A wound-up Blake Ferguson is set to spring into action for the first time in 18 months when the Roosters' Holden Cup side plays Penrith in an NRL trial match on the Central Coast this Saturday.
Banished from former club Canberra and then the NRL after being found guilty of an indecent assault, Ferguson linked with the Roosters back in May last year.
His return was cleared in December when the NRL registered his contract with the 2013 premiers.
And now he's very much ready to play.
Roosters chief executive Brian Canavan said the former NSW State of Origin winger still needs to get the all-clear after breaking his nose in a training mishap a fortnight ago.
But if that happens, he'll be turning out in his first official match in the tri-colours at Wyong.
"His off-season has been tremendous both on and off field," Canavan said. "His intensity at training has been very pleasing."
"There's a lot of energy been built up in him so once he gets out there he will be like one of those wound up dolls."
While the match is a distinctly low-key affair with only a handful of first graders expected to take part, Canavan said he'd envisage Ferguson will get quite a bit of field time.
The news at the Roosters didn't appear so bright for hooker Jake Friend, with Canavan suggesting his return from shoulder surgery wouldn't be until "late April at the earliest".
Speaking at an NRL function on Tuesday, Friend said it had been a tough few months.
"I'll be a while. I'll miss the first bit of the season because of the delay in the operation," said Friend, who contracted an infection and had to put off surgery for two weeks.
"It's a bit unclear at the moment, we'll just have to see how the rehab goes but definitely the first month or so (out)."
Friend was having a breakout year in 2014 but the season ended badly when he sustained a severe lung injury that saw him lose two litres of blood.
He made an amazing comeback to feature in the Roosters' finals campaign and is seen as a potential club leader in 2015.
Matt McIlwrick, Jackson Hastings and Mitch Aubusson loom as potential replacements.
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