Titans five-eighth Kane Elgey has admitted that on the back of two straight losses to start the season he is struggling to rediscover the confidence that heralded his arrival in the NRL two years ago.
It's little more than 14 months since Elgey ruptured his ACL in pre-season training and missed the entire 2016 season but after encouraging displays in the trials and at the Downer NRL Auckland Nines looked like picking up from where he left off at the end of the 2015 season.
But playing behind a forward pack that has been monstered in the opening halves of both of their games to date Elgey has struggled to assert himself on the game, his halves partner Ashley Taylor the one to engineer comebacks that ultimately fell just short.
The statistics also show that Elgey has been unable to have a significant influence to date with the 23-year-old yet to register a line break, a line break assist or a try assist in games against the Roosters and Knights.
Elgey and Taylor are seen by Titans officials as the long-term halves at the club and Elgey believes a win against the Eels at Cbus Super Stadium on Friday night might be all he needs to get his mojo back.
"Personally I'm not too happy with myself but if we can get a win the confidence will grow. I'm working hard to try and fix myself and get back to how I was," Elgey said.
"I'm not really doing what I feel that I can do. It's going to be a work in progress but hopefully it comes sooner rather than later.
"There's a bit of pressure and that's what I have to cope with. In the end I just have to knuckle down and do what's best for the team otherwise I won't be there.
"I'm a confidence player and if [we can get a win] it will probably help me moving forward."
Despite the club's injury toll growing last week against Newcastle the Titans have welcomed back William Zillman (calf), Dan Sarginson (knee) and Ryan Simpkins (rib cartilage) into the squad to face Parramatta this week.
Tyler Cornish makes his NRL debut at fullback, Tyrone Roberts will start at hooker and Chris McQueen returns to the second row after filling in in the centres against the Knights.
Such injuries have made it hard for the Titans to establish any continuity but Elgey says the players who take the field need to be able to forget who is missing and register their first win of the season.
"It's been hard but in saying that we've just got to react and adapt with whoever we've got there," Elgey said of the injury toll.
"Last week we should have pushed through and it would have been a good win for the club but the last 10 minutes we clocked off which was a shame.
"We just need a win, that's the biggest thing. Just to play for each other and give back to the fans by getting a good win on Friday night."
