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Titans carnage with Foran one of five injured halves

3 minute read

Gold Coast coach Des Hasler faces having five halves unavailable for Magic Round after Kieran Foran and AJ Brimson were injured against North Queensland.

DES HASLER
DES HASLER Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Des Hasler is in need of a sorcerer for this week's Magic Round in Brisbane as Gold Coast try to pull a rabbit out of a hat with five halves on the injured list.

Captain Kieran Foran (hamstring) heads the quintet which now includes AJ Brimson (groin), Tom Weaver (wrist), Tanah Boyd (wrist) and Jayden Campbell (knee).

Foran and Brimson left the field in the second half of Sunday's 20-18 win over North Queensland.

Rookie Weaver is an chance, Boyd is not expected back until round 16 and Campbell faces an unlikely battle to be fit for next weekend.

The Titans play Newcastle on Saturday at Suncorp Stadium and Hasler is faced with the prospect of possibly shifting hooker Chris Randall to the halves and trying another back or forward alongside him.

"We've got a week to work it out. We will come up with something," Hasler said.

Foran gave himself a chance of being fit for the Knights, but it seems unlikely the club would risk their 33-year-old general.

"I'm not too bad to be honest with you," Foran said.

"I came off straight away when I felt it grab. I had something a month ago that was pretty similar in a game and I was able to play the following week.

"I don't feel like this one is bad at all. At most it would be a week, but I will be pushing for this week."

Hasler joked after the match that his assistants Brad Davis and Michael Monaghan, both former NRL halves, might have to come out of retirement.

He could apply the same humour to himself, with Hasler also a gun No.7 in his playing days.

The Titans also lost winger Phil Sami to a hamstring strain in the first half and centre Harley Smith-Shields to what Hasler said was a season-ending pectoral injury late in the match.

That could open the door for recalls for outside backs Alofiana Khan-Pereira and Aaron Schoupp.

The way the Titans hung on despite all the carnage was a testament to the grit they have been showing in the past five weeks.

"I am super-proud of the way we hung on. That was gutsy, with the amount of blokes coming off in the second half and players out of position," Foran said.

The four Titans injured in the match will have scans on Monday.

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