Frizell has been a beacon of light for the Red V faithful

In the space of weeks, the 24-year-old went from fringe Blue to Origin star on the back of his performances in games two and three of the series. It took the suspension of Cronulla forward Wade Graham to open the door for his arrival and the disappointment of losing the series in Brisbane was softened with an epic late victory in game three.

Frizell was brought quickly back to earth by the Dragons' loss to Gold Coast a couple of days later, part of a mid-season slump that's put their finals hopes in jeopardy before Friday's clash with the Bulldogs.

Given the circumstances it comes as no surprise to hear Frizell describe his journey this season as a "roller-coaster", but the 108-kilogram wrecking ball said he's focused on turning the Dragons' season around.

"There were a few weeksI came out of [Origin] camp pretty much straight into another game," Frizell said. "It's been a different kind of experience for myself with all the hype around Origin and all the commitments you have when that [is] on. It was a bit of a roller-coaster coming off the high of [Origin III] into a pretty disappointing loss on the Friday [against Gold Coast].

"I've got a job to do each week and that's my focus at the moment. By our standards it's been pretty poor the past few weeks. It's something we've spoken about as a playing group and we're looking to hopefully turn things around."

Coach Paul McGregor has suggested, following recent losses, it was a challenge for the rest of the playing group to "start putting in some efforts like [Frizell] is".

Frizell has promised to respond with actions. "[Being a leader] is something Mary [McGregor] has spoken to me about," he said.

"Hopefully if I can keep playing well then I'll be leading with my actions and that can help inspire the boys to lift as well."