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MEET the man Cronulla hope will inherit Paul Gallen?s coveted no.13 jersey once he retires at the end of 2016.
Fa?amanu Brown, better known as Nu by his teammates, is the front runner to take the skippers spot at lock.
With Gallen having a year to run on his deal, Sharks coach Shane Flanagan admits he?s unsure of who will fill Gallen?s boots in 2017.
This is where Brown enters into the fold.
The Christchurch product made his NRL debut in 2014, playing 11 games before missing the entire 2015 season thanks to an ACL injury he suffered during the Auckland Nines Tournament.
Having signed James Maloney and Chad Townsend on long-term deals, Flanagan believes Brown can be better used by abandoning his usual position of five-eighth.
Having bulked up during his time out of the game, Flanagan revealed he plans on using Brown in a utility role next season.
?I need to see how Nu develops,? Flanagan told foxsports.com.au.
?Being out all year hasn?t put him behind in his development but we?ll let that unfold and see the way it goes but I think he?s more suited to nine or 13.
?He?ll play a bit of a Ryan Hinchcliffe type role for me.
?He is a footy player and can play six as well so it gives me a lot of coverage for our bench and can play in the back row if he has to.?
Brown began contact work at training this week and will start off sharing the hooking duties with Matt McIlwrick should something happen to Michael Ennis.
While learning the nuances of his new role, he?ll also shadow Luke Lewis and Paul Gallen which only adds to his versatility.
Both men are off-contract at the end of the year and Brown knows he has an opportunity to make the position his own.
?Being a half, it?s different from being in the middle,? Brown told foxsports.com.au.
?You have to run harder lines. I have to get into the hard yakka over the pre-season.
?To have Gal there, it?ll be good to learn from experienced players.
?It?s probably the best thing for my football right now.
?It?s tough with (Luke Lewis) and Gal there but they?re getting older and I?m still young.?
Brown, 21 in December, admitted the 10 months he spent rehabbing his injured knee in what he described as a ?dark time?.
Fortunately he wasn?t alone.
Centre Jacob Gagan injured his achilles which ruled him out for the season, creating a tight bond between the pair as they slowly walked the road to recovery.
?We went through a dark time together,? Brown said.
?It was us together day in, day out. Even off the field we would kick it. We?re pretty tight.
?My family were calling me every day to make sure I was sweet. I was lucky to have good friends there too.?
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