It'll be a long way from the bright lights of Auckland but steering a side chock-full of NRL experience around Mackay Stadium on Saturday will be a huge step in the career of young Dragons half Drew Hutchison.

On a weekend where most of the focus will be on second instalment of the Auckland Nines, the bulk of the Dragons squad will have their first hitout of 2015 against the Mackay Cutters.

While the likes of Benji Marshall, Josh Dugan and Jason Nightingale will enjoy the open spaces of Eden Park, the Dragons have named a star-studded side for the clash with the Cutters that includes Gareth Widdop, Trent Merrin and Leeson Ah Mau, as well as new recruits Dane Nielsen and George Rose.

Only Ben Creagh and Jack de Belin will be out of action as they nurse minor injuries.

After experiencing his first preseason as a full-timer, Hutchison said he is ready to put the hard work into the Dragons' trial matches.

"I've enjoyed it at times, other times it's been pretty tough only being 19 and never having experienced anything like this before," Hutchison said.

"It's certainly been a good experience to have not only physically but also mentally backing up each day, training your hardest and really getting into that grind of being in an NRL squad.

"We've got our new structures at the moment and it's looking good at training but it's time to try and piece it together in a game against some real opposition."

After picking Marshall's brain for the past three months, Hutchison will partner Widdop in the halves in Mackay - the first time he's ever paired with a playmaker of that calibre.

"It's going to be great.

"He's obviously a seasoned professional and he's been playing the game for a long time.

"I'm very excited to play alongside not only Gareth but some of the other seasoned first graders like Mitch Rein, Dylan Farrell, Dane Nielsen and George Rose. It's going to be a good experience to play with those sort of blokes and know where you stand with them."

While fellow young guns Euan Aitken and Shannon Crook may get greater exposure at the Nines, Hutchison feels the trip to Mackay is a better fit for him as he eyes an NRL debut in 2015.

"At first I was a bit down about not getting selected [for the Nines]," he said.

"I thought maybe it was something I'd done wrong during the pre-season but then I had a real think about it and at the end of the day my main goal is to play in the NRL. That's a 13-a-side game, so this is a good experience for me and a good opportunity to show that I can control a game."