NRL: From seat in the stand to chance to silence the doubters

He would be loath to admit it, but there will be a certain amount of redemption for St George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward when he runs out for tomorrow's match against Parramatta.

Not from the critics who deemed the Dragons' premiership hopes dead and buried after three straight losses in the run-in to the finals, but from the disappointment of the club's last trip to the finals.

Twelve months ago as the Dragons made an ill-fated trip to Brookvale Oval to take on eventual premiers Manly in the first week of the finals, Soward was consigned to a seat in the stands.

Then coach Nathan Brown had opted for Ben Rogers in the halves, Brown of the opinion that Rogers had more points in him than the hot and cold Soward.

It was a tough blow for Soward, who for much of the regular season was a fixture for the Dragons, and many wondered how the kid with the sometimes-fragile temperament would return in 2009.

Enter Wayne Bennett.

The master coach instilled a confidence and consistency not before seen in the former Sydney Rooster, to the point Soward is now considered among the top handful of playmakers in the game.

"I'm in a good spot away from footy and for me that's a big part of my life," Soward says.

"I sort of got my head right around it last year and Wayne just came and put his touch on it and carried that forward a little bit with some other stuff."

Soward now looks back philosophically at his omission in 2008 and ahead to success tomorrow.

- AAP