Sam Verrills is hungry to see more of the defensive resolve the Titans produced to conquer the Knights 26-6 on Saturday night as he prepares to face his former side.
One of the standouts in Gold Coast's dominant display to notch up their first win of the season, the two points didn't come easy for the home side who eased into a grinding arm wrestle for the opening 20 minutes of the match, denying Newcastle several times before scoring points of their own to lead from start to finish.
In what was a complete turnaround to their season opener the previous week - conceding a 22-0 deficit in the opening quarter against the Bulldogs - the Titans hooker feels the stirring win is something they can build on as the side continues to rectify the defensive woes that have previously troubled them.
"We dug deep in the first 20 minutes and we turned up for each other. We didn't do that last week and our resilience and turning up for each other was really rewarding and it showed in the performance," Verrills said post-match.
"Des has come in the last 18 months and really worked hard on the style of footy we want to play.
"It's not going to be an overnight success story and we know that, but this game is a massive building block and we've worked really hard this pre-season.
"It's really rewarding to come out and put on a defensive performance like that and shut down one of the best players in the game in Kalyn Ponga.
"We're really proud, but we've got a six-day turnaround against the Roosters so we'll celebrate this win but then quickly look forward to that."
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Round 3 highlights: Titans v Knights
The Titans haven't beaten Verrills' old team since Round 10, 2016; but the 85-gamer believes a win at Allianz Stadium on Friday night to record back-to-back wins could be a season-defining moment after a topsy-turvy beginning to 2025.
"We just need to be consistent," he said.
"We had a bad trial against the Broncos but played really well against the Dolphins. We then weren't good in our first game against the Bulldogs but then put together a performance like that.
"Come Monday, we'll get straight into review because they're a really good team and they're getting a lot of their players back - especially Lindsay (Collins) who comes back and they've got a lot of strike in that team as well.
"I'm looking forward to going back down to Allianz and versing the old team.
"Hopefully we can get the two points there too."
Match: Roosters v Titans
Round 4 -
home Team
Roosters
14th Position
away Team
Titans
8th Position
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Alongside the personal motivation to get one over his former teammates, Verrills knows bringing home the two points will also help reiterate the side's shift in mentality after plenty of praise for their defensive efforts at the weekend - something they want to become known for.
"It's only one game and we can't get too ahead of ourselves," he said.
"It was a good win but we really have to play well this next week or it means nothing."
