In-form Ferguson gives Fittler close-up Origin reminder

Eels speedster Blake Ferguson scored his first two tries for his new club on Sunday and NSW Origin coach Brad Fitler was on the sideline watching every step.

During his comments for Channel Nine's Sunday match broadcast, Fittler saw close up the two four-pointers, two line breaks and a try assist by the man he overlooked for a Blues wing spot last year.

In the lead-up to the round-two match against the Bulldogs, which the Eels romped home to the tune of 36-16, Ferguson said he might try to catch up with Fittler as they both went about their duties at ANZ Stadium.

"I didn't want to speak to him before the game. Parramatta is very important to me and I didn't want to be side-tracking myself worrying about something that's out of my control," Ferguson said.

"I will always think about Parramatta before anything."

This week he can turn his thoughts to facing the players he won a premiership alongside five months ago – the Sydney Roosters – as the Eels host them back at ANZ Stadium on Friday.

Ferguson has made the transition from the premiers to the wooden spooners very smoothly. He does credit the Roosters for making him a better player.

"But last year it was just too many chiefs and this year feels like the right balance with some guys who have grown another year, we've got some young guys, some hard heads in the middle. It's just a good mix," he said.

"We've just got to keep learning from our mistakes each week. We can't get complacent and think the next week will happen like this [Bulldogs win]. We've got to keep recreating what happened here."

Eels coach Brad Arthur also had a ringside seat and was suitably impressed with his star recruit.

"He's been great. He's 106-107 kilos and when he came he said he'd like to play around that 101-kilo mark. But he's strong and he's good to have around the group," Arthur said.

"The boys just like sitting there next to him in the sheds because he breeds confidence.

"He just wants to win and thinks he's going to win all the time. He was the best winger in the game last year.

"The challenge to him was that when he came to our club he continued to be the best winger."

Ferguson is happy to tell anyone who'll listen he has found contentment with the change of scenery.

"I think I'm better mentally. I know what my role is within this team and it's taken me a long time to juggle both off and on the field.

"So I feel like everything is going alright. I'm really enjoying footy and my home life has been pretty good. I'm just enjoying life to be honest."

As for the weight gain?

"It just happened. Obviously my body is maturing as well."

And as for young five-eighth Dylan Brown's comments to media midweek that he might "go fishing" and see what he's worth on the open market at the end of 2019, Arthur took it all in his stride.

"This year he's just got to get himself ready to handle the physical battle week-in and week-out. That’s going to be a bit of management from us as well," he said of the player who only made his NRL debut a week ago.

"He got a bit caught out there. He was straight on the phone to me when the story came out [of potentially looking elsewhere]. He's got a bit of a weird sense of humour Dyl."