THERE will be no more dwelling on the failures of past seasons at Rodney Parade, it’s all about the future now, according to Dragons captain Cory Hill.

The Men of Gwent travel to Ealing this Saturday for their first pre-season friendly with a real sense of optimism around the region that things are going to be different this term.

Signing the likes of Ross Moriarty, Richard Hibbard, Rhodri Williams and Jordan Williams has seen head coach Bernard Jackman send out a statement of intent to their PRO14 rivals.

When you add Wales internationals Hallam Amos, Leon Brown, Elliot Dee and Aaron Wainwright into the mix, it’s no wonder 18-cap Hill wants to look forward rather than back.

“We’re not looking in the past anymore, we’re looking forward,” said the second row.

“There’s an exciting buzz around the camp and everyone’s really positive.

“Coming back, it’s nice to see all the boys with smiles on their faces and it feels like a new place.

“We’ve put what has been behind us, we’re looking forward, and with the new squad we’ve got and the strength and depth, hopefully we can keep most of the boys fit, unlike last year.

“Everyone seems to be enjoying their work and that’s the main thing.”

He added: “If you look at the signings we’ve made and the boys we’ve kept hold of, the ambition is massive here.

“But we’ve got to put what we’ve been talking about into fruition and start getting the wins on the field.

“Everyone is focused on the task ahead and we’ve got a few pre-season games to get a bit of game time into the boys and then start with a bang against Treviso.”

Hill continued: “I had the experience of captaining the Dragons last season and it was a pretty tough time, it didn’t go too well.

“I suppose those tough times are going to stand us in good stead for this year, and hopefully we can have a few more good times.

“I had a really good last year and hopefully I can kick on and carry that form into this year.

“Hopefully we can get the Dragons winning and, you never know, get a few more in the Welsh jersey.”

Hill goes into his second season as Dragons skipper having been co-captain of Wales on the summer tour to the USA and Argentina, where they beat South Africa and then the Pumas twice.

“It was a massive achievement being named co-captain,” said Hill.

“It was new, nobody really knew what it was about, but I think it worked really well between me and Ellis (Jenkins).

“We shared the responsibilities and it worked really well for us because there wasn’t all the responsibility on one, and we both got to lead the boys out which was nice.

“To get the three victories was the icing on the cake.

“The senior boys played outstandingly on the pitch but also played a big role off it, and the youngsters really stepped up and played a big part in the tour."