Forced to play waiting game

FOR a “frustrated” Joe Greenwood, it’s all about hanging in.

The Englishman was a regular starter under Neil Henry last year in his first season of NRL football on the Gold Coast but has appeared to fall back in the pecking order since Garth Brennan was appointed as Titans coach.

Greenwood was 18th man for the opening two rounds of the season before finally getting a hitout – his first game since the Titans’ February 24 trial – in the Intrust Super Cup derby between Tweed Heads and Burleigh on Saturday.

He played 45 minutes off the bench for the Bears as they extended their unbeaten start to 2018 to three games with a 32-12 result.

That stint came in a relatively unfamiliar position as a middle forward, as opposed to the edge back-row slot he has usually called home.

Greenwood declared he still has a future at the Titans.

“It has been frustrating,” he conceded, having been stuck behind Ryan James, Kevin Proctor and Will Matthews.

“I had a massive pre-season. He (Brennan) has brought great players in – that’s the team he is going with and they are doing quite well actually this early in the season.

“Hopefully, bide my time

and then make my way in and keep that spot.”

That approach mirrors the advice Brennan passed on to him.

“He just said keep at it, what you are doing at training,” Greenwood said.

“He said you’re doing really well but obviously he has brought in his signings and he will want to play his signings.”

It was Burleigh teammate Hayden Schwass who starred, heaping pressure on young Titans and Tweed half AJ Brimson.

The Bears raced to a 22-0 halftime lead before Tweed launched a fightback through tries to Ali Grant and Regan Muir-Ogle.

Seagulls skipper Cheyne Whitelaw was sin-binned late for a shove.