State, family and community are the driving forces for Maroons rookie Kurt Mann

Kurt Mann is the oldest Maroons debutant since Arthur Beetson, whose tough as teak resilience can be traced to a childhood in the Queensland bush which almost killed him – twice.

He is the tough as nails Maroon who is lucky to be alive after surviving two car accidents by the age of 10 and once ran a school-cross country with a broken nose.

Kurt Mann, 32, is Queensland’s oldest debutant since Arthur Beetson and he will channel the fighting spirit of ‘Artie’ when he dons the Maroons jumper for the first time in Origin II in Perth next Wednesday night.

Handed the No. 14 utility role for Game Two, Mann is tasked with combating the energy of NSW firebrand Spencer Leniu and there is no tougher Maroon than the Bulldogs warhorse from tiny Winton in central west Queensland.

The Maroons are craving a hard edge off the bench in their bid to save the series at Optus Stadium.

They have found a willing soldier in Mann.

In the opening round against the Dragons, the 206-game ironman suffered a shocking black eye after a nasty collision with rival winger Christian Tuipulotu.

Kurt Mann is the oldest Maroons debutant since Arthur Beetson. Picture: Getty Images

Mann fronted up the next week and has powered on all season, his Maroons debut a belated reward for 11 years of toil during which the Winton warrior feared the ship had sailed on his Origin dream.

Mann said if the Blues want to try and break his nose all over again in Origin II ... bring it on.

“I’ll put my face wherever I need to put it,” said Mann, who at 32 years and 109 days will be the third oldest debutant in Origin history behind Beetson (35 years and 169 days) and NSW prop Tony Butterfield (32 years and 135 days).

“Especially for my state and for my family and community.

“To be honest, I thought all of this (playing for Queensland) was past me being the age I am.

“It’s a credit to the team we have down there at the Bulldogs at the moment, I probably wouldn’t have been a look in if it wasn’t for the way we’ve started the year there.

“So I’m really excited, especially being a boy from Winton.

“It’s a lifelong dream to represent your state and next Wednesday I’ll get to achieve that.”

Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo says Mann is the heartbeat of the table-topping Bulldogs and the evidence of his resilience can be traced to his childhood years in the Queensland bush.

He recalls his 16-year-old cousin flipping a car on a dirt Winton road in the mid-1990s. He was three years old, no seatbelt on, and was lucky to escape uninjured.

When Mann was 10, his mates and older relatives went pig shooting and avoided another potential tragedy after smashing their Suzuki into a creek bed.

Tough as old boots, Mann recalls breaking his nose playing for St Brendan’s Yeppoon in year 11. Blood poured everywhere. His then coach, famous St Brendan’s mentor Terry Hansen, made him inhale turmeric powder to stem the bleeding ... then ordered him to take part in the school’s cross-country event 24 hours later.

“The turmeric thing is a true story,” Mann recalls with a laugh.

“Terry put the turmeric up my nose because I broke it. We had the school cross-country the next day and he made me run in it with a broken nose.

“I couldn’t breathe out of it because I had a turmeric pack up my nose.

“He has done a couple of strange things to me, ‘Hanso’.

“I got a cork another time and he got a cup and lit a bit of paper. He put the paper in the cup while it was on fire and stuck it on my leg and sucked my leg into the cup like a vacuum.

“He reckoned that old wives tale is how you fixed corks.”

Kurt Mann takes a selfie with a fan at the Queensland State of Origin Fan Day at Albert Park in Gympie. Picture Lachie Millard

Incredibly, since his Storm debut in 2014 alongside fullback champion Billy Slater, now his Queensland coach, Mann has started in every position except front row.

But if the Maroons need him there in Origin II, Mann will pack his battle-hardened face into any scrum.

“I played front row for about 20 minutes against the Roosters a few weeks ago,” he said.

“I’m not the biggest front rower and pretty glad they didn’t kick off to me as well.

“But I’m confident of handling this occasion.

“I’ve played enough footy now that I think I could get the job done regardless of where Queensland put me.

“Billy was there when I made my debut at Melbourne, so for him to be coaching me and probably going to hand me my debut jersey here, it’s pretty special.”

Originally published as State, family and community are the driving forces for Maroons rookie Kurt Mann