Titans coach Neil Henry admits that the acquisition of St Helens back-rower Joe Greenwood less than two weeks before the start of the season comes with some anxiousness but remains confident the 23-year-old will quickly adapt to the demands of the NRL.
Having signed for the 2018-19 seasons Greenwood was granted an immediate release by St Helens who acquired Zeb Taia in a player swap, the timing of Greenwood's arrival now dependent on the processing of his visa application.
Conceding that Greenwood is unlikely to be on the Gold Coast in time to prepare properly for an NRL debut in Round 1, Henry told NRL.com that there are some nerves about replacing a proven performer such as Taia with a raw talent from the UK.
The Titans have depth in the back row with representative stars Chris McQueen and Kevin Proctor likely to start against the Roosters on March 4 and Henry said Greenwood may need time to adjust to the intensity of the NRL on a weekly basis.
"I'm a little bit nervous about how Joe will go but by the same token I've got every confidence in the players we've got already," Henry told NRL.com.
"Being a realist, he might take a while to settle in and come to terms with what's required week in and week out in the NRL but by the same token he might step straight up and play decent footy and hold his own spot straight away.
"He's certainly got the potential to do that.
"He would certainly come into contention [for Round 1] if he is available to play, maybe in the 17 somewhere.
"It might be that he can't be here until late the week before we play the Roosters and it would be a big ask to participate in the captain's run and then walk into the Roosters in Round 1. That would be a tall order, particularly for an edge back-rower.
"I would expect [a Round 1 debut] wouldn't happen unless we can get him here for a full week's training at least."
