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Titans coach Neil Henry is confident that co-captain Kevin Proctor will recover sufficiently from a shoulder injury to take his place in the team to face the Knights in Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.

Henry on Tuesday named the same 17 that went down 32-18 to the Roosters in Round 1 with Eddy Pettybourne's addition to the extended bench the only change to the 21-man squad named last week.

Proctor got through only 40 minutes in his club debut before succumbing to the shoulder injury but Titans physiotherapist Greg Condon allayed any fears of a lengthy layoff when he described it as "just a bit of a niggle" on Monday.

Proctor was walking around with an ice pack strapped to his right shoulder on Tuesday but Henry is confident there will be enough improvement for him to be able to take the field against the Knights.

"He did a bit of training this morning, we've named him in the squad and I think he'll recover," Henry said on Tuesday.

"His shoulder was sore but it's improved and he's keen to play.

"He got caught awkwardly landing trying to make a tackle and impinged his shoulder but it's coming along.

"It's taken a couple of days but it's getting better every day so giving him time and hopefully he'll be right to play."

Saturday's clash shapes as a crucial encounter for two teams desperate to avoid starting the season with consecutive losses.

Wooden spooners for the past two years, the Knights showed plenty of promise to come back late against the Warriors and edge in front, Henry believing they were unlucky not to get away with the win.

In their one-win season last year the Knights averaged a home ground attendance of 14,457 and Henry is well aware of how motivated they will be to get a win for their fans for the first time since Round 6 last season.

"I saw a lot of spirit over there against the Warriors. They're certainly a youthful team but they're also a bit of a worry," Henry said.

"Brock Lamb and [Trent] Hodkinson were good at getting them around the park, Dane Gagai, [Nathan] Ross on the wing got two tries and is a handful on the wing and a young forward pack.

"They'll certainly be better than they were last year and 'Browny' (Knights coach Nathan Brown) is doing a good job with them.

"We're coming up against a side that had a spirited performance against the Warriors... a little bit unlucky I think.

"They'll certainly be keen to get off on the right foot at home.

"We need to get up for a game of footy and we need to get our season on track and get a win."

This article first appeared on NRL.com

Acknowledgement of Country

Gold Coast Titans proudly acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout South East Queensland.