Dragons coach Paul McGregor insists he might only have one chance this year to back up his entire State of Origin quartet as a fired-up James Graham prepares for a reunion with his old Bulldogs teammates.
McGregor has given the nod to Tyson Frizell, Jack de Belin, Paul Vaughan and Ben Hunt to feature for the Dragons against the Bulldogs on Monday, just five days after a brutal Origin opener at the MCG.
Reunion: James Graham will take on former team Canterbury on Monday.
Photo: AAP
St George Illawarra can leap the Panthers into top spot with a win of two points or more at ANZ Stadium, but it's the cramped recovery periods after games two and three of the interstate series which has somewhat forced McGregor's hand.
The Dragons will clash with the cellar-dwelling Eels just four days after the standalone second Origin match on June 24, a shorter recovery time than what McGregor has dealt with this week.
He is also likely to have English pair Gareth Widdop and Graham arriving back in Australia just two days before the Parramatta match, with both in line for selection in the historic Denver Test. The England-New Zealand international will be played on the same weekend as the Sydney Origin.
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McGregor's side then play the Tigers, who are unlikely to have any NSW or Queensland representatives, just four days after the final Origin match in Brisbane next month.
Asked whether his Origin stars would play the Bulldogs, McGregor said: "They're all right to play, absolutely. They've pulled up well.
"It's like a five-day turn from a club game so this is the best opportunity to play them. This week for me, and for the team, is the most important week because we have them here on a five-day turn and they've all pulled up from Origin really well.
"We'll see how it goes through the next couple of weeks and see how they pull up after each game. We've got some things in place because we've got a few things coming up and the turnarounds are a lot tighter."
Both Hunt (cork) and de Belin (hip pointer) carried niggles into their respective Origin camps, but came through NSW's 22-12 win unscathed.
Hunt's Dragons teammates denied they needed to provide a pick-me-up to the Queensland halfback, who appeared in good spirits when he returned to Dragons training on Friday.
"Benny's pretty professional and he'll keep the Origin stuff at Origin and club footy at club footy," fullback Matt Dufty said. "He knows we're still winning and he'll want to come out to prove a point he's still in a great team and he's a great player. He'll be ready to rock'n'roll on Monday."
He won't be the only one though as Graham prepares to face his old club for the first time.
Squeezed out of Canterbury at the end of last season due to the Bulldogs' salary cap woes, a chunk of Graham's wage is still being picked up by the family club.
And he was part of the Bulldogs side which upset the Dragons in the final round of 2017, denying the Red V a finals spot and allowing the Cowboys to go on an improbable march to the grand final.
Asked about Graham's influence on the entire Dragons squad, Dufty said: "Definitely in pre-season there we would run through some sets and we would kick it dead and the boys would go, 'f–k'. He was sprinting back to the 30 [metre line]. Things like that people notice.
I'm sure he's ready to prove a point. He's one of the most competitive people I've ever met
Matt Dufty
"And by the end of pre-season everyone was sprinting back to the 30 after kicking it dead. He's definitely rubbed off on the whole team and none of the forwards want to get left behind when he's out there doing extras. It's good for the team to have someone like that.
"I'm sure he's ready to prove a point. He's one of the most competitive people I've ever met and he'll definitely come out and play one of his best [games]. They got us last year when we were playing for our season. We've got a point to prove [too]."
Adam Pengilly is a Sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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