Cronulla's Josh Dugan is confident it will be third time lucky as he attempts to play his 200th NRL match against Parramatta on Sunday.
The 30-year-old admits the champagne to celebrate the milestone has gone flat after his appearances against St George Illawarra and then Brisbane were aborted due to a hamstring injury.
"I'm feeling good so take three, hopefully," Dugan said on Thursday.
"It's worn off a bit cause I had all the hype leading into the Dragons game and didn't get to play it so I think the emotion will probably set in after the match."
Dugan described his journey to 200 games as a "rollercoaster".
He was axed from Canberra, where he made his NRL debut in 2009, after four seasons following a string of off-field incidents while he has also been in the headlines with the Dragons, the NSW Origin team and Sharks for the wrong reasons.
But Dugan said he was a changed man.
"It's chalk and cheese; the person I was to who I am now," he said.
"I'm a big believer in things happening for a reason and learning from those things.
"I wouldn't change the journey I've had - it's been a rollercoaster but it's made me who I am.
"Over the years I've proved I've become a lot more mature, a lot more of a role model."
The former Kangaroos star said in the early days he believed his talent would be enough but now realised there was a lot of extra work required to reach his potential.
He has battled knee and now hamstring injuries but felt he still had more good football in him.
"When I was young I thought talent would get me by and I wasn't as professional as I could have been and that's what hurt me, as I was only averaging 14-15 games a year and last year I played 23," he said,
"I've got a plan that's working for me through the week and when I get out on the field I'm playing pretty well."
Australian Associated Press
