Sydney Roosters centre Blake Ferguson believes he will reach representative level form come the big end-of-season NRL finals games.
The former NSW Origin back missed almost three months of the season after suffering a foot injury in round four.
Ferguson has played the Roosters past three games heading into Saturday's away clash with Penrith, who he scored two tries against back in round three.
He notched another four-pointer the following week against his former club Canberra before getting injured in that game.
The injury stalled his promising comeback to the NRL as he tried to re-establish himself after a 22-month exile following his sacking by the Raiders for off-field issues.
"I'm still trying to find my feet with the foot, but certainly gaining a lot of trust and confidence within my footballing ability," Ferguson told AAP.
"My match fitness is already there, but the main thing is getting the ball at the right times and identifying certain situations and taking them."
Ferguson said he was enjoying life at the Roosters and described the culture at the club as "second to none in the comp."
Asked when he hoped to reach the level of form that earned him NSW Origin representation in 2013, Ferguson said "hopefully by the end of the year I'll be up to that standard.
"It's just me taking my opportunities in the game, which I used to be really good at.
"I think it's more about recognising the opportunities and taking them and really putting a mark on the game and then making a presence out there.
"It's more about reading a game and knowing when to inject my energy."
Another Rooster striving to get back to his best after an injury issue is prop and pack leader Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
The powerful kiwi front rower hasn't played much over the past month.
He missed two matches with a calf injury and played just the one game back against Gold Coast before the Roosters bye last week.
"I'm just keen to get out and start playing some footy," Waerea-Hargreaves told AAP.
"I was out for two or three weeks and I came back against the Titans and I thought I'd be the hero and started blowing pretty early.
"I looked up at the time and six or seven minutes had passed and I was hoping 30 minutes had passed.
"It's going to take me a couple of weeks to get back to full fitness but I've been training hard."
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