Newcastle Knights in no rush for Kurt Mann dummy half move
He was signed to play dummy half but Kurt Mann’s transition into the No.9 jersey may not be complete by the time Newcastle play Cronulla in their round one clash.
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He was signed to play dummy half but Kurt Mann’s transition into the No.9 jersey may not be complete by the time Newcastle play Cronulla in their round one clash, according to coach Nathan Brown.
While Brown has guaranteed Mann’s place in Newcastle’s 17, he said it would take time before the former St George Illawarra player could make the dummy half position his own. Mann was a late off-season mover from the Dragons where he struggled to cement a starting spot. Brown had earmarked Mann as a potential hooker option, joining Danny Levi, Jamie Buhrer and Zac Woolford.
“It’s a position we think Kurt can practice and get good at,” Brown said. “He has a lot of work to do but he has a great attitude and wants to do well. Over the course of the next six weeks we will gauge his developments.
“He can get there. It will take some time and work. Most blokes who can play five-eighth and fullback that can catch and pass — most of them — can play dummy half. It’s whether you can handle the workload in the middle and if you’re fit enough.”
Veteran Buhrer looks destined for a permanent switch to hooker following the surge in depth in Newcastle’s back-row stocks. Levi had a mixed year last year where he was unable to lock down the hooking spot despite making his Kiwi debut in 2017.
The hooking spot has been a bit of a poison chalice for the Knights in recent years following the injury retirement to Rory Kostjasyn before he played a game for the club in 2017, while Slade Griffin’s knee was ruined in a horrific accident last year.
Griffin is aiming to be back for the final two months of this season.
While Brown said it was too early to know if Mann would be ready to start against the Sharks in round one, he has little doubt about his value to the squad.
“Kurt has played plenty of middle for the Dragons, he likes the defensive workload and is he very fit,” Brown said. “He ticks plenty of boxes. It’s just a matter of learning one or two basic parts of dummy half play. We will keep it very simple for him and over a period of time he can develop his game.
“Would he get there by round one I don’t really know but what we do know with Kurt is that he is going to be in your 17. It was an easy decision to buy him. He is a great guy, selfless.
“He is an adaptable player. In the day and age of headknocks he becomes a very valuable member of any squad. He is always going to be in the team.
“We’d like to think over a period of time his dummy half game will develop and will put a lot of pressure on Danny and the other guys.”
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Originally published as Newcastle Knights in no rush for Kurt Mann dummy half move
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