IT’S nice to play for the team that you supported growing up so I am delighted to have committed to another two years playing for Newport Gwent Dragons.

It has always been a mutual decision throughout my career so far with me wanting to stay local and loyal to the club and the coaching staff having me in their thought process.

I played my first game for the region in 2006 and there have been some tough times but there’s light at the end of the tunnel with our current mix of talent coming through and experienced players guiding them.

As a region we’ve got a growth mindset rather than a fixed one and a lot of things are falling into place.

I suppose it will become rare for a player to stay at one club for a decade in the modern game but I take great pride in the fact that me and Ashley Smith have come through the ranks together and still enjoy playing for our home region.

There have been other options in the past – both in Wales and over the bridge – but it just made sense to stay here and develop my game.

That’s something that I think I have done through the years, only stagnating because of injuries picked up along the way, and continually working to improve weaknesses is essential for a long career.

I still enjoy running out at Rodney Parade and playing with a group of players who are good guys and it always has been the case. I think I get a lot of stick from close friends about my occupation but I can't complain as I do still feel a sense of real job satisfaction.

It’s good to have my future sorted for another two years but of course I’ll have to wait until next season before I get back out in the middle.

The operation on my wrist went well last week and my spirits were lifted by hearing that the boys produced a brilliant performance to beat Guinness Pro12 champions Leinster in Dublin.

It was tough not being able to watch it and I was getting updates from a friend off the internet while the Wales game was on.

I know from experience that even in international periods Leinster are a strong side and have incredible depth to their squad.

The previous week against London Welsh in the LV= Cup, my final game before surgery, we had put in a poor performance all round but I’ve heard from Ash that the boys went from nobody having a good game to everybody playing their part.

Results like that are great and can change our perception in other countries where perhaps they have just got used to turning us over.

Our away form has been bad through the years but by enjoying good wins at Stade Francais, Bucharest and Newcastle in Europe we have given ourselves the belief to perform in the league.

We need to back up those sorts of results and I am sure the boys will be desperate to produce another strong display against Connacht on Sunday.

After picking up points as underdogs when nobody expected us to at Leinster hopefully we can do the same at Rodney Parade this weekend to close the gap on the sides above us in the Pro12 and possibly climb above Cardiff Blues.