Gold Coast Titans hooker Chris Randall is out to give Justin Holbrook a major selection 'headache' as speculation links club to Super League star Kruise Leeming
He is the man out to prove he is no fill-in, and he has the numbers to prove he could be a key piece in the Titans' premiership puzzle.
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Chris Randall has vowed to give Titans coach Justin Holbrook a “headache” at the selection table, as he seeks to establish himself as more than a back up to star recruit Sam Verrills.
However, there is speculation a new man could enter the race to challenge for the Titans’ No.9 jumper at Parkwood.
Verrills arrived on the Gold Coast to address the club’s lacking depth at hooker, however a fractured collarbone is set to rule him out for several months.
The 24-year-old Roosters premiership winner underwent surgery on Monday, with a return timeline to be determined once the post-operation wound heals.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that Super League rake Kruise Leeming has been linked to the Titans.
The Leeds Rhinos hooker, who captained the club in last year’s grand final defeat to St Helens, submitted a release request to the English giants last week.
Reports out of England suggest the 27-year-old had been linked to a Gold Coast move.
The Titans declined to comment on the speculation.
Dummy-half was a position which plagued the Titans last season, with Aaron Booth the only recognised dominant number nine on their books prior to his ACL injury late in the campaign. While forward Erin Clark has been used at the ruck in the past, off-season recruit Randall declared he was an 80 minute player capable of thriving in the Verrills-sized void.
The former Knight proved himself as a defensive workhorse during his time in Newcastle; a memorable NRL debut in which he made 68 tackles for two misses indicative of that.
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In sweltering conditions on Saturday, at one stage the temperature at the middle of Cbus Super Stadium reading at above 40C, Randall turned in a 69 minute performance — making 29 tackles, but missing five in the 38-34 win over Melbourne.
A hamstring strain cruelled the 27-year-old of any pre-season trial, but the man himself said now that the cobwebs had been blown out he was intent on making life difficult for Verrills to regain his spot.
“Obviously competition for spots is what makes teams so good, I just want to do my job and give Justin a bit of a headache with Verrills coming back,” Randall said.
“I’m sure he’ll slot back in, he’s our hooker, but I want to prove I can do a job there wherever needed or even look to gain a spot on the bench.
“For me now it’s just taking it week by week, concentrating on getting a win for the boys and do my job.
“It’s disappointing for Verrills, it’s not ideal for him or the squad. But I just have to come in and do my job, that’s footy, and fill his shoes as best I can.”
Round Three’s scorching clash could prove the perfect audition for the Titans when they face off with the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday.
The contest will present another chance for returning edge forward Jo Vuna to cement a place in the line up. Vuna scored against the Storm in his first NRL appearance since 2021, overcoming a ruptured ACL to end a 644-day hiatus.
But with rookie prospect Klese Haas breathing down his neck — named as 18th man on the back of two star showings for Tweed Seagulls (118m and 29.5 tackles a game) — Vuna knows it may take a profound effort against a monster North Queensland pack to keep his place.
“It’s a good opportunity, it’s up to me if I want to take it,” Vuna said.
“I’m feeling good, I’m pretty fresh so it’s still early in the season. The knee is feeling fine too so hopefully it keeps up for the rest of the year.
“It’s always good to get the first one out. Now I know the standard so I’ve got to keep it and it’s a good opportunity to better myself each and every week.”
STAR RECRUIT FACES SIDELINE STINT AS FORAN BACKS UNDER FIRE PARTNER(March 14)
Titans star Kieran Foran declared he pulled up from the Dragons defeat in strong stead, despite heading into the contest with fitness concerns.
However the Gold Coast will be without fellow recruit Sam Verrills for their first home game of the season against the Melbourne Storm.
Foran was deemed touch and go after his side’s strong win over Wests Tigers in Round One due to a knee concern, but he still took the field on Sunday much to the relief of the Glitter Strip faithful.
However while coach Justin Holbrook was optimistic post-game that Verrills’ concern was nothing more than “a burner in his shoulder”, the former Rooster has not been named in the extended squad and will be replaced at hooker by Chris Randall.
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“He’s pulled up a little sore and sorry for himself, so we’ll wait and see what comes out of that,” Foran said of Verrills.
“Randy has been great all preseason, he’s training really well. He’s one of the fittest at the club, he’s a really good athlete and really applies himself great.”
The clash with the Storm comes after an error-riddled affair against St. George-Illawarra, with halfback Tanah Boyd guilty of a series of mistakes with the boot.
Twice he failed to find touch on penalty kicks, while an attempted short drop out failed to make the 10m distance against strong winds in Sydney.
However even with fellow halfback Toby Sexton breathing down Boyd’s neck, credited with two try assists in the Tweed Seagulls’ Queensland Cup season launch, Foran backed his number seven to bounce back in emphatic fashion.
“He’s his harshest critic, he’s extremely hard working Tanah and he knows where he went wrong on the weekend and accepts responsibility for that,” Foran said.
“We’ve all got a job to do, yes he didn’t find touch a couple of times but at the end of the day there was more than went wrong during the game than just that.
“We all have to take accountability for that; Tanah will be fine, he’ll get himself back up and ready to go this weekend. I’m sure he’ll put in a great performance.
“He’s a really confident young bloke, he backs his ability and that’s all it was with those kicks. He probably tried to bite off a little more than he could chew and there was a bit of a howling wind out there.
“He knows that, but at the end of the day like I said it takes far more to go wrong than two kicks from finding touch. He’s a smart guy he’s a smart footy player, he knew exactly where he miss hit those.
“He’ll redirect it heading into this weekend, and I don’t think we’ll see him do that again for the rest of the year.”
The Titans return to Cbus Super Stadium will also mark history for the club as the prepare to rollout the first set of brothers in the same team.
Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui, the younger brother of captain Tino, will make his NRL debut off the bench on the back of a brilliant showing with the Bears.
The young prop finished the QCup win over Norths Devils with 153 running metres and 29 tackles, but according to Burleigh coach Luke Burt it is the moments few footy pundits scrutinise that makes him a rare and prodigious talent.
“He’s going to get better and better with a couple of NRL pre-seasons under his belt. You know what you’ll get in a match,” Burt said.
“He’s very honest and plays big minutes and he doesn’t let you down with the little jobs that every coach wants their players to do.
“He does some little things people don’t see, he’s so reliable and I think he’s only going to get more physical with another 12 months under his belt.”
'HE BATTLED ON': TITANS WEIGH IN ON HOOKER'S SUSPECTED INJURY (March 13)
Titans coach Justin Holbrook remains hopeful Sam Verrills will be fit and firing for the club’s first home game of the season, despite the hooker missing most of the second half of his side’s crushing defeat to St George-Illawarra.
Verrills cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines upon coming off in the 50th minute, seen grimacing as he massaged his neck and upper shoulder.
The 24-year-old — playing his 50th NRL game in the 32-18 loss to the Dragons — played the full game in the Round One triumph over the Tigers and scored a try on Sunday to put his side 12-2 in front before being taken from the field.
Fortunately, fellow Titans recruit Chris Randall — who had been sidelined since before the club’s first trial with a slight hamstring strain — returned to make his club debut off the bench.
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Depth in the number nine jumper plagued Holbrook’s side last year; the likes of forwards Sam McIntyre, Jarrod Wallace and Erin Clark used for much of the season.
When asked in the aftermath of the contest if the concern for Verrills was minor, Holbrook was optimistic that the setback would not rule him out of his maiden appearance as a Titan at Cbus Super Stadium.
“Hopefully,” Holbrook said.
“I think he’s OK, he’s got a burner in his shoulder and he battled on for a fair while there.
“He’ll be OK.”
Holbrook lamented his side’s inability to capitalise on a fast start as the Dragons forwards gained the ascendancy.
While AJ Brimson looked electric in the early stages, setting up Alofiana Khan-Pereira for his first NRL try, the Red V scored three quick tries in the space of eight minutes to take the lead in the shadows of halftime.
From there it was one way traffic, with the Titans’ depleted forward pack out-muscled by the likes of Francis Molo (114m), Blake Lawrie (116m, four tackle busts and a try), Zane Musgrove (125m) and Josh Kerr (111m).
In contrast, only Gold Coast skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (120m) and Issac Liu (102m) topped triple figures with the ball in hand among a pack without late withdrawal Jaimin Joliffe (torn pec) and Beau Fermor (ACL).
Fermor’s replacement, Joe Stimson, has however been cleared to take on Melbourne this week after avoiding a dangerous throw charge at the NRL judiciary.
A series of fundamental mistakes — penalties not being kicked out and short drop outs gone wrong amongst them — ultimately put too much pressure on the fatiguing middle men.
“It was really difficult for us tonight, we did a lot of dumb things, put a lot of pressure on the middles. I’m not here to make excuse but I lost a starting middle during the week,” Holbrook said.
“I thought we did really well to get to 12-2, and then we just couldn’t control it through the middle and then they got control of the game and we couldn’t get it back.
“We’ve been light on in the middle and we made it very hard on ourselves getting a lot of those things wrong.”
‘WHOLE DIFFERENT TAINE’: TURNAROUND BEHIND DUO'S FIGHT TO NRL DEBUTS (February 16)
Titans flyer Alofiana Khan-Pereira noticed “a whole different” Taine Tuaupiki when the pair forged one of the most formidable partnerships in the Queensland Cup, and now they have thrust themselves to the verge of NRL debuts.
As Khan-Pereira looms as a likely Round One inclusion on the Gold Coast flank, Tuaupiki has inked a one year full-time deal with the New Zealand Warriors; forcing his way in on the back of an impressive train-and-trial stint across the ditch.
While Khan-Pereira has been viewed as a long-term winger since joining the Glitter Strip’s elite systems as a 16-year-old, Tuaupiki threatened to slip through the cracks after he was released from the Titans pathways.
The enigmatic fullback was in need of a shake up in the way he approached his rugby league, and he did just that.
First it was through the Burleigh Bears A-Grade premiership-winning side, before the Coombabah State High product unseated club legend Kurtis Rowe for the QCup jumper last year and went on to be crowned the Petero Civoniceva Medal winner.
And after catching Warriors coach Andrew Webster’s eye throughout the pre-season, Tuaupiki was given his chance in last week’s trial against Wests Tigers; running for 105m and making four tackle breaks in the 48-12 triumph which cemented his NRL future.
So what led to Tuaupiki’s breakthrough? What inspired a season which featured 14 tries, 22 try assists, 25 linebreaks and 105 tackle busts to go with 147 running metres a game?
According to Khan-Pereira — the regular beneficiary of his custodian’s service in the shape of 25 tries — it was in his pre-game approach that set him on course to challenge Warriors No. 1 Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad for the job.
“Taine’s such a good bloke on and off the field, he’s obviously putting in the work and it paid off last year how he got player of the year,” Khan-Pereira said.
“Growing up with him was awesome and playing with him; he obviously knew how fast I was and he used his strengths to link up with me and we connected very well.
“I’m definitely going to miss his long passes to me and me finishing it. He’s done himself good at the moment and it’s well deserved where he is now.
“I think it was just the little details off the field; he really focused on getting himself right and planning himself before the games.
“I just saw a whole different Taine, and it obviously reflected on the field.”
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While all signs point to Khan-Pereira earning an eagerly anticipated first-grade debut when the Titans launch their season, the man himself is adamant selections are “still up in the air”.
Suspension to centre Brian Kelly and a long-term injury to Patrick Herbert has opened up several spots in the outside backs, and the temptation to roll out what could prove the fastest wing pairing in the competition may be too great.
Last season Khan-Pereira was clocked in at 36.5km/hr, while fellow rookie winger Jojo Fifita was recorded at 36.9km/hr in Round 19.
What they lack in experience — Fifita’s eight-games in 2022 the only NRL caps between them — they make up for with pure speed.
For now, however, Khan-Pereira is focusing on a hopeful second trial clash against Redcliffe, admitting that despite his two-try heroics in the 24-24 draw with Brisbane he needed to be more consistent from the opening minute.
“Jojo definitely has that speed, he’s caught me a couple of times … I think we’ve clocked at 10m per second both of us together,” Khan-Pereira said.
“It’s definitely up in the air, there’s a lot of good boys pushing for that spot. I’m definitely nervous because it wasn’t my best performance on the weekend — I was definitely noticing in that first half.
“As it gets closer it isn’t going to get any easier. For sure (I’m ready to go) I just needed a couple more games under my belt first, a couple of trial matches, and I should be sweet.”
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