NEW LOOK FOR TITANS
Khan-Pereira among five debutants for GC
FLYING winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira will get his NRL baptism as four others play their first game for Gold Coast in the Titans’ season opener against Wests Tigers on Sunday night.
The Titans kick off their 2023 campaign against the Tigers at Leichhardt in the final match of the opening round.
Coach Justin Holbrook named an unchanged 17 from the team that demolished the Dolphins 40-16 in the last match of the NRL’s Pre-Season Challenge. While Khan-Pereira will make his first-grade debut on the wing, recruits Kieran Foran (Manly), Sam Verrills (Roosters), Aaron Schoupp (Bulldogs) and Joe Stimson (Bulldogs) will also play their first NRL games for the Titans.
It will be a vastly different Titans team from the one that finished last year in 13th spot. While it may take some time for Gold Coast’s new combinations to click, Holbrook is pleased with how his new team has prepared.
“The hard thing is you’re always leaving good players out of the 17, but we had a good hitout and were happy with the combinations out of that trial,” he said. “We don’t have to change a lot. We’ve got to train hard and prepare well but don’t have to worry about those decisions this week.”
“We were happy with how we went, but the trials are only trials. You can’t take a lot out of them. It was important for us with a few key changes, but for a lot of teams it’s not that important. We’ll take a bit of confidence out of that but round 1 is completely different and will be a lot harder.”
With Kiwi Test star Foran at five-eighth and Roosters premiership-winner Verrills in the No.9, the Titans are expected to be a more stable team. They have strike out wide in speedy young wingers Jojo Fifita and Khan-Pereira, who scored a stunning four tries in the Dolphins trial.
The Titans have a good chance to get their season off to a winning start against last year’s wooden spooners, but Holbrook is expecting a tough contest. The Tigers have also made some key off-season signings in Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’i.
“There’s a lot of hype around them and so there should be,” Holbrook said.
“They did really well in their main trial last weekend and they’ve got some great recruits they’ve brought in. They’re going to be a really tough opposition at Leichhardt.”