It opened the subsequent door for Leilua to make a return to his junior club, one that will see his first game back at Kogarah come up against the Cowboys on Saturday.

The fact he's set a pocket in the vicinity of $900,000 this year in making the immediate switch would play some part in Leilua's insistence there is no bad blood between him and the Cowboys.

Still, how the 27-year-old fares against Cowboys young guns Jeremiah Nanai and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki - the Dragons having been interested in the services of the latter - will be an interesting sub-plot to the showdown.

Leilua knows better than most he'll have a job on his hands directly opposing Nanai, but the Hurstville United product is relishing the battle.

"That'll be good, me and 'Miah' are pretty close," Leilua said.

"I'll try to get one over him, but he's a good young player. He's obviously played rep footy, he's finished learning the game now.

"The potential of him is even higher than where he is right now, so it'll be a good challenge for me.

"Kuli's a young prospect as well, he's a damaging ball runner. I think he's still learning the game, but once he gets past the stage of learning, he will be really good.

"It's the same as Miah, the ceiling of their potential is really high. I rate both of them highly, I'm pretty close with both of them too. It'll be be weird [playing] them to be honest, really weird, but I can't wait."

Leilua has been part of a back-row overhaul at the Dragons, arriving as a recruit alongside the likes of Tom Eisenhuth and Raymond Faitala-Mariner.

The Dolphins have reportedly made Finefeuiaki a top recruitment priority, though Dragons may still be in the hunt.

Leilua welcomed any pursuit of the 20-year-old, but backed the club's current stocks.

"We've got Su'A here too and he's a great back-rower for us, [there's] me, Raymond (Faitala-Mariner)," Leilua said.

"It's up to the club. I don't really know the front office dealings but, definitely, if he's on the market he'd be a great asset to the club.

"I can't really have a say in having him here, but I have confidence in Su'A and Raymond. I think we can do a job on the competition as well."

Leilua admits there will be some "extra motivation" coming up against the Cowboys, but insists there'll be no animosity towards the club he feels made him a better footballer.

"The Cowboys are a family club, they were always really good to me and my family when we went up there," Leilua said.

"There's nothing bad [there] I just had the opportunity to come back home and took it. It was a bit weird, everything happened pretty quick.

"I got shown the door and landed myself here. I've always wanted to be home, the Dragons will always be a home for me.

"I've gained a lot of experience being away. It wasn't such good years at the Tigers, but I learned, individually, how to prepare.

"Obviously going to Cowboys, we were very successful the year I went there. Just the way they approached the game, they're really professional club.

"Bringing that back here to the young boys now, whatever I can do to help them, and what I can do to help the team, is the the most important thing."

Leilua said the Dragons would do well to take a leaf out of the 2022 Cowboys' book after a wildly inconsistent opening fortnight that's seen them touch up the Titans only be on the wrong end of a 38-0 Dolphins ambush last week.

"Obviously coming off a good win in round one, we can't expect that every week," Leilua said.

"You've got to go out there and work for it. It was a good lesson for me and the boys. You've got to want to put your body on the line.

"Winning hurts. That's what I've learned up at the Cowboys. You've got to do it every week, not just one week and then two weeks off.

"We'll be expecting the Cows to do that this week. They're coming off two wins ... but I'm not really fussed about them.

"I just want to get us back into the winning circle and give the fans the first home win for the year."