Recently retired NRL player Josh Dugan was once one of the game’s best players and certainly experienced many highs and lows throughout his 12-year career.

At his peak, Dugan was named New South Wales’ best player in the 2015 State of Origin series and awarded the Brad Fittler Medal for his efforts, after making his debut for the Australia Kangaroos in that year’s ANZAC Test loss to New Zealand.

He would maintain his representative status until the 2018 NRL season, where the now 31-year-old would, unfortunately, deal with injury and off-field issues.

It was also ironic that the namesake of the award he had won just three years earlier for his efforts in State of Origin was now the person dropping him from the side, as Brad Fittler looked to make wholesale changes to the New South Wales squad during his first campaign as head coach in 2018.

 
Last September, Dugan would be released by the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and opt to retire from the game he loved so dearly.

The Daily Telegraph has since found out what Dugan is up to these days, finding himself a job as a concreter on New South Wales South Coast.

“Dugan might be slogging it out in the heat as a labourer after failing to land another NRL deal, but he has never been happier,” said The Daily Telegraph’s James Phelps.

“A country boy who could never understand why being a good footy player made him a celebrity, Dugan is loving his new life away from the spotlight.

“We are told Dugan is either riding a dirt bike or training at the gym when not at work.”

While it was sad to see Dugan’s NRL career end the way it did, it is also good to see that he is in a better place now and enjoys his new role in life.

Often players are seen heading down a dark path once their careers end as they fail to cope with life beyond Rugby League.

This doesn’t seem to be the case for Dugan though, as parting ways from the game seems to have been the best thing for his well being.