The Dragons recently honoured their top performers from the past season during their annual awards function.

Onke Nyaku was the big winner on the night after being named the Dragons’ Player of the Year, following an impressive campaign in which he claimed 39 wickets across all three formats of the game.

Ruan de Swardt - Morgan Piek

Proteas batter and wicketkeeper Rubin Hermann, meanwhile, received the Fans’ Player of the Year award after a stellar season both domestically and on the international stage.

For the second season in succession, De Swardt - affectionately known as “Patches” by his teammates - was honoured with the Players’ Player of the Year accolade. In many ways, it is regarded as the most meaningful award, as it is voted for by the players themselves and reflects the respect and appreciation earned both on and off the field.

The Proteas all-rounder told OFM Sport that being recognised by his “brothers-in-arms” is incredibly special, and receiving the honour for two years running makes it even more rewarding.

“It’s definitely one of the accolades that is close to my heart,” said De Swardt.

“I think if your peers have voted for you as the Players’ Player of the Year, they’ve seen the work that you’ve put in and all the hard graft behind the scenes that no one really sees, so it’s really special receiving that award.

“It’s nice doing it two years in a row, which means that I’m doing something right on and off the field.

“It’s really just a special award for me, one that I cherish, and one that I feel shows the type of person and character that I am.”

Wihan Lubbe, Migael Pretorius, and Ruan de Swardt - Morgan Piek

Looking ahead to the 2026/27 campaign, De Swardt is excited by the prospect of Daryn Dupavillon joining the Dragons setup. The pair previously played together at the Dolphins, and De Swardt believes the experienced quick will bring valuable firepower to the squad.

De Swardt added that Dupavillon’s pace and X-factor were qualities the Dragons lacked at times during the previous season, and he cannot wait to reunite with his former teammate, along with welcoming the other new signings to Potchefstroom.

“With regards to Daryn, he’s a very good signing for us,” said De Swardt.

“I think that extra bit of pace and X-factor that we maybe lacked in previous seasons is a really good thing. He’s going to be a good addition for us and he has that knack of taking wickets.

Daryn Dupavillon - Lee Warren

“I’m really excited to play with him again after we played together at the Dolphins. We’ve also made some really good signings and I think we’ve got a good balanced squad for the season coming up.

“The pre-season has been going well and I’m just excited to get going again and meet all the new lads.”

Meanwhile, all-rounder Dian Forrester’s dream year is set to continue in England after being picked up by the Kent Spitfires for the upcoming T20 Blast.

Dian Forrester - Morgan Piek

The 25-year-old made his Proteas debut against the New Zealand national cricket team in New Zealand in March, and since then opportunities have continued to come his way.

More recently, Forrester featured for the Rawalpindiz in the Pakistan Super League. The all-rounder, who started his first-class career with the Knights in Bloemfontein, could make his Spitfires debut at Lord's next Friday when they face Middlesex in their campaign opener.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport