Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is set to ramp up his training in the next two weeks following a camp with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles that has him primed to return from the ACL injury that ended his 2024 campaign.
The representative forward played just two matches last season before he ruptured his ACL against the Bulldogs, with the Titans and Maroons desperately missing his impact through the middle.
Gold Coast finished 14th under new coach Des Hasler after they mounted a mid-season recovery following an 0-6 start to the year, only to fade away with five-straight losses to end the season.
The Titans have the bye in round 1, with Fa’asuamaleaui expected to be available the following week against the Bulldogs at Belmore – the same opposition and venue where he suffered the injury.
“Tino Fa’asuamaleaui is set to rejoin the main squad in the next fortnight as he begins the final stages of returning from his ACL injury,” the club’s rehab report said.
“Upon completing a two-week training camp with world-renowned sports reconditioning and athletic coach Bill Knowles, the Titans skipper has been progressing through a modified training program as part of his rehab plan, with full integration expected in mid-January.”
The Titans face the Broncos in their first pre-season game on February 16 and will have even more grunt up front with veteran prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard joining an already quality pack that includes Fa’asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika.
“He’s loving it and fitting in really well with all the boys,” hooker Sam Verrills told 4BC last week.
“He brings in a lot of experience to our forward pack alongside the likes of Tino, Moe and Jimmy Jolliffe and he’ll take a lot of pressure off them.
“He’s only going to add to our game and he’s another big mobile forward.
“It’s pretty enjoyable being a hooker and getting to play with this pack. Hopefully, we can all stay injury free and have a good year.
“We’ve all been going pretty hard this pre-season and us like all the other teams in the NRL are pretty keen to be playing footy at the moment too, so we’re looking forward to it.”
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