AJ’s grim warning for rival fullbacks

A BLACK cloak and scythe isn’t AJ Brimson’s style but the 22year-old Titans custodian won’t hide the fact he relishes playing Grim Reaper for the star fullbacks he lines up against.

In five weeks he’s taken the scalps of NZ international Jamayne Isaako and former Queensland No.1s Valentine Holmes and Kalyn Ponga.

On Saturday he’ll look for his fourth victim in Tom Trbojevic, the NSW and Manly ace set to make his return from a hamstring injury he says he sustained in a shower slip – not in a late-night race down the Manly Corso caught on video seven weeks ago.

He’ll find no mercy on the field from Brimson, who always finds that little extra when duelling a classy opponent.

“It’s always a good challenge going up against those quality fullbacks,” he said.

“At the end of the day the first job is just trying to get the win but it’s always good to have those little individual battles you try to get over the opposite number.

“He (Trbojevic) is one of the best fullbacks of our generation when he’s injury-free.

“He could be a front-rower with his barge-over tries but then he’s fit as so he’s always pushing through the middle.

“We can’t let him take easy opportunities because we know he’ll be there to capitalise on them.”

The bigger picture for the Titans will be to find the consistency they have lacked in the first five weeks of 2021.

Gold Coast had two of its highest-scoring attacking performances of all time in rounds three and five but could only muster one try against the Raiders between the 40-point blowouts of North Queensland and Newcastle.

“We definitely want to be as consistent as possible,” he said. “Obviously we’re not going to try to ride the victory wave. We’ll be ready to go come Manly on Saturday.”