St George Illawarra Dragons will welcome back local junior Dylan Egan this Saturday, almost one year after the young gun sustained a brutal ACL injury in Magic Round in 2025.
Within the lonely stages of rehab, away from the squad and unable to compete in games with his teammates, Egan returned to the same mindset of a childhood dream he cherished.
Honing in on the love he has for the Red V, and the passion he felt when he was six-years-old watching the Dragons lift the premiership trophy in 2010.
The Gerringong Lion junior kept showing up for himself and honoured the rich history of the club as a cornerstone for his return.
"Probably just that six-year-old dream that I had back when I was a kid in 2010 watching the NRL Dragons win the premiership," Egan responded to questions on what drove him for his comeback.
"Like I said before, I always grew up supporting the Dragons and always wanted to be a player myself, and I just can't wait to go out there and put that jersey on again and represent it to the best of my abilities."
Popular among his teammates, Egan returned to NSW Cup last weekend for the Dragons, scoring a double on return in the company of his NRL comrades in the stands.
"Yeah, it's huge. I know there's been a big shift in the culture and that at the club, like a lot of lads are, again, real close, and that's what you want to see," Egan said to media on Wednesday.
"It meant a lot to me and my family, for the lads to be there on the weekend, and I can't wait to go out there with them on the weekend and repay them."
Egan revealed the hardest part of the journey in injury comeback was seeing his Red V teammates not yield on-field results.
Despite the hard work being put in behind the scenes, it brought him discomfort not being able to go out onto the paddock and help the Dragons get their season back on track.
"It's a long and lonely journey in rehab, as a lot of players will know, but a lot of hard work has been put in," Egan added.
"I can't wait to get out there on the weekend and play with the lads.
"Especially seeing the hard work they put in, in the preseason and not to be able to get any rewards from that.
"I know firsthand the effort and blood, sweat, and tears that they put in, and to see him get no reward for that. I can't wait to come back and do whatever I can to try to help them get a win."
It shows what a great competitor Egan is for the Dragons, itching to get out with his teammates after a tough year lay-off.
"Probably watching is probably the toughest part," Egan said.
"I know with my rehab, there's always something I can do. I can come in, I can train harder. I can put in extra time, but for that, where you're almost helpless, and just got to sit down on the sideline and watch. It's probably the hardest part."
This weekend will mark the first time since his SG Ball days that he will share the field with his former Steelers teammates Toby and Ryan Couchman, Hamish Stewart, and himself.
There's no better spot to mark his return alongside the other young guns than on their local soil where the club will celebrate 'Grassroots Round' in Wollongong.
"I try to keep it real simple. It's just another game for me."
"I think we're actually talking just before, that this is probably the first game with the two Couchies, Hamish and I, get to play together since SG Ball.
"So that's really exciting for us, and yeah, I can't wait to just get out there."
Dragons skipper Clint Gutherson was glowing with praise for the young gun they call 'Eagle', highlighting how stoked the Illawarra junior was to be back playing in the top grade.
"It's great. Those long-term injuries, you always see him doing all the hard work behind the scenes and you just want them playing and 'Eagle's' been stoked to be back," Gutherson said.
"He's out of that physio room and rehab room, and he's back with us, and he had a great game the other week in (NSW Cup), and he's excited to be back."
In Egan's eight games last year, he recorded three tries, averaged 68 run metres, and totalled 268 tackles at a tick over 97 percent efficiency.
Recently extended until 2029, it's a strong indication he will be an essential foundation for the Dragons' engine room for many years to come.
The 21-year-old has already drawn similarities to Liam Martin, showcasing high effort and a hard-working attitude from the second row.
Interim head coach Dean Young has struck a good relationship with Egan, with the pair able to be transparent about where he can improve and has instilled confidence in him for his comeback.
"'Deano's' another person that I'm really, really tight with," he said.
"He is someone I can go and talk to, and will tell me upfront what I need to work on and is very straight arrow."
Trademarked as all-effort second rowers, both Young and Egan share the same characteristics despite playing in separate generations in Dragons colours.
"I think Dean probably coaches similarly to how he plays, all effort," he added.
"I know he's happy if you put in 100% effort and things might not go your way, but as long as you put in that effort, then that's all they can ask, and that's what I pride myself as a player."
The Dragons host the formidable task of facing the Newcastle Knights in Wollongong on Saturday afternoon as they search for their first win of their 2026 campaign.
