Jarrod Wallace is about to enter his 10th season as an NRL player and he says for him 2021 will be about leading from the front both on-field and off.
The 29-year-old has played 152 NRL games and representative football in the State of Origin arena and says he's ready to help lift his young team-mates as one of the Titans more experienced players.
"We've had a fantastic recruiting season but they're mostly 19 to 21 (years old) so that leadership and experience falls onto myself, KP (Kevin Proctor), Mitch Rein, Tyrone Peachey and guys like that," Wallace said.
"It's those (tough) sessions ... when the young guys go a bit quiet and into their shell we need to make sure we're picking them up and talking to them and pushing them.
"I know KP has been doing a great job of that over the last few years and Jamal (Fogarty) has come in and he has really put his hand up to now to in that role.
"He hasn't played that many games but he has just got that quality as a leader and the boys really look up to him as our halfback."
Wallace is fit and ready to fire, with the experienced forward putting in extra work over the Christmas break to ensure he is ready to go for round one.
"There's a lot of spots up for grabs and if you're not up to scratch there are guys waiting to take it."
After a slow start to 2020, that included being left out of the Titans squad while battling niggling injuries, Wallace returned to form and the Gold Coast starting side as the team put together five-straight wins to finish the season.
He says it is a simple goal that's driving him for 2021.
"(My goal is) to keep my jersey, to play in the round one team and to play consistent footy.
"I'm old enough now to know what I need to do and to be ready every week."
The Titans have incredible depth through the forwards, but it is this competition for spots that has Wallace excited about what the team can produce this season.
"Big Herman (Ese'ese) is in fantastic nick and he is training well.
"Big Davey (Fifita), I've never trained with him apart from in Origin camp, but if anything the last six or eight weeks have shown me that he is ready to go.
"He's come back from that injury and I think he has been one of the hardest trainers."
It was one of the backs though, not a fellow forward, that Wallace nominated as the best-performed so far this pre-season.
"I think the real standout at the moment would have to be Tanah Boyd," Wallace said.
"He has been flying before Christmas, he ran our best 1.2 time which was freakish.
"He has been fantastic and it'll be interesting to see where he is going to be, whether it is in the halves, or back in the middle or coming off the bench but he has put himself in a great position to get picked."
