Mann eyes Dragons No.1 jumper after re-signing
Mitch Jennings@@Mitch_Jenno
29 Jun 2017, 4 p.m.
HE’LL wear the Dragons No. 7 on Friday, but St George Illawarra utility Kurt Mann admits the chance to fill the Josh Dugan void at fullback next season was a factor in his decision to re-commit to the club for two more seasons this week.
HERE TO STAY: Dragons utility Kurt Mann will remain with the club for two more seasons after signing a contract extension this week. Picture: Sylvia Liber
Mann has played all but one game for the Dragons this season, spending time in the centres, on the wing and at fullback at various stages.
He’s been given a chance to finally lock-down a starting position against Gold Coast this week, with coach Paul McGregor shifting regular half Josh McCrone to the bench to accommodate Mann at the scrum-base.
Ben Hunt’s looming arrival at the club next season means it will likely be a short-term move, with Mann admitting he does have long-term designs claiming the No. 1 jumper next season.
“It was in the back of my mind, definitely,” Mann said.
“There’s going to be an opportunity somewhere because I can play a few different positions but I’m just really looking forward to the rest of this year.
“Mary’s showed a lot of faith in me over the last couple of weeks and especially this year so that’s been good. There was a little bit of interest from other clubs but [staying] wasn’t a tough decision at all.”
That faith has seen McGregor bank on Mann to reboot his side’s faltering attack alongside skipper Gareth Widdop in the halves, a challenge the 24-year-old is embracing.
“I’ll just go out there and play my normal game,” Mann said.
“I’ve got two or three games there the last couple of weeks and I thought I handled it pretty well.
“Gaz is a really dominant player so I think he’ll take a lot of control there and I’ll just try and support him the best I can.”
The new deal puts paid to suggestions that Hunt’s arrival could see Mann squeezed out of the club as it also sought to retain Dugan and Widdop.
McGregor said the Hunt, who will arrive on six-year multi-million-dollar deal in 2018, will be the club’s halfback next season, but he’s adamant Mann will have a key role to play.
“He can play multiple positions, Kurt and I actually had this conversation a couple of weeks ago about where I feel he’s most valuable to the team,” McGregor said.
“He’s only missed one game this year so he’s been a big part of what we’re about. That won’t change with Ben Hunt coming in next year.
“He’s obviously [going to be] our number seven and Gareth will be our number six but we haven’t got a fullback [for 2018] at the moment.
“We’ve got a couple of young kids there but Kurt might want to re-visit that.
“He can play centre as we’ve seen and while you don’t want injuries but they do happen. The way he’s playing now he’ll be a part of that 17 and it’s a 17-man game these days, not a 13-man game.”
It may be a 17-man game but McGregor said Mann has mounted an irresistible case for inclusion in the starting line-up for Friday’s clash with the Titans.
“I couldn’t let Kurt not play in the starting 13 to be totally honest,” McGregor said.
“The way he plays, his determination, the way he competes on everything… he’s just too valuable to our side at the moment so we needed to find a spot for him.”
http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/4761226/kurt-a-mann-for-all-occasions-mcgregor/?cs=3713
