In a “huge blow” to Australia’s men’s sevens team, reigning player of the year Nathan Lawson is set to leave the code to join the Dragons in the NRL.
The Roar can reveal the 25-year-old is set to join the NRL side on a two-year deal.
His defection comes less than two weeks after the big-bodied winger claimed the Shawn Mackay Award at the Rugby Australia Awards night in Sydney.
Lawson is the third Australian rugby player to switch code inside the past 12 months. He follows the lead of World Cup duo Carter Gordon and Mark Nawaqanitawase, who grabbed headlines after scoring a stunning try from an overhead leap on debut for the Sydney Roosters following the Paris Olympics.
Recently departed men’s sevens coach John Manenti was caught by surprise with the news and said it was a blow for the men’s team weeks out from their World Series opener in Dubai.
“He’s probably been our most consistent and damaging forward for the last three years,” Manenti told The Roar.
“We played him on the edge as a winger. He comes out of the scrum and plays on the edge. He’s fast, resilient and plays huge minutes. It’s a huge loss, huge loss.”
It’s understood Lawson, who played alongside South Sydney and NSW star Cameron Murray at school, was floated to several Super Rugby franchises but couldn’t get someone to sign a contract to get him on their books.
Now the national sevens team will pay the price, with several inside camp, including a national official, said to be fuming at how one of the side’s best has been allowed to jump ship so quickly.
Although Lawson doesn’t have a highlights package like Corey Toole or Darby Lancaster, many believed he could have followed a similar path to first-year Wallaby Dylan Pietsch and made an impact either on the wing or centre.
Indeed, Lawson’s sheer athleticism isn’t something to sneeze about given he hits the scales at 101 kilograms and can run at 10 metres per second.
“We kind of have an influx of good quality guys, so the timing wasn’t unreal for him but I have no question that he could have played 13 or wing at Super Rugby level – and beyond that, who knows,” said Manenti, who joined San Diego in the USA’s Major League competition following the Olympics.
“He’s a robust and resilient kid. He can run 10 metres per second and he’s got a bigger frame than those two (Toole and Lancaster) guys. He might not be as quick as them but he’s not far behind.
“He’s got a beautiful frame, beautiful fend and he’s really grown up. He’s a leader amongst the group. He’s a huge loss. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
Lawson’s departure is a blow for new men’s coach Liam Barry, who was revealed by The Roar as the side’s incoming coach.
After the retirement of former captain Nick Malouf, Barry would have been hoping to lean on the experience and leadership of the 188cm explosive winger.
Now, the sevens program is set for another major rebuild just months after the side enjoyed their best Olympics campaign.
The inability to keep Lawson also points to the absence of planning from Rugby Australia’s top officials, with not enough done to prioritise an under-appreciated sevens program that continually develops players into Wallabies.
Manenti said he didn’t want to “point fingers” but added the governing body needed to be “smart” and “creative” about how they retain, develop and recruit players.
