Dragons scrum half Alex Walker tells us about his experiences in the academy and with the senior team.
I was fortunate enough to be selected for the Dragons Junior academy whilst playing for Newport Youth two years ago. This was a brand new concept from the Dragons and I have been very fortunate to be part of this exciting development. The academy manages the workload for all the academy players, whose aim is to prepare and develop us as future professional rugby players.
The most helpful task of the academy for me initially was liaising with the various coaches, between my local club, University side, the Welsh youth team and regional U20's team at the time. Every team expected myself and other academy members to train and play with them each week and at this level, you cannot manage all these matches and conduct my education at the same time, taking my A levels. This is where the role of the academy manager comes in as they arrange who you can play for and organise your week around that, taking the pressures off you and allowing you to continue your school work.
At the beginning of last season I went onto a senior academy contract where due to injuries to Gareth Cooper and Gareth Baber I was fortunate enough to train with The Dragon's squad throughout pre season and was involved in the pre season games. Unfortunately in the third game of last season I broke my collarbone playing for Newport which was a huge blow as I was selected for the Welsh U21 team, but couldn't play as the injury prevented me getting any game time. It was actually a blessing in disguise though. Having only played nine games last season it allowed me to increase my body weight and also strength gains in the gym which are much needed at this level.
With the academy having a specialist nutritional adviser we were able to plan my diet around my injury and he advised the correct types of food to eat at the right times to co-ordinate with training. It was identified here that in order for me to progress I would need to be bigger and stronger in my physique. The academy analysed my weaknesses and together with the academy manager and skills coaches we made plans to develop and improve the skills I needed to work on. They have also introduced media training, to prepare us for handling press and news conferences and this has already been a benefit at the start of the season.
I returned from injury in April last year and was then asked to train full time with the Dragons during the summer, and given a senior development contract. I was fortunate enough to feature in all the pre season games and also start the first four Magners League games, which was a great opportunity for myself.
It is a privilege to be playing professional rugby for The Dragons and is something I have been working towards since I started mini rugby at the age of 8 playing for Newport High School Old Boys.
Not many youngsters get the chance to be part of this fantastic set up so I work hard and am grateful for the opportunities I have been given.
Without the academy I certainly would not have gained some of the skills needed to be an all round professional rugby player and I would encourage all young players to work hard and stay focused if they want a career as a professional rugby player.
It is a great feeling coming out on match day at Rodney Parade, hearing the crowds shouting and cheering as I did when I was younger.
Being a Newport boy and watching Newport from an early age I watched the greats like Gary Teichmann and Rod Snow play at Rodney Parade. With a number of The Dragons players involved in the Welsh squad and some that are British Lions is it a great honour to be playing alongside them. I have always wanted to reach this level and I realise there is still a lot of work to be done and I am more than willing to train harder and improve in every aspect of my game in order for me to reach my full potential and fulfill my dreams.
Alex Walker
