MAX Williams is filling out courtesy of his brothers flying the nest yet it's brain rather than brawn that is helping the young Dragons forward make strides.
The 21-year-old from Newport will make his fourth appearance of pre-season when he lines up at lock against the Scarlets A in the Celtic Cup fixture at Rodney Parade tomorrow.
Williams has impressed in the development tournament so far, starting in the boilerhouse against Connacht, Munster and Cardiff Blues.
The former Wales Under-20s international, who is also an option at blindside, was flung in the deep end at the start of 2017/18 after catching the eye of new boss Bernard Jackman.
No longer a teenager, Williams is now a much more imposing figure for the exchanges in the tight.
The lock clearly ensures his mother has a hefty food bill – "I am the youngest of four boys, so now my brothers aren't at home there is more food for me in the house!" – but it's not just the bulking and gym work that is helping his push for first team action.
"I am learning from the likes of Lewis Evans and Cory Hill – where they are now is where I want to get to. I am learning from the senior players but I still want to try and push them," said the athletic 6ft 4ins forward.
"I have learned a lot more from being around the senior boys, physically I have got better but the main aspect has been the learning and applying that to my game and being confident.
"That has helped me progress. It's about doing your homework, seeing the bigger picture and applying that to how we play.
"I am not one of the younger ones in the Celtic Cup team and to be honest that is beneficial – I can work on aspects of the game and present them to the boys."
Williams, originally from Pill and now living in Somerton, was in the year below Dragons and Wales tighthead Leon Brown at St Joseph's High School while World Cup star Aaron Wainwright is his age-group.
He made his regional debut five weeks before Wainwright but after making eight appearances in Jackman's first year his progress was hindered by injury.
"I had a concussion this time last year, funnily enough against the Scarlets in the Celtic Cup," said Williams, a part-time sport conditioning, rehabilitation and massage student.
"It's a frustrating injury and there is not much you can do about it but it settled down. I was quite lucky that me and the physios sat down and came up with a plan.
"That meant I came back in good physical shape so that I had a good run of games at the end of the season, so it all worked out well in the end."
Williams played against Ulster, the Ospreys, Southern Kings and Cheetahs in the run-in and is aiming to push for a place in Dean Ryan's matchday squad.
Samoa lock Brandon Nansen, Matthew Screech, Joe Davies and fellow blindside/locks Lewis Evans and Huw Taylor are his rivals for the PRO14 opener at Munster.
Williams has relished the chance to rack up the minutes in the Celtic Cup in order to stake a claim for the senior team.
"You can see how we have played that it has been enjoyable for everybody and we are happy with how things have gone," he said.
"It's been a long pre-season so now there are a run of games it is a chance for everyone to put their name forward."
"Dean wants us to play high-tempo rugby and for boys like me I don't have to think too much, I can just go forward. It's all about working hard."
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