Gold Training under-20s coach Ben Woolf stick with the originally named 17-man side that was chosen to open the season against the Knights, for Saturday’s clash with the Storm side at Suzuki Stadium in Brisbane (3.15pm Saturday).
Greg Leleisiuao, who missed the round one clash because of a finger injury, looks certain to return to the side in the centres while fullback Brayden McGrady, who withdrew because of an ankle injury, hopes to be right to take his place.
The NYC side, that fielded 10 newcomers to the under-20s competition against the Knights, should improve from the experience. They were outpaced early by the Knights who came out hard and went to a 34-6 lead 10 minutes into the second half before the Titans fought back with three tries.
“I think a lot of our team will benefit from Sunday’s experience and Greg and Brayden returning will add some impact and experience out wide,” he said.
“I was pleased with how we fought back in the second half and at 34-18 we had a couple of chances go get right back into the match.
“Once we got used to the pace of the game we created plenty of opportunities and had the Knights out on their feet at different stages. But we have to start better and be a lot more consistent over the 80 minutes to compete against good teams.
“The Storm started with a win against the Dragons and always have size and a lot of power, so it will be a good early test for us.”
The Storm under-20s are now Sunshine Coast based and play their games at what was called Langlands Park (Easts Brisbane home ground), so it’s not a big drive for Titans fans to get up and support our young Titans.
The team is:
1- Brayden McGrady
2- Phillip Sami
3- Greg Leleisiuao
4- Brian Kelly
5- Tyronne Roberts-Davis
6- Josh Rogers
7- Josh Fauid
8- Kurt Bernard
9- Jordan Scott
10- Nathan Watts
11- Morgan Boyle
12- Jed Cartwright (capt)
13- Sam Swift
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14 – Ethan Roberts
15 – Max King
16 – Jerome Veve
17 – Simione Fatafahi
18 – Junior Taefu
20 – Ngangarra Barker
