Head Coach Filo Tiatia has backed Fetuli Paea to make an impact at Dragons as he looks to ease the new midfielder into his new environment.
Tonga international Paea jetted into Wales last week and has linked up with the Men of Gwent ahead of the BKT United Rugby Championship clash with Hollywoodbets Sharks on Friday night (kick-off 8.05pm).
Paea impressed as Tonga finished third in the Pacific Nations Cup and has now linked up with international team-mate Fine Inisi at Dragons.
"Fetuli brings experience and is a big man who can carry, has good footwork and vision," said Tiatia.
"The challenge is connection with players who he hasn't played with before, but they have made an effort to make sure he knows his role and the language that we are using.
"He has been with Tonga for the last five or six weeks, so we need to make sure he travels light and is really clear on his role."
Meanwhile, Tiatia has confirmed Wales international Elliot Dee will miss Friday’s showdown as he recovers from the knock he sustained against Ulster last week.
"Elliot is recovering and getting some scans, hopefully we will know where he is at soon and that he won't be out for too long," said Tiatia.
"It was a concern because he is one of our leading players - an international and important to the squad. "We will wait for the results and hopefully he can recover really quickly, but he won't be involved this week."
Fetuli brings experience and is a big man who can carry, has good footwork and vision...
