The 24-year-old wing failed to make a single appearance for the Dragons last season after suffering a shoulder injury last summer. But Hewitt, who signed a contract extension to remain at Rodney Parade until 2021, is confident the Dragons will improve under new boss Ryan.
“Personally it’s just great to be fit and I’ll be ready for the start of the new season,” he said.
“I’m quite vocal and opinionated on what goes on day to day and it’s hard to have an input when you’re injured. I’d watch the games at the weekend, but then I was never part of the playing squad to give my feedback. I found that aspect difficult.
“The glimpses Dean has given us so far have shown me he’s all about playing. He recognises the talent we’ve got in the team and he wants to utilise that. We’ve got everything a team needs in my opinion and our underachievement in the last few years has been quite hard for me to understand.
“I had one shoulder operation a few years ago which went fine, but then I had a nasty concussion which prevented me from playing in the 2017 Six Nations. That was lengthy and very frustrating, but the next shoulder injury was the worst.
“The second time it was a contact injury and I ended up dislocating my shoulder through the front. That was on the Thursday before we were due to fly out for the 2018 summer tour.
“It was gutting for me and then the repair failed again 16 weeks into my recovery. I had to have another operation where they blocked the front of my shoulder with a piece of bone and it was the most down I’ve been in my career so far. It meant I went a year without playing which was extremely frustrating, but now it’s back to business as usual.”
Hewitt’s lengthy injury lay-off’s means he still waiting to win his first Wales cap. But Hewitt insists he is fully concentrating on improving the Dragons.
“It’s every Welsh player’s long-term goal to play for Wales and solidify their place in the squad. My task of doing that has been made a little bit trickier because my injury has meant other players like Josh Adams and Steffan Evans have had the opportunity to come through,” Hewitt said.
“There is no point obsessing over Wales. I’ve still got my best rugby ahead of me. I’ll carry my current confidence into the start of the season and will hit the ground running as I’m in the best shape I have been for a while. If a call comes, then amazing and if it does then I’ll have to take my chance which I haven’t done in the past.”
