Broken ribs put Peats in rep bind
GOLD Coast will be without NSW Origin hooker Nathan Peats for up to six weeks with fractured ribs.
Peats’s chances of retaining his Blues jumper appear over with the injury, suffered in the Titans’ loss to Penrith on Sunday, set to sideline him for at least a month.
Titans coach Garth Brennan said yesterday he would leave it in the hands of Peats to decide when he was ready to return.
“Hopefully, we get him back earlier than that. It’s more a pain threshold thing now so Peatsy is a fairly fierce competitor,” Brennan said.
“He felt like he let the team down coming off so early, especially being captain on the weekend, but he’ll get himself right and be back better than ever.”
The worst-case scenario is Peats won’t return before Fittler selects his side for the June 6 Origin series opener.
Mitch Rein has been named to replace Peats in the No.9 jersey for the Titans’ trip to Townsville to battle a North Queensland team coming off five-straight defeats.
Brennan yesterday took aim at referees after an incident involving Rein in their loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
Brennan was furious referees did not take the advice of experienced Gold Coast trainer Craig Catterick and stop play when Rein was being assessed for a suspected neck injury.
He believes match officials are failing in their duty of care towards players suffering potentially serious injuries.
In a further blow for the Titans, centre Dale Copley will miss at least three weeks with a hamstring injury.
Phillip Sami has been named in the centres in place of Copley, while Tyronne Roberts-Davis gets his first start of the season after being selected in the No.5 jersey.
Forwards Morgan Boyle (concussion) and Jai Arrow (back) have been cleared after failing to see out the 35-12 defeat to the Panthers.