The Canberra crowd had no plans to let up and they didn't. Even though the Dragons fullback would have the last laugh in his side's 22-20 win over his former side, the locals gave their former poster boy Josh Dugan hell all game knowing full well it was his 100th NRL appearance.
The heckling from the raucous 11,000-strong crowd came to a head when Dugan, who played 70 games for the Green Machine between 2009 and 2013, was sinbinned in the 55th minute for a professional foul on former teammate Jarrod Croker.
Yet after the match Dugan admitted he fully deserved what he copped, considering what he had put the Raiders through before his sacking from the club.
"With my previous actions [the crowd reaction] was fully deserved. I'm not going to shy away from what I did to get sacked. It's just a matter of playing well for the team and I love playing for the Dragons and that's not going to change," Dugan said.
"I loved playing for Canberra too but things didn't go to plan obviously off the back of a few stuff-ups on my behalf, and I hold no grudges at all. I'm in a better place and they seem to be in a good place too.
"It is water off a duck's back for me. It has been two years and I've let everything go and I expect it when I come here now. I think it's going to last my entire career but it's all in the game and I just cop it."
Dugan, who had been in extreme doubt for the game after missing Round 2 with an ankle injury, admitted that he pushed himself hard to be fit to play is 100th game on home territory.
"It's good to come home and play against the home crowd and get the win. It's even more special that I was able to do where it all started," Dugan said.
"I definitely wanted this to be my 100th game and I pushed it very hard. It pulled up sweet yesterday after the captain's run and it pulled up pretty sore today but I'll keep being cautious with it and go from there.
"It has taken me seven years to play 100 games with injuries and stuff-ups on and off the field.
"I could've played a lot more but it wasn't to be and this was the way things were meant to happen."
