The freedom to showcase his electrifying running game has AJ Brimson poised to make the Titans' No.1 jersey his own starting this Saturday afternoon against the Bulldogs at Cbus Super Stadium.
A lower leg injury to veteran Michael Gordon and the return of captain Tyrone Roberts to the halves sees Brimson selected at fullback for just the fifth time in his young career but a former coach and current Titans believe he can become one of the game's premier No.1s.
Blessed with lightning-fast feet that left junior touch players across Brisbane swinging at thin air, Brimson's start to 2019 has been punctuated by injuries and positional switches.
An off-season shoulder reconstruction hindered his second pre-season with the NRL squad and a fractured thumb saw him miss rounds seven and eight.
He's played four games in the halves this season and three off the bench – one of which was a sparkling 77-minute showing at fullback against the Cowboys after Gordon was forced off early due to a head knock.
Brimson takes an intercept and sprints away
Still just 20 years of age, Brimson had never played a game at fullback in his life until his maiden under-20s season with the Titans in 2016 but Gold Coast hooker Mitch Rein sees in him the qualities of an outstanding No.1.
"I enjoyed playing with 'Duges' [Josh Dugan] at the Dragons and also 'Flash' [Gordon] here but I definitely know that AJ has got the potential to be an awesome fullback," Rein told NRL.com.
"He killed it at the back-end of last year so hopefully he makes the most of his opportunity.
"As a club we just need him out there somewhere. He was awesome for us at the back-end of last year so I definitely reckon he'll add some spark to our middle."
After making his debut in round 10 last year Brimson spent 11 weeks in the halves before an injury to Gordon forced a switch to the back.
He scored four tries in four games as the Titans won one game and lost the other three by a combined seven points, giving a glimpse into where he would be best suited in future.
Tweed Heads coach Ben Woolf originally moved Brimson to fullback when coach of the Titans 20s in 2016 and believes less pressure on his decision-making maximises the impact of his running game.
"The original thought process around playing him at fullback was that he was only 18 and he was starting to get targeted by teams because he was such a good attacking player," Woolf explained.
"We did it also to take a bit of pressure off his decision-making. He's a natural runner of the football and in the halves he would get caught up in all of the processes and getting the team around the field and forget to run the ball.
"He's fast and strong. He can beat you with speed but if you do get across and cover him he can beat you with strength as well, which is probably why he's such a strong runner of the footy."
Next Generation: AJ Brimson
Brimson's speed is on display in almost every Titans training session and why centre Brian Kelly is so confident that if he can deliver him an offload that puts his fullback in space, there won't be a player on the field capable of catching him.
"I probably won't catch him if he gets in front of me," Kelly conceded of any training chases.
"He's a nippy fella. He's got some speed on him. He's definitely up there as one of the fastest in the club.
"He switched from half to fullback but I think he's probably more of a fullback where he can run around a bit more.
"He's a little spark of energy that floats all over the field.
"We had a training session on Tuesday and I got an offload away for him so hopefully we can do it again this weekend.
"He just calls out my nickname and if I get an offload and he's there with some space in front of him, I'm backing him to go all the way."
