New NRL trial rules decimate Gold Coast Titans player pool for Burleigh Bears

Players desperate for a chance to prove themselves worthy of a place in the starting 17, including Tanah Boyd, Corey Thompson and Tyrone Peachey, have been negatively affected.

NEW rules introduced to protect NRL players from burnout have decimated the Gold Coast Titans’ player pool for Friday’s trial match against the Burleigh Bears.

Under the new rules players who featured in 12 NRL games or more in 2020 will be restricted to just one pre-season trial match in 2021.

Players desperate for a chance to prove themselves worthy of a place in the starting 17 for round one including Tanah Boyd, Corey Thompson and Tyrone Peachey will have one chance only to state their case, when the team takes on the Warriors in Lismore on February 26.

Gold Coast Titans player Tanah Boyd at training. Picture: Supplied.

More than a dozen players exceeded the maximum games quota while another four eligible players are unavailable due to injury.

Just 13 players from the 2021 NRL squad are available for coach Justin Holbrook under the new rules, with numbers to be bolstered by around 10 former train-and-triallists, many of whom were released to their feeder clubs after Christmas.

Titans fans will still catch a glimpse of the team’s next generation with Jayden Campbell, the son of Preston Campbell, the favourite to don his father’s old No.1 jersey for the first time.

Campbell made his debut in Titans colours in the corresponding fixture last year but appeared in the No.17.

Jayden Campbell at Titans training ahead of the Burleigh trial game in 2020. Pics Adam Head

The blood ties will go further as a shortage in the halves appears set to hand a Titans debut to Will Brimson, the elder of brother of regular fullback AJ.

Brimson joined the Titans on a train-and-trial contract from the Tweed Seagulls and Mudgeeraba Redbacks, where he shone as a five-eighth in 2020.

Backrowers Sam Stone and Beau Fermor will audition for the No.19 jersey in an intriguing head-to-head battle, with recruit Sam McIntyre racing the clock to be fit for round one after suffering a stress fracture to the foot.

EXPECTED STARTERS FOR TITANS V BURLEIGH TRIAL

1. Jayden Campbell (Dev)

2. Jonus Pearson

3. Treymain Spry

4. Greg Marzhew

5. Alofiana Khan-Pereira (Dev)

6. Will Brimson (Train & Trial )

7. Toby Sexton

8. Jai Whitbread

9. Erin Clark

10. Darius Farmer

11. Sam Stone

12. Beau Fermor

13. Tristan Powell (Dev)

EXPECTED BENCH

Brent Woolf (T&T)

Ediq Ambroysev (T&T)

Lloyd Perret (T&T)

Solomon Torrens (T&T)

Joe Vuna (T&T)

Brayden McGrady (T&T)

Corey Deniss (T&T)

Andre Niko (T&T)

Caleb Hodges (T&T)

Ben Liyou (T&T)

Unavailable (>12 games in 2020): Tyrone Peachey, Jamal Fogarty, Moe Fotuaika, Sam Lisone, Jarrod Wallace, Anthony Don, Jaimin Jolliffe, Brian Kelly, Corey Thompson, Tanah Boyd, Philip Sami, Ash Taylor (hip) Kevin Proctor (hamstring), Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (knee)

Injured: AJ Brimson (foot), Sam McIntyre (foot), Jojo Fifita (shoulder), David Fifita (thumb)

Not expected for selection: Mitch Rein