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As was Sean Rudder
Rory Kostjaysin has won more premierships than Ben Hunt.
Rudder > hunt
Gold Coast Titans ready to swoop for Dragons winger Kurt Mann
Travis Meyn and Peter Badel, The Sunday Mail (Qld)
March 10, 2016 6:01pm
Subscriber only
THE Titans are ready to pounce on Dragons winger Kurt Mann as coach Neil Henry formulates a recruitment plan to rebuild their backline stocks.
Henry wants to add two players to his roster before round 10 and Mann is at the top of the list.
The Titans are also eyeing Warriors prop Albert Vete, one of New Zealand’s most impressive young forwards.
Vete, 23, is a Tongan international and has played 37 NRL games for the Warriors since debuting in 2015.
Despite being contracted for 2017, Mann has been given permission to negotiate with rival clubs as the Dragons balance their salary cap.
Mann could remain in Wollongong if the Dragons opt not to re-sign club legend Jason Nightingale however he is determined to play on for the Dragons in 2018 and beyond.
Henry farewelled regular starters David Mead (Broncos), Josh Hoffman (Eels) and Nene Macdonald (Dragons) at the end of last season and youngsters Brian Kelly (Sea Eagles), Greg Leleisiuao (Eels), Jed Cartwright (Panthers) and Zeb Taia (St Helens) in the past month.
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English import Joe Greenwood has already made his NRL debut for the Titans.
Titans COO Tony Mestrov confirmed the club’s interest in Mann.
“If Kurt was released from his contract, we would be interested in him,” Mestrov said.
“He is a quality player, he is a Queensland kid so he’d be a good fit for the Titans.
“He is still contracted to the Dragons so whether it becomes a reality is another matter.
“We’ve lost a few outside backs and that’s one area we are looking to strengthen. He would bolster the fullback and wing positions and he would be definite starter on one of the wing positions.
“I thought he had a good season at the Dragons last year. I would be surprised if they let him go but if they do, we have the funds in the salary cap to accommodate him.
“He’s off contract this year so if he came here, we would require a contribution from the Dragons.”
Mann, 24, has had a promising year. He was signed by the Dragons initially to play fullback, after having a poor performance in the Dragons round 2 clash against the Sharks he was demoted to NSW cup. He later returned during the season on the wing and finished as the club's 2016 leading try-scorer.
He produced an outstanding performance against the Titans at Kograh.
“We’re a little bit light-on, especially with Brian Kelly going. We still need to recruit two outside backs and a forward.’’
Henry was patient with his recruitment last year, netting quality additions Chris McQueen, Konrad Hurrell, Nathan Peats and Jarryd Hayne during the season.
The player movement market has been relatively slow this off-season given the uncertainty surrounding the 2018 salary cap.
Article could read differently now after tonight's injury news.
One of the last toe pokers!
