Announcement: Dragons have gotten into action as they close in on decision to sign Olympic star

After a disappointing 2024 season, Dragons coach Shane Flanagan is hoping an injection of new talent can turn the club around, bringing in Valentine Holmes, Damien Cook, and Clint Gutherson.

But it’s his latest signing Nathan Lawson that could prove to be the most electric – if he can learn the rules in time.

“I’ve been in contact with the Dragons, got all their Hudl and all their footage so I’m obviously just watching that and getting my head around all their training and everything, just so when I rock up in December it’s not a huge shock to me,” Lawson told the Herald Sun.

“It’s more mentally getting myself ready, I think Sevens will prepare me fitness wise, the physical side should be fine.

“It’s very exciting to think I could [play alongside Holmes and Gutherson]. I think if you play outside them, they make a game very easy.

“After the Olympics I had a good think about it, because the next Olympics is four years away, that’s a commitment to a four-year cycle and I wanted to try something new, I felt like I’d achieved pretty much everything I wanted in Sevens other than winning the Olympics.

“I had a good meeting with Flanno and I got really excited and saw there was probably a good chance that I could get in and around the squad and learn from them.

“He’d watched a little bit of my footy and I think the Seven skill-set rather than rugby union skill-set is a bit more transferable. I think he likes my pace and the way that I’d probably played a bit in forwards in union at the start but then transitioned a bit more into the wing.”

Lawson will hope to help the Dragons return to the finals for the first time since 2018.