Erin Clark knows he has a battle on his hands to remain in the Titans line-up for the season opener against the Dragons on March 9.
A valuable member of Gold Coast's squad with now 71 games under his belt as a versatile utility, the challenge for a jersey in the top 17 is one the 26-year-old is welcoming as he continues to work towards a return from shoulder surgery at the backend of last season.
Particularly with the immense crop of youth that has flourished in their first six weeks of the new pre-season at Parkwood, developing nicely under the guise of new experienced mentor Des Hasler.
Getting a box seat to watch the gruelling grind whilst continuing his rehab, it has allowed Clark to gain valuable insight into how his side have trained in preparation for 2024, even suggesting there could be a few bolters for Round 1 in just under three months' time.
"They're putting themselves into a good stead for the year... you could see some of them debut in Round 1 with the way they have been training," he revealed.
"With Des here... no one is guaranteed a position. Everyone has to work hard and all the younger boys are pushing us older ones.
"It's only healthy for the club and certainly healthy for us as players."
'My shoulder is the strongest it's ever been': Clark
One of those who have most impressed the proud Kiwi is emerging forward Josiah Pahulu, who came close as close as he could to a debut in the final game of 2023, starting as 18th man in the clash.
"Young Josiah Pahulu has been killing it," Clark said.
"For someone who's only around 19 or 20 years of age and to think this is only his second pre-season... we're similar players and I've seen a lot in the video sessions and he's been going well.
"He's definitely been a standout for me."
Lauding Hasler's opening stanza with his new club, Clark has vowed to become a more consistent player as he enters his fifth season of NRL at the Titans as he slowly integrates back into the main group upon rehabbing his shoulder.
This goal will hope to allow him to continue being a key part of the 17 each week after one of his best seasons to date in 2023 - making 20 appearances after switching from hooker to more of a utility.
"I've sat down with [Des] once and he got me excited because he wants to bring more out of myself and identified a lot of things I've got to work on," Clark said.
"The most exciting bit for me is getting better with my footy and I want to be more consistent.
"As you can see, I'm an emotional player and I play better when my emotions are at that high level.
"I just need to fine tune that and find the times to be that emotional player and then when to just keep my head cool and be smarter."
