AJ Brimson is hoping his return from injury will be the much-needed shot in the arm to help the Titans work their way back up the ladder.
Sidelined for five weeks with a hamstring strain - on his opposite side to the one that put him out for a month in Round 4 - the Gold Coast No. 1 is back and ready to make a difference from the opening whistle, hoping to help his side recapture their form for a full 80 minutes to get back in the winner's circle after a tough trot in his absence.
Suiting up from the very start in Thursday night's showdown against the Tigers at Cbus Super Stadium, Brimson feels he and his teammates are not far from the rest of the pack destined to play finals - especially after the brilliant first halves of footy - and has a simple solution to ensure they remain in touch with being there come September.
"We've just got to win the next games that we can I guess... I think that's the best way to go up the ladder," Brimson said.
"We can score points, it's just our defensive side of things, so we'll keep working on that and hopefully I can bring some confidence into the side.
"We do still have a very young side, especially with myself and Foz being out the last few weeks, a lot of players have had to shift around, so we don't really have those connections and combinations that we'd like throughout our pre-season, but we don't want to make any excuses.
"Hopefully with myself and Jimmy Jolliffe back this week and Kieran Foran back after the bye, we can get back to how we will go to the start.
"We've got a lot of home games coming up and the top is still so close, so I think a few good wins can really turn our season around."
Match: Titans v Wests Tigers
Round 15 -
home Team
Titans
10th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
16th Position
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Bringing a simple mentality to rising from the rut, the 24-year-old has every confidence in his body holding up after the two stints in the club's rehab group for his hamstrings.
The body is feeling good and I'm excited to get out there... I'm definitely feeling fresh, Brimson said.
"I know it's been very in and out for me and the last month or so has been pretty frustrating to watch on the sideline.
"I just feel like I've had an unlucky run with a couple of hamstring injuries and I'm not too worried that this is going to be an issue going forward.
"Obviously, playing 80 minutes at fullback is pretty demanding on the body, but I've done it for a few years and always been pretty sweet especially with soft tissue issues.
"Hopefully I can prove that my body can handle it and have a strong end of the season."
Excited to be back at Cbus Super Stadium for the clash, Brimson is also thrilled to be returning for close friend Phil Sami's 100th NRL appearance - playing every game for the Titans since the pair graduated to first grade after playing together in the Gold Coast's Under 20s side.
"We've come through everything together so I'm wrapped for him," he said.
"If I didn't have these hamstring injuries, we might've been playing [100 games] at a similar week, so that's quite disappointing."
"But I'm very grateful to be back for his 100th game."
