Nathan Lawson has represented his country at Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris, Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and a Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
But running out onto Jubilee Stadium donning the Red V of his boyhood club has the 26-year-old on an emotional high that he won’t soon forget.
“I followed the Dragons growing up watching (Jamie) Soward, (Mark) Gasnier, all the guys from that era, so it’s pretty special to come down here and put that jersey on,” Lawson said.
“I know it means a lot to everyone and it’s such a historic club. It is a really proud moment for me and my family, and it’s something I want to keep doing for a long while now.”
The Sutherland Shire native requested 85 tickets to Friday night’s clash with his boisterous supporters’ party providing him with a welcome lift.
“It was pretty special. I think the biggest thing was when I was about to take my first carry. It was right down in front of them, and I could hear every single one of them screaming at me,” he said.
“I’ve found it pretty tough the past couple of years. Obviously, all my mates want to come and watch me play, but traveling with Sevens it just made it too hard. To be able to actually get my debut and to have friends and family there means a lot and it’s something I will never forget.”
Buoyed by his wealth of big game experience, it took Lawson little time to shake off the debut jitters and get stuck into his work.
“I put so much pressure on myself, and I wanted to put my best foot forward, earn the trust of the boys, put on a show and hopefully get the win,” he said.
“It was just a good feeling to get out there. As soon as you cross that white line, everything else just blocks out. Once I was on the field, I genuinely had no other thought other than what my job was, and I felt really comfy out there.”
Onlookers would have been hard-pressed to pick up on any nerves with Lawson piecing together a tidy 180-metre, seven-tackle break performance in his 80 minutes on the wing.
Making the transition from Australia’s Rugby Sevens set-up to the NRL comes with plenty of challenges and, for Lawson, who came to the Dragons without any rugby league experience, this rung true.
“It was a weird one because obviously coming down and not really knowing the game, a lot of the boys went out of their way to help me out,” he said.
“I know it’s hard when someone doesn’t know the calls or the plays, but a lot of boys went out of their way to really help me and assist me, and I feel like that made such a difference in my pre-season.
"You don’t want to be thinking and worrying about what’s going on. You just want to play your footy and put your best foot forward. The boys have been so welcoming, even the coaches, everyone at the club’s been so welcoming. It’s a really good club and, hopefully, I’ll stay here a bit longer and get a few more games with everyone.”
