Wing wonder Ashton Hewitt admits he is training with a smile on his face after finally putting his injury torment behind him.
Hewitt – who has scored 21 tries in 72 appearances since 2013 - did not play for Dragons last season after a serious shoulder injury required a second operation.
The 24-year-old, regarded as one of Welsh rugby’s brightest attacking talents, worked tirelessly throughout the summer to ensure he could make a full return in pre-season training.
And the Newport-born wide man – who committed to the region by agreeing a new deal until 2021 during the off season - admits he is loving every minute of being back in action.
“I’m buzzing to be back,” he smiled. “Most boys dread coming in for pre-season, but with the situation I’ve been in, I was really looking forward to it.
“Just knowing I was going to be able to come back, after putting that extra bit of work in when the boys were off in the off-season, I couldn’t stop smiling. It’s been great to jump straight in with the boys.
“Last year I would have been in the gym looking at the boys out in the sun,” he added. “It’s just so good to be back in the main group, with ball in hand, being able to do everything.”
Hewitt admits he always looked to retain a positive and upbeat attitude during the dark days of his injury issues.
And he believes he has become a more resilient person as he looks to make a successful comeback this year.
“You learn as a rugby player you’ve got to go through those stages when things don’t go as you want and learn from them,” he said.
“It would have been easy for me to lose my head a bit when I found out that I needed to have another operation. It’s the longest period I’ve gone without playing rugby so that was a tough one to swallow.
“You do worry, there’s days when you’re fine and there are days when you’re not so fine.
“You just learn more resilience when you’re put in that situation for the first time. You’ve just got to deal with it and be as professional as you can be and I feel I have learnt a lot from this period.”
Reflecting on pre-season to date, Hewitt believes the backroom have got the mix spot on as Dragons prepare for a long period of preparation.
“It’s been really good - because we haven’t been slogged too much early on,” he laughed. “We’ve been managed well from all aspects and everyone is on the same page.
“I think everyone is enjoying it and obviously there’s that element that the boys want to impress. The boys have a point to prove - especially me.
“We’ve got new boys coming in who might not know how I play and I don’t know if Dean (Ryan) has seen me play.
“I need to impress and I’m sure all the boys will be working towards the same thing - being first choice this season.”
“The first four weeks went very quickly,” he added. “Everyone is keen to get the ball in hand now and see how Dean wants to play and how he wants to the boys to behave on the pitch.
“It will be nice to get a little bit of structure and know what we’re working towards and go from there.
“Ultimately, for me, it’s just so good to be back out there and not be stuck in that gym.
“It’s great to see the hard work pay off when your test results are coming back positive. When your strength in the area you’ve been injured is coming back positive and the physios are happy.
“I’ve stayed in decent shape, I’ve made sure I’m not behind come all this fitness work, and I’m just buzzing and enjoying every second. I can’t help but smile.”
