An early contender for buy of the year, Vaughan has polled seven Dally M votes in his first five games for the Dragons who’ve run roughshod over their rivals up front in a 4-1 start the season.

It’s proven a quick return on the Dragons’ reported $1.75 million investment in the 25-year-old, that raised eyebrows in some quarters given his apparent fall from favour at the Raiders last year.

Vaughan played 20 of the Raiders 27 games, including two finals appearances, and earned a third Country jumper in 2016, leaving him baffled by reports he left the Raiders on a sour note.

“I’ve definitely moved on from that,” Vaughan said.

“I think it’s been taken out of context a little bit and made out to be more than what it really should’ve been. I really enjoyed my time down there and I didn’t leave on bad terms, I left on good terms.

“I had a good relationship with all the coaches there but that’s what happens in football, sometimes you have to move on and I’ve found a new home here at the Saints.

“I love the club, I want to establish myself here and hopefully I can do that this year. I’m just enjoying my footy at the moment, that’s the biggest thing, and that carries on into your form.

“Mary [coach Paul McGregor] has been really, really good for me and showed a lot of confidence in me and I just want to do everything I can to play my best footy. I don’t think I’ve played my best football yet so I’m working towards that every day.”

Vaughan’s quickly found his feet in McGregor’s new power game philosophy, forming what’s been arguably the most effective front-row combination in the competition with fellow bookend Russell Packer.

The pair are averaging a healthy 220 metres between them over the opening five games and head a formidable middle forward rotation with ironman Jack de Belin and bench weapons Leeson Ah Mau and Tariq Sims. It’s a pack mentality that Vaughan is thriving off.

“I’m enjoying playing with Russ at the moment because I just love the way he plays,” Vaughan said.

“He’s has been a great player for a very long time and he’s very influential in our team.

“He’s a smart bloke, he knows the game very well, he’s a very powerful runner and he’s a very aggressive player. I can always go off the back of that and we’re feeding off each other and sharing the workload which you need in a front-row partnership.

“We’re well aware that is rests on the forwards shoulders to get us forward and to start the game strong. We’ve just got to embrace that. It’s always going to be a battle in the first 20-25 minutes but you’ve just got to weather the storm and see how you go after that.

“Taz and Leeson are great players as well and it’s a good combination at the moment where we try to start the game strong and they come on and lift it.”