Ex-knight finally has his day for debut
TITANS rookie Beau Fermor will be pitchforked into the NRL furnace for his debut after Kevin Proctor and Phillip Sami were late scratchings for today’s clash against Cronulla at Cbus Super Stadium.
Gold Coast’s return to their home ground after COVID-19 restrictions has been tempered by the loss of skipper Proctor and Queensland Origin hopeful Sami.
The Titans feared the worst after they went down at training on Wednesday, but scans have ruled out surgery for two of the Gold Coast’s most influential squad members.
Sami faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder, while Kiwi Test veteran Proctor will miss the next fortnight with a ruptured bicep.
The setback has opened the door for Fermor, the Newcastle Knights recruit who has overcome injury horrors to celebrate his NRL debut against the Sharks.
The 21-year-old backrower, who hails from the Queensland town of Dalby, snapped his ACL at the Knights last season, but his hard toil in rehabilitation has been rewarded with maiden cap for the Titans.
Fermor produced some strong runs in a reserve-grade scrimmage against the Broncos last week, scoring a try in the curtain-raiser to the Titans’ 30-12 derby win.
“Beau has not put a foot wrong since coming to the club and has really worked hard his after his knee injury to get himself ready for the NRL,” coach Justin Holbrook said.
“In an ideal world, we would have liked to have given him an extra week, but he has been banging on the door.”
Holbrook will decide between Fermor and Bryce Cartwright for Proctor’s starting place on the left edge. Tyrone Roberts will come into the side at fullback, pushing custodian Corey Thompson to the wing to replace Sami.
“It is obviously disappointing when you lose any player to injury, but particularly two of our best players and two guys who had been playing some good footy,” he said.
“The positive news is that the scans came back with much better results than we had initially feared.
“The other thing is that incidents like this provide an opportunity for other players.”