'This is his moment': Hasler's confidence in new Titans No. 1

Des Hasler has backed young gun Jaylan De Groot to capably fill Keano Kini's place in the No. 1 jersey with a specialist appointment to reveal the full extent of the Titans' fullback's neck injury.

The reigning Paul Broughton Medallist was one of Gold Coast's best against the Knights, polling four Dally M points after making over 200 running metres in his side's 26-6 win at home, before scans revealed a concern that requires further medical opinion.

Missing at least this Friday night's game against the Roosters, the Titans coach is backing De Groot to ably fill the void left by Kini - who is expected to be sidelined for an extended period pending the results of the specialist consultation.

"He will consult the specialist tomorrow and work through what the scenarios will be," Hasler told media on Wednesday.

"I’m not a doctor… but if I’m putting on my cap [to determine] what I think will happen, I think he will have a prolonged absence, but not the entire year.

"There’s some rumours out there that he’ll be out for the entire season... no, but he’ll probably be out for a length of time.

"What that time is and what that entails, we’ll probably know in the next 48 hours."

Relishing the opportunity to play NRL again after a strong debut in 2024, the 22-year-old will have his work cut out of him against world class fullback James Tedesco.

But it's nothing new for De Groot, who is more than up for the task after having to shutdown fellow superstar Kalyn Ponga in his maiden appearance late last year.

"[These injuries] are just part of the territory. You can prep for it and you work for it but Jaylan De Groot now gets to come in," Hasler said.

"He’s acquitted himself well in the past and this is his moment and his chance. 

"He’s not a rookie. He’s played there a couple of times now, including in the trials and he acquitted himself last year against the Knights.

"He’s trained the whole off-season [at fullback], so I feel very confident about Jaylan."

Despite the loss of Kini, Hasler is optimistic his side can notch up back-to-back wins when they travel to Sydney to face the tri-colours - although is cautious of the Chooks' strong desire to bounce back after their loss to the Warriors last week.

"We want to follow up [the Knights performance)] off the back of last week’s prep," he said.

"We’re wary of a Roosters side that have been stung, but there’s a really good feeling among the group and we want to build on that confidence."