Welsh Writers Player of the year - Aaron Wainwright
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00:00Round of applause, Wales Men's Player of the Year for 23-24, Aaron Williams.
00:10It means a lot, obviously the last 12 months have been a bit tough on the international stage,
00:14struggling to get a win from the games that we've played, but to be recognised for my performances in those games,
00:20I feel incredibly proud and honoured to have been awarded it.
00:23Some of the other guys have said, a long list of incredibly talented players have won it before me,
00:29so it was a bit scary having my name thrown in that mix, but yeah, incredibly proud,
00:34and something that we look back on in many years with fond memories.
00:39Aaron's been superb hasn't he, he's really developed this last 12-24 months,
00:43developed personally as well with his leadership skills, he sets a standard in our environment,
00:47he shows what good looks like and he's a superhuman that everyone feeds off every day.
00:53Deserved recognition for Aaron here that he's been a coach here for the youth and the first team at Whiteheads RFC,
01:01and I suppose it's inspiring for all those players along that pathway to have a current international player
01:07who stand out performances both for Dragons and the national team this year,
01:12and he's only 27, he's been to two World Cups and thoroughly delighted.
01:17Aaron's a great example of what we want in our players as a Gwent boy,
01:21and he gives back to his local community, it's great seeing him back here at Whiteheads Rugby Club,
01:25and he's been doing it for a few years now and our people know where their home is,
01:30and Aaron's a prime example of that and we're really proud of what he does for our region.
01:33So as soon as he goes back, you're closing the space down.
01:37Clean, clean, clean!
01:39Nice, lovely.
01:40So I coach here at Whiteheads just because they've played such a big part in my journey,
01:44and getting me to where I am today, I just feel like I have a sense of responsibility in a way
01:49just to try and give back to them and come down and give little bits of information and detail
01:53that I've picked up on over the years, and hopefully that helps them in their games on the weekend.
01:57And also just the social side of it, obviously growing up with a lot of the players that play here,
02:02very good friends with them, very close with a lot of them,
02:04and just enjoy coming down here, having a bit of a chat and a good crack on a Tuesday and Thursday,
02:09and they get stuck into me as much as I get stuck into them,
02:12so it's a good, I enjoy coming down here and just having a laugh.