Titans youth keeping Thompson on his toes

Sitting back in the stands for Saturday night's trial against the Broncos, Corey Thompson was impressed with the next generation of Titans coming through.

So much so, the Gold Coast back knows he needs to continually put his best foot forward each day to keep his place in the team given the current depth within the squad.

"It was good [the trial]. Obviously, there was a lot of young boys that were playing but I think everyone showcased how hard they’ve been working over the off-season and in the pre-season," Thompson said.

"Everyday, I like to deserve my spot. Even at training. I like to train well so the next day I deserve to be in that team.

"Especially in the trials, I just want to trial well and deserve that Round 1 spot and if I’m lucky enough to play Round 1, I want to play well so I deserve to play in Round 2.

"That’s been my mindset through my whole career and I’ll continue it regardless of how many good games I play. I want to make sure the previous one is just as good so I deserve to get picked the next week."

The 161-gamer was particularly impressed with the new-look Titans spine and the hard-work the young trio have put in over the off-season to build the all-important combination.

"I thought JC and Toby were really good and obviously AJ wasn’t playing, but I think those three will not shock us but they’ll impress a lot of people this year, just with their combination and how hard they’ve worked this year," Thompson said.

"AJ is the old man of the group, so hopefully those three can build a great combination which they’ve worked so hard on in the pre-season and take us a long way in the season and play finals."

Scoring two tries and making 172 metres over his 13 runs, Treymain Spry also stood out for Thompson, returning to the NRL scene after a consistent year growing as a player in the Hostplus Cup for Tweed. 

"That’s how he trains at training... he’s just a natural freak. He plays footy so naturally and he’s just so gifted," Thompson said.

"He’ll be pushing really hard for a first grade spot and he’s been training the house down. I think the boys who get to start in Round 1 have to play well otherwise he’s going to take their spot."

Looking ahead to this Saturday's final trial against the Warriors, Thompson is hopefully to play the entire match and start the year well after finishing the year on a high last season.