McInnes was the highest profile casualty of the NRL Nines, suffering an MCL injury that could keep him out of action for up to 12 weeks. The best case scenario would see him miss half that but he's all but certain to miss the first month of the season.

Any longer would put a huge dent in the Dragons finals hopes, with a draw that sees them take on five of last year's top eight in the opening eight rounds.

The recruitment of Issac Luke was widely questioned over the off-season, but the Kiwi Test veteran now shapes as a key man for coach Paul McGregor.

Norman admitted McInnes is a major loss, but said his side's in a fortunate position with Luke as a back-up.

"How big's that [singing] now, you look at it and go 'how lucky are we'," Norman said.

"Cam's such a competitor and such a big part of this team. It's tough to lose him for maybe a couple of rounds but we've got Isaac Luke there.

"Everyone knows how good he is, he's an international player so we're very lucky to have that back-up."

An early-season injury to departed captain Gareth Widdop saw various reshuffles of the Dragons spine in 2019, with Norman featuring at five-eighth and fullback.

McGregor annointed Zac Lomax as the club's starting No. 1 in November, an effort to bring some certainty and stability to the spine. McInnes' injury throws a spanner in those works but Norman's confident it won't miss a beat with Luke at No. 9.

READ MORE: Skipper set for lengthy stint on the sidelines

"I think he'll go really well with the way he's trained and the input he's had," Norman said.

"He hasn't tried to overplay his hand or do anything extraordinary, he's just done his work and been a really good mentor to a lot of the younger boys.

"Bull and Cam are two different players but we know how he plays, get a quick play-the-ball and get on the back of him.

"He's pretty deceptive around the ruck to so I think our forwards will enjoy some one-on-one footy when he gets them the ball.

"He looks pretty determined so it'll be good to see how he goes."

Utility Joe Lovodua is also a chance to feature in a position in which he's excelled at Test level for Fiji, while the club also signed Rabbitohs rake Billy Brittain - who'll have his first hit-out in Saturday's trial against Newcastle - to a train and trial deal this week.

Luke told NRL.com that he had been eyeing a role as a supersub through preseason but he's ready to step up to fill the void left by his "little brother."

"I feel pretty sad for Cam, he's had an outstanding preseason and we've been pushing each other throughout it," Luke said.

"We both spoke before I came about how we couldn't wait to play with each other. My main focus was on trying to cement a bench spot and at the moment it's still that same focus because when Cam comes back in I'll be trying to cement that spot.

"Joey Lovodua's there to so it's a good chance for the both of us to stamp our mark on the team. We'll be keeping each other accountable and I'm sure Cam will be there to support us.

"I love Cam, he's like my little brother. He's going to be there the whole way and when he gets back on the field he can have his jersey back, I'm not going to stand in his way."

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