Brayden Wiliame says the NRL shutdown period has proven a "blessing in disguise" but he can't wait to get back on the field on May 28.
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The Dragons centre and wife Stephanie welcomed the arrival of Kobee Ray in March and Wiliame said he had embraced the chance to spend more time at home.
"I had my baby girl just before round one so it was sort of a blessing in disguise," the 27-year-old said.
"I was able to spend that month off and see her grow because it all happens so fast over that little period. But I'm ready to go again, I'm definitely itching to play again."
I'm ready to go again, I'm definitely itching to play again.
- Brayden Wiliame
Between his family duties, Wiliame has also been training hard during the lockdown period.
"We had to video all of our individual sessions just to prove that we were staying on top of it. It was a bit of a weird one, once we first started it. But once we get used to it, it all flowed pretty nicely," he said.
"One of the young boys, Shaun Sauni-Esau, we did most of our sessions together. It was good to have a partner to put yourself through the tough sessions, because it would be hard to put that volume in by yourself."
Wiliame made his Dragons' debut in their round one loss to the Wests Tigers. It ended a 1288-day NRL drought, having last played for Manly in round 26, 2016.
He also played in round two, where St George Illawarra fell to the Panthers. Wiliame said the NRL had changed a lot since 2016.
"It's a lot faster than I remember," Wiliame said.
"In terms of physicality and that, I'm just getting used to the speed of it again."