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Titans fullback Jaylan De Groot has had some pretty big shoes to fill lately, but has been repaying the faith shown in him with some eye-catching performances.
Coming in to Round 8 after a disappointing loss to the Raiders where they let an early 16-0 lead slip, the Cudgen Hornets junior however did all he could to provide momentum for his side with 204 run metres and two line breaks. Still only five games into his NRL career, De Groot said he was heeding the advice of not only coach Des Hasler, but those who have had experience playing in the number 1 jersey for the team.
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De Groot swoops
“Des has got a lot of faith in me, he's pretty honest with what he wants from me and it makes it easier to play when you've got a coach of his calibre, backing you to play your footy for sure," De Groot said.
“Keano [Kini], JC [Jayden Campbell] and AJ [Brimson], they're all awesome fullbacks, so to be able to just learn under those three and get little tips from any of them, to be honest with you, it always helps my game for sure.”
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AJ Brimson Try
While the Titans have been struggling to recapture the form and belief that had them posting back-to-back wins in Rounds 3-4, De Groot said the squad knew things would turn around for them, despite their recent rough patch.
“Des is pretty vocal about what he wants and what we need to win and staying within what we know that is going to get us wins, so we're just trying to prepare each and every week to do our best and hopefully we'll get some wins coming up," De Groot said.
"We're still pretty confident, we're not down in the dumps.
"We know it will turn.
“(In terms of fixing things) it's hard to say it's just holding the ball, but definitely, even if we are to make errors, just to have that ability to back it up and be resilient in our defence.
"I think that's definitely what our big focus is and what we've been working on all pre-season, so just getting back to that and just doing what we can.”
For their Anzac Round clash against the Cowboys, De Groot said the side would need to develop that resilience to get their campaign back on track, having had rely on a 'next man up mentality' with a crisis of depth.
With strike winger Alofiana Khan-Pereira and damaging backrower David Fifita both named to make injury returns, the Titans will field one of their stronger line-ups in recent weeks.
“We've had a few injuries here and there, but we are keeping that next man up mentality," De Groot said.
"Everybody knows their role and to just try and do their best and be resilient and go out there and get the wins as best we can.
“This week, we will reflect on the game (against the Raiders) and do our best to prepare as best we can against Cowboys.
“They're a tough team, it'll be it'll be a tough game up there, but I think all the boys are keen for it.”
Match: Cowboys v Titans
Round 8 -
home Team
Cowboys
7th Position
away Team
Titans
14th Position
Venue: Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville