AJ Brimson knows the importance of a fast start against the Newcastle Knights on Saturday.
After letting the Bulldogs get the jump in the Titans opening clash of the season, Brimson says his side needs to be better against the undefeated Knights.
"The Doggies showed that (importance of a good start) on the weekend, the Raiders showed that on the weekend so when you miss the start it makes things very hard," Brimson said.
"A fast start against the Knights is front of our mind this weekend."
Despite the round two loss, Brimson says the Gold Coast side isn't panicking.
"We've spoken about that and it is front of our mind to get back on the board this week," he said.
"We've seen teams do that already.
"You can be the worst team ever and then all of a sudden after a win you're back sitting alright and it is not the end of the world.
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Press conference: Round 2 v Bulldogs
"We're trying not to panic but we know how important this weeks game is."
Newcastle sit undefeated after two games, with their star fullback Kalyn Ponga having played a big part in their strong start to the year.
Brimson says the key will be to shut down his time with the ball.
"The more time he has, the more time he has to make the right decisions," he said.
"We need to take the space away from him and not give them so much field position."
The Titans return for a full week of training on the Gold Coast, after moving their training base to Sydney for round two as a result of flooding caused by Cyclone Alfred.
Brimson says the side isn't blaming the disruption for their last round performance.
"We had a really good week of prep (prior to the Bulldogs)," he said.
"It almost brought us closer because you're going home and you're living together for the week.
"There's no excuses from us, we went out with a great mindset, our warm-up was great ... the compounding errors and giving them early ball in the heat just sapped us in the end.
"I wouldn't have an excuse for our prep, it wasn't ideal but in saying that we were very well prepared to play."
The clash on Saturday at Cbus Super Stadium marks the Titans first match on the Coast in 2025, after a first round bye and a second round trip to Belmore.
A big crowd is expected with the game to be the first large live event since the cyclone hit the region.
