A young gun battle of the halves awaits this Sunday when the Titans face the Bulldogs... one Tanah Boyd is very much looking forward to.
Not just because the clash will be his 50th in the NRL but also given who his opposite number will be for the special occasion, facing off against a familiar foe who he has played a number of games against in his time coming up the ranks.
Wanting to impress Brad Fittler and Blues selectors with the team selection on Monday, Bulldogs No. 7 Matt Burton is expected to be primed for a big game - something the Gold Coast playmaker is relishing.
"I always love come coming up against good quality halves and I played against Burto a fair bit coming through the juniors," Boyd revealed.
"He's an unreal player and he's doing such a good job there.
"I'm excited, but we've just got to nail our roles and do what we need to do to hopefully get the result.
"They've had a couple of losses now so we know they're going to be firing and ready to go."
Match: Bulldogs v Titans
Round 12 -
home Team
Bulldogs
14th Position
away Team
Titans
11th Position
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Slipping just outside the top eight after a tough loss to the Knights at the weekend, defence has been the biggest focus at Titans HQ to start the week, especially after conceding 46 points in the Round 11 clash - 22 of those unanswered in a 20-minute period.
"It's obviously not good enough and something we are speaking about a lot," Boyd said.
"I think it just starts from our yardage defence and keeping them down there end and not not letting them march up the field.
"But in saying that, we have a few detail areas in defence, so just fixing that up and having clear thoughts and sticking to what we've worked on all pre-season [will get us back on track].
"The boys know that and we tend to bounce back pretty well, so hopefully we can."
Bringing up his half century of first grade appearances in the outing after debuting in Round 24, 2019, the 23-year-old's journey has been tough at times, but one that has been a true reflection of his tenacious and determined character to forge a successful career in the NRL.
"I've got here now and I just want to keep going," Boyd said.
"I feel like I'm getting better each game and learning each game so I just want to keep improving and hopefully I can keep making those milestones.
"But it's just another game that I want to win. That's all I care about."
