Gareth Widdop is set to finally emerge out of the shadow of Melbourne’s ‘Big Three’ and make a name for himself in the NRL this season with St George Illawarra, says Kangaroos winger Brett Morris.

Long seen as simply a foil for Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and even Billy Slater at the Storm for the past four years, England international Widdop moved to the Dragons in the off-season in a bid to develop his game.

After two seasons of a spluttering attack, the Dragons desperately need a potent playmaker to steer them back up the ladder and Morris says Widdop can be that player.

“Gareth is a wonderful player,” Morris said.

“You have seen what he has done at the Storm. He has played with some great players down there but it is really an opportunity for Gareth to stand up and make a big name for himself.

“He is a quality player and is someone we are really happy that has come to the club.

“So far in the pre-season, he has been a real standout and it is good to have him on board.

“He has fitted in nicely. He is training how we want him to train; he is talking a lot which is really good.

“Down in Melbourne, Cooper sort of runs the show so Gareth is doing everything that is expected of him so, come the trials, I think he will go well.”

Widdop is one of a number of recruits including Mike Cooper, Sam Williams, Joel Thompson and Dylan Farrell that the Dragons are banking on to turn them into a NRL force again.

The joint venture finished with more wins than only lowly Parramatta last season and Morris said the Dragons were quietly confident of being on the up in 2014.

“It feels like a whole new club,” Morris said.

“I have been at the club a long time now, I debuted in 2006 and it feels like it is a new club with all the new faces we have and that makes it very exciting coming to training every day.

“Working on new combinations is very exciting, all the guys are pushing one another and I think we are going to have a great year this year.”