Editor
The Canterbury Bulldogs have officially added Kurt Mann, Drew Hutchison, Jake Turpin, and Poasa Faamausili to their roster for the 2024 season.
Faamausili and Turpin complete the quartet, joining Mann and Hutchison, who have both been linked to the team for some time.
The duration of the deals is unknown at this time. Inquiring about the duration of each contract, Zero Tackle has gotten in contact with the team.
In an effort to improve the Bulldogs’ miserable finishing record, second-year coach Cameron Ciraldo is expected to assign Mann the largest role of the new quartet.
The versatile player, who has spent the entire 2023 season playing lock forward and hooker for the Newcastle Knights, can also play in the halves, at center, or at fullback.
He is not the only utility player to sign with the Bulldogs; Blake Taaffe from the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Jaeman Salmon from the Penrith Panthers were also recently signed by the team.
The other utility player in the recently revealed foursome is Drew Hutchison. He was formerly a halfback, but in recent years, he changed his style of play to allow him to line up in the centers or at hooker for the Sydney Roosters.
Jake Turpin, another Rooster, will join him at the Bulldogs to cover for Reed Mahoney, who will be looking to improve in 2023 despite having a strong debut season in blue and white after joining from the Parramatta Eels.
Joining the Bulldogs from the Dolphins, Faamausili will bring more depth to the team’s engine room. The Auckland-born forward, 27, has only appeared in 43 NRL games since making his Roosters debut in 2018. Before moving to Redcliffe, he also played for the New Zealand Warriors and St George Illawarra Dragons.
In the upcoming weeks, Canterbury will begin preseason training with all four players.
