St George Illawarra forward Joel Thompson has opened up about his decision to abandon plans for a Raiders return, fighting through homesickness to remain loyal to the Dragons.
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Thompson also says the Raiders made the right call by cutting Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson loose, but believes the former bad boys have turned their lives around ahead of looming re-matches with the Green Machine.
Thompson will be in familiar surroundings when the Dragons take on the Raiders at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
Dugan is expected to recover in time from an ankle injury as the Dragons aim to make it back-to-back wins in the national capital.
In an ironic piece of scheduling, the Raiders will take on Dugan and Ferguson's Sydney Roosters in consecutive weeks.
The pair were pencilled in to be the cornerstones of the Raiders backline for the forseeable future until numerous off-field incidents led to their sackings.
Thompson left the Raiders on more amicable terms, accepting a lucrative deal from the Dragons at the end of 2013 after 89 games and six seasons in Canberra.
But just 12 months into his three-year contract, Thompson was in talks last year with the Raiders about returning this season with his family struggling to adapt to their new surroundings.
"I had some personal issues happening back home and we sort of didn't give it a chance, but we got through the other end and it's been good," Thompson said.
"I wanted to set an example for my kids, too.
"When something gets tough, you've got to stick it out.
"We're very settled here and we're enjoying it."
Thompson says he will "always love the Raiders" and holds the club dear to his heart for giving him his first shot in the NRL.
He also remains close to Ferguson, having forged a friendship with the former NSW representative star during their time together at the Raiders.
Ferguson will face the Raiders for the first time on Sunday week at Allianz Stadium, returning to the NRL this year with the Sydney Roosters after two years out of the game for off-field indiscretions.
"I'm very close to Fergo. I've always stood by him, he's one of my great mates and I think it's great he's back," Thompson said.
"He's grown as a person, his whole mentality is totally different, how he speaks and it's definitely woken him up a fair bit.
"The Raiders had no choice (but to sack him), but I think he knew that, too.
"Like anyone, he needs to be given a chance to prove himself."
Thompson said Dugan had "become a bit of a leader" and had matured from the days he was in Canberra.
The Dragons are aiming for back-to-back wins in the national capital after breaking the hoodoo last year.
"I think it's rubbish, it's just two teams going at each other," Thompson said.
"Like I've told the boys here, it's going to be a really tough battle.
"(Raiders coach Ricky Stuart) will have the boys up and it's big (Dane Tilse's) 200th game, so it's going to test our character coming off the two losses."
