NRL 2023: Incoming Titans coach Des Hasler considers position switch for Alexander Brimson

Incoming Titans coach Des Hasler has made his first major roster call, with a positional switch for Alexander Brimson on the cards as the battle for the No.1 jersey heats up.

Des Hasler has made a roster call on AJ Brimson.

Interim Gold Coast coach Jim Lenihan has declared the Titans will no longer “be bullied” as Des Hasler weighs up making his first major roster move.

The Titans produced their most spirited performance of the season on Friday night, losing a dramatic clash with the Warriors 28-18 after playing most of the match with 12 men.

Maroons prop Moeaki Fotuaika is facing a one-match ban with an early guilty plea for the high tackle on Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad which saw him sent off in the 17th minute.

The Titans produced a spirited performance against the Warriors, bravely fighting on after Moeaki Fotuaika was sent-off. Picture: Getty Images.

The Titans bravely battled on a man down for 63 minutes and were arguably the better team until the Warriors broke an 18-all deadlock with two tries in the final seven minutes.

Since taking over from sacked coach Justin Holbrook in late June, Lenihan has placed a simple focus on making the Titans a more resilient team.

He has overhauled training in a bid to toughen them up following multiple fade-outs and chokes earlier in the season that ultimately cost Holbrook his job after three-and-a-half seasons at the helm.

With only one finals match win in the club’s 17-season history (2010), and a sole play-offs appearance in the past six years (2021), the Titans have been also-rans for much of their existence.

Titans interim coach Jim Lenihan says the Titans won’t be bullied. Picture: NRL Imagery.

Titans hierarchy have shown some desire to turn that around by ruthlessly axing Holbrook to bring two-time NRL title-winner Hasler to the Gold Coast from next season.

Lenihan, a two-time Queensland Cup premiership-winning coach with Burleigh, has got a head start on transforming the club by using his 11 games in charge to change perceptions about the Titans.

While they have only won two of seven matches since Holbrook’s departure, copping some dodgy officiating along the way, the Titans have looked a tougher team that’s harder to beat and Lenihan said he was pleased with the club’s progress.

“We wanted to work harder at being a more trustworthy team that works hard. I’m really proud of how the boys have worked really hard,” he said.

Incoming Titans coach Des Hasler is considering shifting Alexander Brimson to centre in 2024. Picture: Getty Images.

“We’ve focused on ourselves, we’re not really focusing on other teams at the moment. We’ve got a lot to work on, there’s no doubt about that, and defence is one thing.

“But our ability to have grit and determination in our defence and work hard for each other was on display (against the Warriors).

“For the last seven games we’ve had one bad half (30-0 to Roosters). The other times we’re really working hard and evolving. I’m really proud of how we’re holding ourselves and the mindset that we have.

“We want to shift perceptions of other people about our club into a club that’s a strong club and not being apologetic for it.

“We don’t want to be bullied anymore. We’re going out there to work hard.”

Brimson has struggled with injury in recent seasons and a move to the centres could help spend more time on the field. Picture: Getty Images.

Lenihan will officially hand the head coaching reins over to Hasler in the coming months, however the former Manly and Canterbury mentor has been heavily involved already.

Hasler has been working behind the scenes in recruitment and decision-making, putting the building blocks in place so he can hit the ground running when pre-season training begins in November.

The incoming coach is desperate to retain Queensland Origin free agents David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and has also given the green light for the club to re-sign the likes of Phil Sami and Brian Kelly.

Now Hasler is considering moving Maroons fullback AJ Brimson to centre permanently to accommodate rising No. 1 Jayden Campbell.

Campbell has spent most of the season coming off the bench as a utility, but he is becoming too good to warm the pine.

The move would also accommodate rising No.1 Jayden Campbell, who starred for the Titans in their loss to the Warriors. Picture: Getty Images.

The son of Dally M legend Preston Campbell, Campbell was marvellous once again in the Warriors loss, running for 237m and scoring a crucial 90m intercept try.

With Brimson carrying a painful abdominal injury, Campbell will likely start the final four matches of the season at fullback.

Hasler will then use the pre-season to trial a permanent move to centre for Brimson in a bid to prolong the injury-prone speedster’s career.

“We’ve got to have (Campbell) out there, no doubt,” Lenihan said.

“We’ve got to try and have AJ out there as well. The whole situation (Brimson’s injury) has given us an opportunity to have them both out there at the moment.

“It’s something we’ll look at and Des will look at going into the pre-season and next year.

“AJ might not play again (this season), depending how bad that injury is. We’ll see how he goes.

“There’s no doubt JC will be playing there (fullback) while we see how AJ is.”