Cameron King is set to make his Parramatta debut after 733 days in the NRL wilderness with the Eels convinced they can help book a return to the finals - erasing the salary cap nightmare of last season - by snuffing out the Bulldogs' faint finals hopes.

King, who is at his third club, is set to turn out for the first time in blue and gold after injury restricted to him to just 21 games in his eighth top grade season. It will be the first time King will appear in the NRL since a stint with North Queensland almost two years ago, and his first run-on start since playing for St George Illawarra in 2013.

Kaysa Pritchard's season-ending knee injury has paved the way for one of the NRL's unluckiest players to finally string together a number of games as the 25-year-old looms as Brad Arthur's wildcard in the finals run-in.

The versatile Will Smith could form a platoon at No.9 as King - who has battled serious shoulder, pectoral and knee injuries - makes good on a promise to forge ahead with a rugby league career on the advice of great mate Kyle Stanley, who was forced into retirement himself after five knee reconstructions.