time.
“He’s been progressing through his transition to contact so on Friday we’ll let it all out.
“We had a good tough session today for a bout 90 minutes so if he pulls up okay [on Thursday] and gets through Friday he’ll be playing.
“He’s one of our marquee players, one of our big-game players and you need them on the field to be successful.”
Meanwhile, McGregor said he hasn’t spoken to out of favour Roosters half Jackson Hastings who’s been linked to a return to his junior club after Luke Keary slipped through their fingers this week.
Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that Keary was set to reject an approach from the Dragons to link with the Roosters, a move that was confirmed by the club on Wednesday.
Hastings’ contract with the Roosters expires at the end of 2017 but Keary’s impending arrival looks likely to see him squeezed out if he can find a new home.
The Dragons have put negotiations with current halfback Benji Marshall on hold as he looks to return from an ongoing hamstring injury with Gareth Widdop’s halves partner for 2017 far from locked in.
McGregor coached Wests Illawarra to three straight premierships while Hastings was coming through the Devils junior ranks but said he hasn’t spoken to the 20-year-old.
“Jackson left the [Dragons] at a young age to join a club that he thought would benefit him,” McGregor said.
“His dad obviously played there at the Roosters and after two weeks he called that club home so at the moment, no, I haven’t spoken to Jackson.
“Going forward I’m not too sure. We’ve got a recruitment and retention committee that handles that but at this stage I haven’t spoken to Jacko and he’s not on our list."
