A chance meeting with Canberra chief executive Don Furner this week provided a timely reminder for Sydney Roosters centre Blake Ferguson about how far he has come since almost blowing his NRL career two years ago.

As he arrived at Allianz Stadium on Monday before this interview, Ferguson saw Furner near League Central and the pair chatted about Friday night's semi-final against Canterbury and the impending birth of the 25-year-old's first child with partner Bianca Menniti.

It was the first time they had spoken since Furner sacked Ferguson in 2013 after a series of off-field incidents that prompted the NRL to refuse to allow him to play again until this season.

"I just ran into Don Furner, he was going to a meeting at the NRL,"  Ferguson said. "I had a yarn to him, he is a good bloke. He helped me out a lot when down in Canberra. It was the first time I had seen him since I left Canberra.

"I just had a brief chat with him. I said hello and he just said congratulations on the bub and that. It was good. I think he has got no hard feelings there, which is a good thing. I have tried to get over the past, I guess that is how you grow as a person. He said he was pleased to see me doing well."

Furner said he was happy for Ferguson and hoped he could provide a better upbringing for his child than he had, after being virtually homeless until his grandparents won custody of him and his siblings when he was 13.

"I got on well with Blake, he was always honest with me," Furner said. "I just congratulated him and wished him all the best, more so for fatherhood than for footy. Hopefully he will provide a really stable upbringing for his child and makes some money out of footy so he can provide a good lifestyle."

After being found guilty of the indecent assault of a woman in a Cronulla nightclub during a night out with former Raiders team-mate Josh Dugan to celebrate their selection in the NSW Origin side, Ferguson has not only had to win over fans but those who believe he should never have been allowed to play in the NRL again.

Some will probably never change their views but an easier option for Ferguson would have been to accept a lucrative contract to play rugby union in France.

To him, that would have been a cop-out.

Instead, Ferguson wanted to prove to himself and others that he was worthy of second chance and believes it is now safe to say that he has turned his life around.

"I had faith in myself to come back otherwise I wouldn't have tried to come back," Ferguson said. "I could have gone overseas and done that whole thing – whether it was to travel or to play sports – but to me it was about coming back to prove a point and not running away from anything.

"I have seen plenty of people get in trouble and just shoot off overseas but I didn't want to be that guy. I just stuck it out and faced my problems, I fronted up and heard all of the criticism and the critics because I just wanted to get back playing footy and to do my family proud as well.

"I guess you could say I have turned my life around. I work on myself every day and I don't want to get into trouble any more. I don't want to let down anyone. I don't want to let down myself."

Writing about reformed athletes is always a risk for sports journalists, but an interview with Dugan just hours later after he was awarded the Brad Fittler Medal as NSW Origin player of the year made it easy to believe that Ferguson could stay on the straight and narrow.

Little more than two years ago, Dugan was also sacked by Furner after infamously posting photos on social media of the pair drinking Bacardi Breezers on the rooftop of the house Ferguson shared with Sandor Earl instead of training with their Canberra team-mates.

With St George Illawarra's season ending after last Saturday night's 11-10 elimination final loss to Canterbury, some NSWRL officials had concerns about what state Dugan would arrive in from the team's Mad Monday celebrations but the Blues fullback was sober as he spoke about how he and Ferguson had matured.

"It took us probably longer than normal to grow up but we have done that now and I look back on those days and think how stupid we were but you've got to make mistakes to learn from them," Dugan told Fairfax Media. "To get through that adversity and come out the other end is something I am proud of."

Asked if he still drinks, Ferguson said he had not touched alcohol for three months but added: "I can have a drink if I want to. I am a grown man now so I am allowed to if I want."

But he credits moving in with teetotalling cousin Anthony Mundine, who took it upon himself to help Ferguson while he was preparing to fight Shane Mosley, as a significant move in getting his career back on track, while Sonny Bill Williams also played a role.

"To live with Choc and to see the professionalism in him was a real eye-opener for me," Ferguson said. "Sonny helped me out too. Being around guys like them, who are really professional and pretty big in their sports – which Choc was as he was fighting for a world title at the time, and Sonny was here at the Roosters and won a premiership that year – was awesome."

Ferguson is also thankful to Roosters supremo Nick Politis for offering him a "lifeline" and coach Trent Robinson, who is helping the star centre to become the "complete package" by instilling structure in his game and setting him goals for each match, while off the field he said Menniti had tamed him and he was ready to become a father.

"I have had all those people vouching for me so I have to return the favour but it is not just about not wanting to let people down," Ferguson said. "Obviously meeting a special person changes things. It is good to find someone who can contain me and I am looking forward to the next step in life. I have flicked the switch and I am happy now."