Josh Dugan ready to step up to Origin

[Archie]

Josh Dugan ready to step up to Origin

CANBERRA coach David Furner has no doubt Josh Dugan could have handled State of Origin football last season.

His star fullback's performance in Saturday night's annual NRL All Stars game on the Gold Coast only reinforced the point.

"I have no doubt he can handle it," Furner said.

"You only have to see the week-in, week-out football he was playing last season. I think he's better prepared this season.

"He's better prepared in the sense that he's had that full year. He's got that (extra) size. He had a bit of a taste (of representative football) in that Country game (last year).

"The stepping stone to Origin is that City-Country game. He handled that no problem."

On the back of two outstanding seasons and one scintillating pre-season game -- albeit in which he played alongside Darren Lockyer and Benji Marshall -- Dugan has turned the fight for the NSW No 1 jumper into a three-way contest.

Dugan was a stand-out winner of the Preston Campbell Medal -- awarded to the game's most outstanding player -- after scoring a superb solo try and tormenting the Indigenous All Stars side with each kick-return.

Blues coach Ricky Stuart would surely have taken note.

Incumbent NSW fullback Jarryd Hayne will start the season as favourite while Kurt Gidley remains a contender. But Dugan may swamp them.

Already a handful to control, Dugan is showing the benefits of an off-season in which he packed on 5kg.

"Josh has a natural build," Furner said. "He's a big kid. His father is a big size.

"He's built that body armour he needs to protect himself. He's going to get bigger. He's still got a bit more growing in him."

Fullback is the most competitive position in the NSW side. Outside Hayne and Gidley, Dugan is also jostling with Penrith's Lachlan Coote and Manly's returning star Brett Stewart.

"The selectors look at who's playing well," Furner said.

"Can he (Dugan) handle it? Yes he can.

"It's up to the selectors as to who they want to look at and how they want to play."

Source: The Australian