Dylan Lucas on his miracle comeback and how he became an NRL star

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.

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.

It caps a stunning season for Lucas, who will play in his side’s preliminary final against Penrith on Sunday. The 26-year-old also made his Origin debut for NSW this year. However, his footballing prospects weren’t always so bright.

The Albion Park Eagles junior came through the Illawarra Steelers system, but as a five-eighth he wasn’t deemed a Dragons NRL prospect.

“When I was down there at the Steelers, they just weren’t that keen on me,” Lucas said.

Undeterred, he shifted to Newcastle to chase his dream, where Dureau was one of his first coaches. Dureau was a former Knight, filling the famous No.7 jersey after the retirement of Andrew Johns.

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.

For 13 years, Dureau struggled with cancer, succumbing in July at the age of 39. A respected member of the Newcastle community, Dureau first crossed paths with Lucas at Jersey Flegg level.

“Scotty was one of my first coaches when I got here in the under-20s,” Lucas said.

“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. Scotty was a great man, and he had a fair bit to do with me when I first got here. Then I had a year at South Newcastle as well, which was a club that he was involved with.”

Lucas began his career as a five-eighth, but Dureau felt his physique and skill-set would be better served elsewhere.

“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.

“He gave me that opportunity and then everything sort of flowed on from there. I’m very grateful for the impact that Scotty had on my career.

“He’s probably right up there [with the biggest influence on my football]. He was here when I first got here, and I was just a young kid who took a chance coming up here. He had that belief in me and gave me my opportunity to give myself a chance. Scotty had a big impact on me.”

Asked what Dureau would make of Lucas’ and the Knights’ success, the forward said: “I’m sure he’d be up there smiling. I know how much the Knights meant to him, I’m sure he’d be very proud.”

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.

“I just wanted to give myself every chance,” Lucas, who made his NRL debut for the Knights in 2023, said. “These opportunities don’t come around very often. So when they’re here, you want to be a part of it.

“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. So I just thought, ‘I’ll push the boundaries here and see where it gets me.’ … I worked really hard to get back, and it’s a credit to our medical staff and our physios.”

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.

“I’m very grateful for that whole Origin opportunity and that campaign,” he said. “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. 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.

“It definitely makes you hungrier being left out of the side. Obviously, no one likes being dropped, but that’s the way they wanted to go and they got the result done. I’m so happy that we won the series. So yeah, I took a lot of learnings out of it, and I’ll be better from it.”