Six up-and-coming Dragons players have soaked up the knowledge and teachings of some NRL veterans at the recent rookie camp in Penrith.
Each club nominates around six rookie players for the annual camp which covers topics including social media, drugs, cultural awareness and respectful relationships.
Players get to hear from former players such as Alan Tongue and David Solomona, with messaging around the opportunity players will earn but also the fleeting nature of professional sporting careers and the need to plan for a post-playing career.
Red V youngsters Toby and Ryan Couchman, Aaron Johnson, Treigh Stewart, Jacob Webster and Dylan Egan all completed the two-day camp out at Penrith on Friday and Saturday, with Dragons Wellbeing and Women's Programs Coordinator Alicia Kate-Hawke impressed with the way the youngsters threw themselves into the opportunity.
"The thing for me was watching them interact," Hawke said.
"They're already really respectful and willing to learn. I know they took a lot out of the way they did the cultural awareness and celebration of things there and the boys all had to get up and perform some Indigenous dances so that was cool.
"Some people find strength in different parts of the topics but even if it wasn't something of great interest to them they were still listening along really well and taking notes and interacting with some of the other boys.
"It was nice watching a group of young men in their late teens or early twenties be so mature in the way they were conducting themselves and I was really proud of the way they represented themselves and the club."
