NEWS: Titans pair Campbell and Fifita out till April: Lenihan

Up until round four or five, the Gold Coast will be without important players David Fifita and Jayden Campell, but assistant coach Jim Lenihan says they have good backups.

Although Lenihan informed the AAP that fullback Campbell (dislocated patella) and second-rower Fifita (pectoral tear) from Queensland were recovering well after surgery, they would not be ready to play at the beginning of the season.

“I’d say it will be round four or five at a minimum before they are both back,” Lenihan stated.

“As the season is lengthy, it is unnecessary to try to get them back a week or two sooner, but their ailments will determine when they can play.

Without a certain, they haven’t provided the group with any team training. Dave only returned this week, so he will need to get a lot of training in before he is prepared for games.

“JC (Campbell) has been doing his own rehab running and hopefully is not far off joining in with the group.”

The pair may not play for the Titans until April 7 in Townsville against North Queensland, since they have the bye in round two.

According to Lenihan, Keano Kini is expected to open the season at No. 1 against St George Illawarra, with Klese Haas and Jacob Alick vying for a back-row spot to accompany Beau Fermor, who is making a comeback from an ACL tear that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2023 campaign.

Since AJ Brimson, a representative for Queensland, will be playing center this season rather than fullback, Kini, 19, might start at number one.

Kini, who possesses a lot of flare, participated in six NRL games in 2023.

“Keano Kini has been training well so he’ll probably get to play fullback at the start of the year,” Lenihan stated.

“Keano is undoubtedly a talented young player with a bright future in the NRL, but at this point he’s probably still developing. Having had a significant off-season, he will benefit from playing a few NRL games early in the season.

Beau Fermor will be in the back row, but how the other one performs will be largely determined by the trials. There are additional choices, and the choice is most likely between Jacob Alick and Klese Haas.”

Haas is a good defender with promising line-running skills who has played in 17 NRL games for the Titans. He is the younger brother of Broncos prop Payne Haas, who is 21 years old.

Alick, 24, made his Titans debut last season and represented Papua New Guinea in the 2022 World Cup. Lenihan thinks highly of him despite the fact that he missed the All Stars match in Townsville due to a minor ankle ailment he sustained during training.

“Jacob has done a long apprenticeship in the Queensland Cup and is another work in progress,” Lenihan stated.

“He is one of those guys who has matured a bit later.”