NRL team news: Will Chambers to make Sharks debut against Storm, Josh Dugan axed

As Will Chambers prepares to reignite his NRL career after 18 months out of the game, the man he replaced, Josh Dugan, now faces a real uphill battle to land a new contract at the Sharks.

Cronulla centre Will Chambers (R) will replace Josh Dugan (L) against the Storm.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy was the man who convinced Will Chambers to rekindle his NRL career at the Sharks.

Now the former Test and Queensland Origin centre is planning to repay his mentor and “father figure” in the worst possible way.

In a shock move just nine days after joining Cronulla on a $100,000 deal, Chambers is set for a storybook comeback to the NRL against former club, the Melbourne Storm, by making his debut for the club he once loved to hate.

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Cronulla centre Will Chambers (R) will replace Josh Dugan (L) against the Storm.

Eighty-three weeks since his last NRL match, Chambers, 32, has been chosen at centre ahead of Josh Dugan by caretaker Sharks coach Josh Hannay.

A renowned straight-shooter, Hannay has pulled the trigger on Dugan just two matches into his role after the veteran centre produced two poor defensive reads which led to tries in Cronulla’s loss against the Bulldogs last weekend.

It is uncharted territory for the off-contract Dugan, a former Test and NSW Origin representative, with Hannay’s decision the first time the centre has been overlooked due to form during his four-year tenure at Cronulla.

Without a contract for next season, the decision also leaves Dugan’s future at the club in jeopardy.

A life member of the Storm, Chambers only arrived at the Sharks nine days ago on a contract for the rest of the season. Chambers sounded out Bellamy earlier this year when he was deciding where to launch his career revival.

Bellamy — through his own negotiations with the Sharks about a coaching role — told Chambers he was aware of the direction that Cronulla were headed and that his style would be suited to the Shire outfit.

Chambers has been living in the spare bedroom of Sharks captain Wade Graham as he awaits the arrival of his family from Melbourne to Sydney.

While far from being at peak fitness, the World Cup winner has impressed Cronulla’s coaching staff and his teammates with his ruthless attitude towards training and his noted “Storm character traits” from the moment he walked through the gates at Shark Park.

Josh Dugan has paid the price for a poor game against the Bulldogs.

In a bid to shake-off any cobwebs, Chambers produced a solid performance in the NSW Cup for the Newtown Jets last weekend.

“His talk was great, he set up a try for his winger, but just his whole influence on the group, he had the boys on the edge of their seat listening to him,‘’ Jets coach Greg Matterson said.

“He commands an audience with the way he told the boys to ‘come with me’.”

Chambers was once a despised rival for many Sharks players, notably former captain Paul Gallen.

The arch rivals almost came to blows after trading explosive words prior to the 2016 grand final between Melbourne and the Sharks.

It took a phone call from Gallen to Chambers to smooth any issues between the pair before the two-time premiership winner decided to proceed with a move to the Sharks.

Will Chambers scuffles with Paul Gallen in 2018. Picture: Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

“I want to get stuck into other sides now, I want that fierce rivalry with other teams and I’m excited about pulling on the Sharks jersey,’’ Chamber told the Sharks last week.

“I’ve been lucky enough to play in a special system at Melbourne and I’d like to bring some of that up here to Cronulla.”

Chambers scored 82 tries in 215 games for the Storm and his last NRL match was on the wing in Melbourne’s 2019 preliminary final loss to the Roosters.

He moved to Japanese rugby at the end of the 2019 NRL season.

Dugan has been included in the Sharks 21-man squad and is likely to travel to Melbourne for the Friday night clash, but it’s anticipated his only hope of being used if there is a late-injury.

Graham also makes his return against the Storm after a two-week stint on the sidelines following a head knock.

Originally published as NRL team news: Will Chambers to make Sharks debut against Storm, Josh Dugan axed