Master and apprentice
Rein hoping to get better of old Dragon rival again
GOLD Coast hooker Mitch Rein will go up against his former mentor – and now Dragons interim coach – Dean Young on Friday night in an intriguing contest between master and apprentice.
It was a decade ago when Rein dethroned Young as the club’s starting No.9 and the two former teammates will again battle it out – albeit with one on the field and the other in the coach’s box in Sydney.
Rein was mentored by the premiership-winning hooker in his early days with the Dragons before going on to replace him as the starting dummyhalf in the 2011 season.
Ten years on and their separate paths will see them reconnect at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium – with Rein as Titans starting hooker and Young as interim Dragons coach.
“He was an awesome teammate to have around and I just knew back then that he’d be an awesome coach too,” Rein said.
“I learnt so much from him when I was younger (because) he’s got such a footy head on him. He’s worked so hard and it’s awesome to see him get an opportunity there just as an interim coach.
“I know all the guys would love being coached by him because he’s such a legend and such a good coach as well.
“But he’ll be treating this as just another game for them and so will we.”
The Titans will be out to spoil the Dragons’ dreams of securing their first NRL finals spot in two years.
Sitting 10th on the ladder and four points behind the eighth-placed Sharks, the Dragons will be desperate for the two points ahead of a challenging final month featuring premiership contenders, the Raiders, Knights and Storm.
The Titans head into the clash on the back of Justin Holbrook’s contract extension and hopes of brighter times ahead for the club.
Back-rower Beau Fermor said: “It’s good to have some familiarity and knowing that the coach you’ve got is going to be here for a long time.
“It does make it a bit easier that you’ve just got to focus on your job playing footy.
“(The Dragons) have been improving each week and they’ve got some strike players that we’ll have to do a job on to get the win but it’s more about us focusing on ourselves than shutting down their threats.”