Kurt Mann considers his versatility both a "gift and a curse".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It has helped the earnest 29-year-old wrack up 149 first-grade games, but never really allowed him to lock down a single position.
From dummy-half to fullback, Mann has played everywhere bar prop during an eight-year NRL career.
Now, as his positional revolution continues, Mann heads into the season with another new task, deployed as a ball-playing lock.
It's a role Mann looked to have a handle on during the Knights' two trials. And baring a mishap, he will wear No. 13 against the Sydney Roosters in round one.
"At the moment I'm locked in at lock, but if someone gets injured and I can fill that position I will do that," Mann said.
"It's probably sort of my Achilles heel [my versatility], it's a gift and a curse but if it's best for the team that I have to fill a different position, then I will do it."
Recruited by former coach Nathan Brown to become a dummy half, Mann has played every position in the backline during his three years at the Knights, in addition to hooker.
He finished last season with 10-straight games in the centres, but has prepared this pre-season to play lock.
It's a position not foreign to Mann, having experienced it at the Dragons before joining Newcastle. But he admits the switch has required an adjustment defensively.
"It's my first time playing back in the middle for a while. I played a fair bit of lock back at the Dragons and I played half a year of hooker here when we lost all those boys," Mann said.
"It's a big difference going from centre to lock.
"You're making a lot of tackles, getting up and back and off the ground."
"I anticipate that Kurt will start at that 13 position," O'Brien said.
"We've adopted a mindset of our 13 and we'd like to go in with a utility 13, a hybrid-forward and hybrid-half mixed into one.
"[Kurt] and Phoenix [Crossland] have shared that role most of the summer.
"I certainly think the way we want to play is having that sort of hybrid version, like a half being a link man between your edge men and middles.
"But the good thing about both those guys, Kurt and Phoenix, is that they can carry the ball strong as well."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark: newcastleherald.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News