Former Cronulla apprentice greenkeeper Kurt Dillon poised for top 17 berth in round one
HE once picked up leftover garbage and fixed broken chairs at Shark Park. He marked field lines and cut the grass too. Now Kurt Dillon is poised to run out as a top 17 player with Cronulla.
Sharks
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sharks. Followed categories will be added to My News.
RETIREMENT: Jillaroos star Allana Ferguson calls time
HIT THE BOOKS: Inside Russell Packer’s uni life
HE once picked up leftover garbage and fixed broken chairs. Marked field lines and cut the grass too.
It was a humbling experience that has young prop Kurt Dillon ready for anything thrown up in the rough and ready NRL.
Dillon, 23, is poised to make his NRL debut for Cronulla in Friday night’s massive round one match against North Queensland in Townsville. He will certainly be picked in coach Shane Flanagan’s 21-man squad announced tomorrow.
And it will be an extraordinary rotation for Dillon, who spent four years as an apprentice greenkeeper actually working in and on Shark Park.
Dillon was an apprentice greenkeeper for Green Options, a sponsor of the Sharks. He joined the landscaping company straight out of De La Salle College, Caringbah.
His duties would include mowing, manicuring and maintaining the Shark Park playing surface along with marking the lines before training and games.
He was also called on to collect any stray rubbish lying around the stadium and asked to mend any broken blue plastic chairs. He was named Australian greenkeeping apprentice of the year in 2016.
Dillon is now back at Shark Park but this time in Cronulla’s first-time playing squad.
“I would come in during the morning and cut the field with a ride-on mower, mark the lines and do other stuff around the ground like fix the seats. It was a jack-of-all-trades job, not just looking after the field,” Dillon told The Daily Telegraph.
“We would clean up sometimes, do a bit of everything. We would roll our sleeves up. Our days were full-on. I had fun. The guys were lenient if I had footy commitments.
“There are times now when we have some tough field sessions and I think back to how hard work was back then; working full-time and then training in the afternoon. It puts things into perspective.
“I know now how good I have it training in the full-time squad. I will never take it for granted. My greenkeeping career is on hold at the moment.
“I was lucky enough to get put on at Shark Park. It was convenient for training. I loved by time working for Green Options working on the oval. I have had to work to get to the position I’m in now. Now that I am here, I am very grateful.”
Dillon came through the Cronulla junior system before shifting to Newtown for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before playing for the Jets and Sharks last season.
He has been described as “old school and tough” by Sharks coach Shane Flanagan.
Flanagan said Dillon reminded him of former Canterbury prop Darren Britt, a straight up-and-down prop who achieved considerable success at the Bulldogs.
“He is really tough, old school,” Flanagan said. “He is a throwback.”
Fellow Cronulla prop Andree Fifita also spoke highly of Dillon, saying: “He is a hardhead. A big boy who plays big minutes, I love the way he plays. He wouldn’t look out-of-place in a first grade team, I will tell you that now.
“He goes hammer and tong at training. ‘KD’ has done his time.”
Dillon said he was “excited” to be considered for NRL.
“I’m excited to be in the mix – I don’t really know who is going to be picked but if they go with me, I’d be ecstatic,” Dillon said.
Asked was he a throwback prop, Dillon said: “Maybe a little bit. Maybe I base my game around old-school. I just try to go out there, get through my work and do my job. And hope not to let anyone down.”
Dillon will add some grunt upfront while another newcomer, flying winger Sione Katoa, will bring the sizzle wide.
Sharks players spoke openly about Katoa yesterday, the player himself being placed off-limits to the media. Some suggest Katoa could even be the fastest player in the NRL.
“He’s got plenty of speed,” Dillon said. “From his trial form, he is electric and elusive.”
Fifita added: “He is quick and very nippy. He is speedy, really light on his feet.”
Originally published as Former Cronulla apprentice greenkeeper Kurt Dillon poised for top 17 berth in round one
NRL Off-Season Power Rankings: Surprise leader emerges, Broncos in crisis
One club has emerged as a surprise leader, with just one blemish on their premiership credentials, while the Broncos are in disarray. We reveal how every club is poised to tackle the NRL pre-season.
NRL power list rallies to bring baby Ramien home from Bali
Parents, fans, teammates and other NRL stars have rallied behind Jesse Ramien and his fiancee in their mission to get their six-week premature baby back to Australia from Bali, with their story triggering over $50k in donations.