Market watch: Dragons bolster outside back stocks by signing award-winning sevens star

The Dragons have landed one of Australia’s best sevens players for the 2025 season.

The Dragons have continued their strong recruitment drive with sevens star Nathan Lawson agreeing to switch codes just weeks after he claimed the Shawn Mackay Award as Australia’s best male player.

Lawson has scored 69 tries for Australia and featured in two Olympics, with the 25-year-old scoring a try in the bronze medal match against South Africa earlier this year.

The try-scoring machine was named in World Rugby’s team of the year after crossing 25 times last season and will now join the Dragons’ supplementary list in 2025.

Nathan Lawson has signed with the Dragons just weeks after he claimed the Shawn Mackay Award as the best male sevens player in Australia. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images for Rugby Australia

Lawson is the latest rugby player to switch codes on the heels of Carter Gordon and Mark Nawaqanitawase, while several NRLW clubs have been linked with superstar Maddison Levi.

“Nathan is a terrific athlete,“ Dragons coach Shane Flanagan said.

“He is coming to us at the end of an outstanding season, which he finished off with the Australian Rugby Sevens player of the year award and a spot in the World Rugby Sevens team of the year.

“He’s a big, fast, powerful winger with good instincts. He’ll adjust to rugby league in no time and, once he does, he’ll be a real asset to us.”