Watching on from the sidelines hasn't been easy for injured St George Illawarra backrower Jeremy Smith, but it has allowed him to see plenty of similarities between the Dragons and the Melbourne sides he helped get to three straight NRL grand finals.

Smith will finally bring an end to three months of torture at CUA Stadium on Friday night when he plays his first game since limping off against the Warriors back in round eight.

Badly ruptured ankle ligaments and the late discovery of a stress fracture in his foot have left the New Zealand international consigned to the role of spectator, his frustrations tempered somewhat by the Dragons' surge up to top spot on the ladder.

And the sideline perspective has offered the former Storm hardman an opportunity to assess the Dragons' premiership credentials, and so far he likes what he sees.

"Definitely - we've got a good bunch of blokes here and we're a close knit team," Smith said when asked if there were any similarities in what the Dragons had accomplished this season and the three minor premierships and grand finals he was part of with the Storm from 2006-2008.

"That's what it takes to go all the way.

"Coming in from Melbourne, we had a really good base down there and to come to a club here, it's along the lines of the same thing.

"If we stick to our guns and do the little things that work for us, we can go a long way."

But rather than look too far into the future, Smith is zeroing in on the Panthers and trying to cement his place in a deep backrow rotation ahead of the finals.

Before the season started, Smith was seen by many as the man who could make the difference to a Dragons pack which for many years had lacked a hard edge.

In Smith's absence however the likes of Ben Creagh, Matt Prior and Neville Costigan have taken their games to new levels, leaving Smith busting to prove that he too deserves a run.

"We've got a lot of depth there and a lot of good players have to miss out and I'm just hoping I'm not one of them," Smith said.

"It hasn't been too bad (being injured) - when you're winning it makes it a whole lot easier sitting on the sidelines.

"But it's been pretty frustrating from my point of view, I want to be out there living it up with the boys." Smith was due to return against the Warriors in round 20, but a training mishap resulted in a two-week setback.

Dragons medical staff weren't about to take any chances this time around with the 29-year-old insisting he was only held back as a precaution.

"They've put me in cotton wool at the moment, I was pretty keen to train but they saw otherwise," he said.

"Hopefully I can get it all back on track. It's like pre-season all over again, but I've got tomorrow night to go out there and lay claims to cement my spot back in the team." Dragons centre Matt Cooper is also due to return from a heel injury, with Chase Stanley and Jon Green likely to drop out of the 19-man squad.

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