Star Newcastle forward Dylan Lucas has paid tribute to his late coach Scott Dureau for helping to kickstart his career after he was unwanted at the Dragons.
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Lucas made a shock return in last weekend’s elimination final win over the Warriors in Auckland, from what was initially thought to be a season-ending fractured and dislocated ankle suffered in round 21 against the Roosters.
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It caps a stunning season for Lucas, who will play in his side’s preliminary final against Penrith on Sunday.
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The 26-year-old also made his Origin debut for NSW this year.
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The Albion Park Eagles junior came through the Illawarra Steelers system, but as a five-eighth he wasn’t deemed a Dragons NRL prospect.
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“When I was down there at the Steelers, they just weren’t that keen on me,” Lucas said.
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Undeterred, he shifted to Newcastle to chase his dream, where Dureau was one of his first coaches.
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Dureau was a former Knight, filling the famous No.7 jersey after the retirement of Andrew Johns.
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When his playing career finished - he made 42 first-grade appearances for Newcastle and 97 for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League - Dureau returned to the Hunter in coaching/development roles.
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For 13 years, Dureau struggled with cancer, succumbing in July at the age of 39.
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A respected member of the Newcastle community, Dureau first crossed paths with Lucas at Jersey Flegg level.
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“Scotty was one of my first coaches when I got here in the under-20s,” Lucas said.
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“He had an impact on my time here, and then he was with the full-time squad when I first started training full-time as well.
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Scotty was a great man, and he had a fair bit to do with me when I first got here.
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Then I had a year at South Newcastle as well, which was a club that he was involved with.”
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Lucas began his career as a five-eighth, but Dureau felt his physique and skill-set would be better served elsewhere.
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“He sort of said ‘You’ve got a pretty good running game, I wouldn’t mind seeing you play in the centres’,” said Lucas, who then transitioned into a back-rower.
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“He gave me that opportunity and then everything sort of flowed on from there.
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I’m very grateful for the impact that Scotty had on my career.
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“He’s probably right up there [with the biggest influence on my football].
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He was here when I first got here, and I was just a young kid who took a chance coming up here.
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He had that belief in me and gave me my opportunity to give myself a chance.
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Scotty had a big impact on me.”
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Asked what Dureau would make of Lucas’ and the Knights’ success, the forward said: “I’m sure he’d be up there smiling.
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I know how much the Knights meant to him, I’m sure he’d be very proud.”
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Lucas refused to give up on a shock comeback, despite the severity of his injury, and played 14 minutes off the bench against the Warriors.
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“I just wanted to give myself every chance,” Lucas, who made his NRL debut for the Knights in 2023, said.
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“These opportunities don’t come around very often.
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So when they’re here, you want to be a part of it.
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“My injury just took a turn for the better around that six-week mark, and then I had my scan and it looked really good.
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So I just thought, ‘I’ll push the boundaries here and see where it gets me.’ …
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I worked really hard to get back, and it’s a credit to our medical staff and our physios.
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It has been a rollercoaster season for Lucas, who also had to deal with the high of making his NSW debut for Origin II - and the low of being dropped for the decider.
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“I’m very grateful for that whole Origin opportunity and that campaign,” he said.
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“Obviously, the result didn’t go my way, but to get into that arena is not only an accomplishment for yourself, but it’s for your family as well.
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I know my family were very proud, and to be able to have my last name on my back there at the MCG is something that I’ll never forget.
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“It definitely makes you hungrier being left out of the side.
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Obviously, no one likes being dropped, but that’s the way they wanted to go and they got the result done.
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I’m so happy that we won the series.
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So yeah, I took a lot of learnings out of it, and I’ll be better from it.”
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