Titans captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui will be proudly watching on from the sidelines this Sunday as the next generation of Gold Coast talent face off against a near full-strength Dolphins outfit at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
In what will be new coach Des Hasler's first game in charge, the experienced mentor has given the opportunity to 15 players yet to play NRL - including seven train-and-trialists and four development rookies to impress in the club's first trial.
Titans.com.au sat down with the skipper to share his thoughts on this weekend's hit-out that will feature Gold Coast's department of youth.
Match: Dolphins v Titans
Round 1 -
home Team
Dolphins
7th Position
away Team
Titans
10th Position
Venue: Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast
Do you remember your first NRL trial – tell us about it?
TF: I certainly do. I think it was on my 18th birthday actually against the Warriors over in Rotorua. It was a good learning curve… Sam Lisone at the time was against me and a few other big hitters. It was a good experience, taught me a lot and it was great to get my first taste of NRL.
What are you expecting to see from the young boys this week?
TF: Just a lot of effort and them working hard. Hoping to see a defensive mentality. It’ll be good to see the young boys have a crack and there’s a lot of feeder boys who trained really hard before Christmas and I think it’ll be good to see them have their crack. I’m really excited… it’s going to be good.
Who are some of the players you are most keen to see play?
TF: Josiah Pahulu is going to be a big one… he’s been ripping in this pre-season. All the boys have been good, but as a fellow middle I’m really excited to watch how he’ll go and I can’t wait to see him run out there for his first crack.
How proud are you to see the number of train and trial and development boys getting a game this week?
TF: I think it’s very good. They had their train and trial time finish just after Christmas, but it’s good to reward all the hard work that they’ve done before, especially since going back to their feeder teams. That can sometimes go unnoticed, so it’s good they’re getting a crack to showcase what they can do in the NRL.
Do you think this weekend will make you excited for next week and the season – especially with the talent the Titans have in the wings?
TF: Yeah, it definitely does me make me excited. It’s also a good reminder that Round 1 isn’t too far away so next week when we're all back on deck will be a good hit-out before the season opener as we prepare to face the Dragons at home.
