SO it's the last game of a season that I am looking forward to seeing the end of.

My 2017/18 is just about summed up by tomorrow's game against the Scarlets at Principality Stadium – I'll be watching from the sidelines at Judgement Day.

That's frustrating because it's a day that I look forward to each year having had the pleasure of leading out the boys on two occasions.

I've mentioned far too many times this season that's it's been the most frustrating year out of the past 12 for me, one ruined by more significant injuries than the usual strained muscle or dead leg.

In pre-season it was an Achilles issue, then on my comeback against the Ospreys I ruptured my pec and now I'm out with a pair of bulging discs in my neck suffered from a training session in the Edinburgh week.

An MRI scan got to the bottom of what the problem was and now I am just waiting for an injection to settle it down. Only one game this season have I been able to walk of the field fully intact – not ideal.

It means my season is over and I've had around eight months of it not playing and that has been a new experience for me, being unable to contribute as I would have hoped during what has been a season of new and higher expectations.

I know that I've said it many times in the past, but these are the tougher times of being a professional sportsman when dealing with the lows of injury and the feeling of being in the abyss.

It's not just me, we have had more than our fair share on the long-term injury list. The likes of Nic Cudd and Tavis Knoyle, who have seen all season on the sidelines, will have found it hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel along with Ollie Griffiths, who has had a series of nasty injuries. It can be a lonely place at times.

So I'm certainly not alone in having a frustrating season because of injuries and plenty of us are relishing Saturday being over so that we can look forward to starting again.

I'm especially looking forward to having a nice four-week break from Ystrad Mynach, switching off completely and then coming back ready to fly into pre-season.

There are years when you just question the rugby gods after suffering injury upon injury and others when you are lucky enough to string together a run of games.

We've had a lengthy injury list at times this season but then there are the likes of Lloyd Fairbrother, who has played 29 times in the front row and been a Trojan for us, and Aaron Wainwright, who has stepped up and performed consistently through tough times. I tip my hat to them.

I think there are going to be around 30 back row forwards here next year with plenty of competition from the local young boys that have enjoyed a taste of professional rugby this season to a British Lion.

That focuses my mind to come back on June 6 fresh and as fit as I can possibly be, while I also feel that I need to working hard on the maintenance side of things – I've crossed the 30 threshold now, after all!

Next season is certainly one that players and fans will be looking forward to alike. We've had many 'coulda, shoulda' moments with draws at home to Ulster and Glasgow then the recent double-header in Italy, two games that easily could (and should) have gone our way.

If we'd got the results we deserved in those fixtures then we could have turned a poor season into a decent one to start a new era but we know that next season there can be no excuses. We have to perform.

We've got one last game and it's an exciting one against a Scarlets side who have been flying the flag for Welsh rugby.

There is no better place to finish against our quality counterparts on the big stage after us building up a string of performances with boys who are hoping to start a career at the Dragons and those who are playing their last game.

My fellow columnist Adam Hughes wrote a very poignant piece last week about the thoughts and worries of transition that we will all have to go through and wondering what the future may hold, short and long term.

It is a somewhat bizarre time of year where boys are preparing to represent other teams, just as we are ready to welcome many new faces.

I wish him and others all the best going forward on to new challenges. Let's just hope we end the season on a high.