Josh Dugan puts in superb audition for NSW fullback role

Last night Josh Dugan staked an undeniable claim for a return to the NSW State of Origin team as a replacement for Jarryd Hayne.

TEN weeks ago, Josh Dugan's career was on the scrapheap.

Last night, he not only lifted St George Illawarra to a comeback victory over the Knights but staked an undeniable claim for a return to the NSW State of Origin team as a replacement for Jarryd Hayne.

Dugan was outstanding, almost singlehandedly snatching the win from the Knights' grasp with two glorious second-half tries.

"Special players make special plays," Dragons coach Steve Price said. "I thought he was magnificent tonight. He's a winner. He know what it takes to win."

Rival coach Wayne Bennett's thoughts were similar.

"Quality players - that's what they do. That's what they bring," he said.

Dugan himself was not getting too carried away.

"I'm just doing what I need to for the team. I'm putting myself in positions to help the team out and I'm just going to keep doing that," he said.

Asked about Origin, Dugan declared he is ready if he gets the call-up but insisted he was not thinking about it.

"Since I've come back, I'm just focusing on playing good footy for the Dragons and I'm going to keep focusing on that,"he said.

"But if I do get the chance, I want to put my best foot forward and put in 100 per cent for the Blues if I do get picked, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. But I definitely feel like I'm ready."

Dugan revealed he had rehearsed his match-winning try, which came from a scrum win in the final few minutes in which he beat two Knights defenders with a jinking.

"We worked on a few scrum plays during the week," Dugan said.

"It was rehearsed and a few of the boys said 'just take it yourself' and I took it upon myself to just go."

Dugan claimed he was playing good football because the Dragons had made his transition so easy since his sacking by the Raiders.

"It feels like I have been with the club all year and I'm loving every minute of it and loving being around the team and just around the club in general," he said.

It's incredible to think this is the same man photographed drinking on the roof of his Canberra home with Blake Ferguson earlier this year.

If Hayne is ruled out of the NSW side, his replacement looks like being Dugan or Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello.

There was strong support yesterday for Minichiello because of his club combination with NSW halves Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney, knowing he would be a cool head in the cauldron of Suncorp Stadium and he has played in three winning series.

But that was before Dugan's blinder. Hayne suffered a grade-one hamstring tear during Friday night's 38-24 loss to Minichiello's Roosters.

Dugan's game-breaking ability and explosive running are seen as a positive and he could make a fairytale return to Origin after being sacked by the Raiders at the start of the season before picking up the pieces of his career with St George Illawarra.

Cronulla's Michael Gordon, Manly's Brett Stewart and Canberra bolter Reece Robinson are all being looked at as replacements for Hayne.

If selected, Minichiello - at 33 years and 33 days - would become the fourth-oldest NSW player in history, behind John Ferguson (1989, 34 years, 348 days), Brett Kimmorley (2010, 33 years, 253 days) and Glenn Lazarus (1999, 33 years, 166 days). The team will be announced next Sunday.