St George Illawarra skipper Gareth Widdop eyeing off late-season return

After dislocating his shoulder in St George Illawarra's round three win over the Broncos, there were initial fears the 30-year-old had played his last game in the NRL before his move to Warrington in the English Super League next year.

The outlook was more optimistic after Widdop underwent surgery just days after suffering the injury and now, a month later, he's confident he will return towards the back-end of the season.

"I definitely am planning on playing again this year," Widdop said. "It's hard to say when, we're only early into my rehab, but I'm definitely hoping to be back by the end of the year.

"Hopefully I can get back and get a couple of games before the finals. We haven't pinpointed a certain date yet because we just don't know, but I'm certainly hopeful I'll get back for a couple of games.

While the Dragons had struggled earlier in the season, the team has looked settled in recent weeks, with halves Ben Hunt and Corey Norman able to take on a greater play-making role in their captain's absence.

Hunt admitted as much in an appearance on Fox League's Big League Wrap on Monday night, saying Widdop's absence had removed the uncertainty over positions that lingered earlier in the year.

If the Dragons are to play finals football, Hunt and Norman will have to continue to fire throughout the remainder of the season. Such a scenario could make the reintegration of Widdop to the side a challenging task.

Widdop, who could be deployed in a utility role, said he'd be willing to play wherever McGregor asked him to, even if that meant biding his time in reserve grade.

"If the boys are winning, I'll play reserve grade. It's a long way away, hopefully the boys are playing some good football and keep winning games and we're there at the end of the season and if that's the case, hopefully I can get back into the team.

"It's up to the coach to make that decision. Any way it is, it will be difficult to get back into the team. I don't want to disturb the team that we've got, so that's something we'll look at down the track."

Widdop's comments came as McGregor made a handful of changes to the side for Sunday's clash with Parramatta.

After moving to the bench last week, Mikaele Ravalawa is back on the wing, with Zac Lomax shifting to centre and Euan Aitken on the bench. Additionally, Blake Lawrie has been named to start, with Jacob Host on the bench.

Widdop may not be having an impact on the field for the Dragons, he has continued to play a role within the club, taking on extra coaching responsibilities.

While he would prefer to be on the field, Widdop said he has enjoyed stepping back and viewing the game from a different perspective.

"When you're out for a period of time, you see a different side of the game, you see it from the coach's perspective a little bit.

"I'm just sitting back and working with the halves, helping with where we can execute a little better or with things we can come up with. I'm not doing too much, just being around for anyone who needs a bit of support."