St George Illawarra have announced that utility Kurt Mann has re-signed with the Dragons for a further two seasons.
Mann will now remain at the Dragons until at least the end of the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership season.
The 24-year-old is halfway through his second season at the Dragons and was the Dragons' top try scorer in 2016.
“I’m going to be here for a couple more years now and I’m really looking forward to it,” Mann said. “It’s a good opportunity for me, I really enjoy living in Wollongong, we have a great bunch of boys here and I am excited about the future.”
Mann, who recently played his 50th NRL game, indicated that he was pleased to have his future finalised.
“It’s always good to get it out of the way, it is one less thing to worry about,” added Mann. “Now, I can just worry about my form”.
Dragons Director of Rugby League Pathways Ian Millward said Mann's versatility was a major plus for the Red V, though he envisioned he'd challenge for the vacant fullback spot in 2018.
"What we've really noticed about Kurt is his ability to play numerous positions and he'll have an opportunity to challenge for the fullback role next year as we aren't going externally to replace that position," Millward said.
"We believe with his age that his next two years will be some of his stronger years, not only developing his skill set but physically too. He's an important signing for our squad moving forward."
Mann joins the likes of skipper Gareth Widdop, Tyson Frizell, Euan Aitken, Jack de Belin, Paul Vaughan, Tim Lafai, Jai Field, Jacob Host, Blake Lawrie, Luciano Leilua and Reece Robson to have extended their stay at the Dragons this season.
