This weekend's clash will be another first for Titans new recruit Chris Randall.
Having made his club debut a fortnight ago, and now expected to fill the void left by injured No. 9 Sam Verrills for the next few months, the 27-year-old rake will make his maiden trip to Townsville to take on a spirited Cowboys outfit who will be motivated to bounce back from two straight losses.
Match: Cowboys v Titans
Round 4 -
home Team
Cowboys
12th Position
away Team
Titans
10th Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
In fact, not only will it be the Newcastle-born's inaugural time at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, but it will be the first time facing North Queensland - a team he is yet to face across his 31 games in the top grade.
Despite it being an unfamiliar environment, Randall is fully aware of what to expect from his state rivals.
"They'll be looking to come through us I reckon... they're big and powerful and are coming off a loss," he said.
"They'll be looking to prove a point at home, so we're in for a tough game and we know that.
"We'll be training and preparing as hard as we can this week to go up and do a job on them."
In his first outing at Cbus Super Stadium in Gold Coast colours, the dummy-half got through 69 minutes in the sweltering conditions, making 31 tackles and playing a pivotal part of the gutsy win in the hooking role.
Whilst anticipated not to get much relief from the weather gods up in Townsville, expecting another hot and humid afternoon, the 31-gamer is hoping to get through the full 80 minutes this week, much like the player he's come in to replace.
"I think going forward, I can definitely play 80 minutes. I've done it a fair few times and I think I've played big minutes in most of my games in NRL," Randall said.
"Obviously having players like Erin (Clark) on the bench helps too.. like on the weekend, it was probably a good time for me to come off in that heat with about 10 minutes to go. I was starting to cramp up a bit.
"We'll just play it by ear each game I reckon and as my match fitness improves, I can see myself getting through 80 minutes."
Randall is also hoping to give coach Justin Holbrook plenty to think about when Verrills does return from his collarbone injury, aiming to play somewhere in the 17 even if it's a role back on the bench.
"Competition for spots is what makes teams so good," he said.
"I just want to do my job and give Justin a bit of a headache when Verrills comes back... I'm sure he'll slip back in as he's our hooker, but I want to prove that I can do a job there whenever needed or even gain a spot on the bench.
"But for me now, it's just about taking it week-by-week, doing my job and concentrating on getting a win each week with the boys."
