NRL 2022: Gold Coast star AJ Brimson can’t wait to play with Kieran Foran in 2023

The Gold Coast Titans showed what’s possible against Manly on Sunday and will get better when a Sea Eagles star joins them next season.

AJ Brimson is looking forward to playing with Kieran Foran, Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Titans five-eighth AJ Brimson got one over his future teammate Kieran Foran in a masterclass performance against Manly and then stated his mission for next year.

“Next year I just want to learn from Kieran,” Brimson said.

“All the halves we‘ve got – Tanah Boyd, Toby Sexton and including myself – we are all young and inexperienced. Having a leader like Kieran next year, not only to play with him but also to learn off him is going to do wonders for us.

“You look at the rise of the Broncos and the Cowboys this year who have got Adam Reynolds and Chad Townsend. We are getting Kieran Foran. You can turn everything around in a pre-season.”

Brimson, who filled in as skipper, was man of the match in the Titans 44-24 win that ended Manly’s finals hopes and lifted the Gold Coast off the bottom of the ladder, breaking a 10-game losing streak in the process.

Next year, 2011 title winner Foran will join Boyd, Brimson and Sexton at the Titans as halves options. With electric Jayden Campbell at fullback and Roosters 2019 premiership-winning hooker Sam Verrills also signing on, the Gold Coast will have a spine with so many more options for coach Justin Holbrook.

Titans players celebrate a try against Manly. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Brimson said Verrills and Foran were just the kind of players the Titans needed to move up the ladder as the Broncos and Cowboys have both done on the back of key signings in the spine.

“Kieran and Sam are both premiership winners. Winning is a habit and when you get players that win as a standard then they bring that environment with them,” Brimson said.

“I am just looking forward to their professionalism after coming out of good systems.

“I watched the Roosters’ win (over the Cowboys) and Verrills got a double. I’ve been chatting to Verrills on social media. He is excited to come and we are excited to have him. He will be a good pick-up for us.”

How Holbrook fits his four halves and Campbell into three positions next year is yet to be determined. Brimson, who is equally at home at fullback, said he had faith in Holbrook to make the right call.

“It is going to be a battle with no spots guaranteed and me earning it in pre-season, whether that is at six or one or wherever. That is a good mindset to have and keeps everyone accountable,” he said.

“Tanah Boyd has really stepped up. Last week the kicking game (against the Storm) was probably the area where we went wrong. We got hammered all week, us halves. I said to Tanah, ‘You are our halfback. You run the team and kick the footy into the corners’. Credit to him. Our kicking game was awesome against Manly.

“Jayden and I always try and link up. Each week we are trying to do little kicks for each other. The more times we have our hands on the footy the more dangerous our team is.”

Originally published as NRL 2022: Gold Coast star AJ Brimson can’t wait to play with Kieran Foran in 2023