The 2023 Peter McDonald Premiership runners-up have signed Zac Saddler on the eve of the 2024 season.

Saddler made his NRL debut with Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2021 and played three games for the Northern Beaches club.

His NRL career was cut short by a brain bleed suffered as a result of a fractured skull away to Newcastle Knights.

Saddler said he had reached out to coach Clay Priest about making the move after striking up a friendship with the Mudgee coach.

"We've played against each other in knockouts and we just started to strike up a bit of a friendship, I suppose," he said.

"I feel like we're pretty similar blokes.

"We just got along well and I knew there was an opportunity to go out there and I sort of reached out to him.

He said he was keen to join the Dragons as they set their sights on going one better after their loss to Dubbo CYMS in the grand final, the team Saddler said he'd heard plenty about.

"Mudgee obviously have got a lot of mainly local fellas and they've been together for a few years now and obviously last year getting beat in the grand final," he said.

"I suppose a lot of good judges would probably say if Priest played it might be a different story.

"But obviously Dubbo CYMS are the benchmark for the last couple of years and I suppose they'll be thereabouts again."

He played for the Indigenous Al Stars in 2020 and 2021.

He also also spent time in the Canberra Raiders and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs system as well as with Limoux Grizzlies in France's Elite 1 competition in 2022-23.

The Bathurst product returned to the nation's capital with Tuggeranong Bushrangers in 2023 and made the Canberra Region Rugby League team of the year.

He played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL Pre-Season Challenge match against South Sydney Rabbitohs before making the move out west.

The 24-year old plays primarily as a second row forward, boosting an already fearsome Dragons pack including Priest.