Elgey puts hand up to make No.6 his jumper

KANE Elgey has appealed for patience, insisting he can develop a successful playmaking combination with Ashley Taylor and find the form that made him one of the NRL’s hottest talents.

Elgey is fighting to retain his favoured No.6 for Saturday’s derby against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.

The 23-year-old has been below his best in his return from a knee reconstruction, with the Titans losing 11 of the 14 NRL games he has played this season.

His highly anticipated halves combination with Taylor has failed to fire, with Tyrone Roberts having more success alongside the dynamic No.7 after the duo last year piloted the Titans to a droughtbreaking finals appearance.

Elgey exploded on to the NRL scene in 2015 with 16 matches before suffering a freak preseason injury that robbed him of playing a game last year.

But he is confident he can reproduce that form if given an extended stint in his preferred position now that the Gold Coast’s finals hopes are over.

“The team made the top eight last year and I came back with all of this pressure and expectation,” he said.

“I thought I’d come back and it would be all good but it’s not really.

“I’m still only young. I’m trying to work on it.

“(Five-eighth) is my preferred position but whatever is best for the team, I’m there.

“I want to finish the year off on a good note. Hopefully I can be there next week.”

Making Elgey’s return tougher was a sternum injury suffered against the Warriors.

Gold Coast medical staff likened it to an injury sustained in a car accident and Elgey missed six weeks before returning with the Titans’ season on the line against the Panthers a fortnight ago.

“The last few games haven’t been bad but it was hard missing six games with the sternum,” he said.

“It was tough but I’m not making any excuses.

“This year has been a mixture of positional changes and injuries.”