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Star fullback Josh Dugan has signed a two-year deal with Canberra that will ensure he stays with the Raiders until at least the end of 2014.
Star fullback Josh Dugan says a belief Canberra have the makings of an NRL premiership-winning side was a major factor behind him committing to the club for another two seasons.
Dugan, 21, will remain with the Raiders until at least the end of 2014 in exchange for a reported $650,000 per season, after ending months of speculation about his future amid apparent interest from several Sydney teams.
The signing is the Raiders' most significant since skipper Terry Campese re-signed for six seasons in 2009 and Dugan said the fact the club was retaining its key players created a huge incentive to stay.
The All Stars fullback said on Thursday he never doubted he would remain with Canberra, where he made his first start as a junior.
"I was a bit blown away when I first sort of heard the hype around me coming off contract and the sort of money that was being thrown around," he said.
"There was a lot of talk about me leaving, but I never really had any meetings with any other clubs.
"My heart was always here with Canberra.
"We have a great group of players here as well which I think can go a long way and I think that was the main reason for me wanting to stay."
Dugan was confident the Raiders would soon prove themselves to be one of the toughest sides of the competition, although he conceded the rewards wouldn't happen overnight following a disappointing 2011 campaign.
"I don't think we can go from second-last to first straight away, you know, as much as I'd like to," he said.
"We've just got to play it by ear.
"But this is the place I want to be at and I think we've got a definite premiership-contending side."
Dugan said loyalty was a good thing to have but backed his ability to be able to negotiate an even better contract in two years.
"It can be a downfall or it could be the best thing for you," the fullback said of signing a contract term based on loyalty.
"If you have a few good seasons and sign up for so long, that's your base money and you can't do any better for yourself.
"I've always been one to back my ability and that's what I've done now."
Raiders boss Don Furner said unlike Campese, there was no need for Dugan to lock himself in for five or six years.
He said the signing was critical for Canberra off the field as well, with Dugan's appeal likely to draw in paid-up members and potentially woo a major sponsor.
"He's loved by the members," Furner said.
"A lot of them have said to us, 'listen, we'll wait and see what Josh Dugan's doing before we take a membership out' and it shows you how much crowd favourites (mean) and how much you need to keep them.
"So yes, he's important to us for lots of reasons."
The Raiders will be hoping the re-signing of Dugan can kick-start their 2012 campaign when they host Melbourne on Saturday.