The side’s stars have been rewarded for their early-season form, with Tyson Frizell, Jack de Belin, Paul Vaughan and now Tariq Sims selected for NSW and Ben Hunt representing Queensland, but those in blue are confident it won’t spell doom for the Dragons run to the finals. 

Instead, the team’s Blues representatives are firm in the belief they will take the momentum from an Origin series win back to the NRL and lead the side to an even rarer premiership charge. 

“It’s a little bit surreal at the moment,” prop Paul Vaughan said.

“The Origin series win, that was obviously pretty cool, and with the Saints going the way they are, we’re obviously going pretty strong, we’re humming a little bit.

“We weren’t last weekend, we were pretty bad on Thursday. We still got the win though and if all the boys can come back healthy after the representative duties, we’ll give it a fair shake.

“It’s a dream to win a premiership, it’s what you want to do as a young fella, it’s why you play the game and why you put the hard yards in every day for your professional career. If we got a chance to do that, I’d be over the moon.”

Currently sitting atop the NRL ladder, it would take a capitulation of even greater proportions than last year’s epic collapse for the side to miss the finals this season. 

A top-eight finish would mark the side’s first finals appearance since 2015 and just their second since 2011.

With little finals experience to draw on, it’s these opportunities on perhaps rugby league’s biggest stage that will prove vital come the business end of the of the NRL season according to Tyson Frizell.

“This big game experience is really important,” Frizell said. “A few of the boys, even myself, haven’t played too many finals games before and these games give you that taste of what finals footy’s about. 

“Finals footy is very tough footy and Origin gets the boys in good stead to know they can be up for it when the time comes.”

Frizell sat out the Dragons gritty two-point win over the Eels last weekend and he believes it’s the side’s Origin representatives’ responsibility to return to Wollongong following next Wednesday’s match and provide a spark throughout the final eight rounds of the season. 

“We’ll definitely take momentum out of the Origin victory. The confidence the boys have shown and what they can take out of being a part of Origin and being able to play in such a tough and physical game. 

“It’s the hardest game you’ll ever play and to be able to know that you can hold your own and play well, it definitely gives you confidence going back into club footy. We definitely need to pick up the boys through this part of the year and get going for the rest of the season and hopefully the finals series.”

While he has one more Origin assignment ahead of him, Vaughan can’t wait to get back to the Dragons and make a run at the finals. 

“It’s a pretty cool feeling to go back there, sitting on top at the moment,” Vaughan said. “We’re winning games which is really nice. If you ask any of the boys they’ll be stoked to get back there, we’ve built a good culture there and everything’s been going awesome.”