Titans v Wests Tigers preview

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Two underdogs looking to make a statement on the Gold Coast.

While the final scoreline may have suggested a comprehensive loss, the Titans will be full of confidence following their last round performance against Melbourne. Widely expected to be mere cannon fodder for the Storm, Neil Henry's men delivered a strong account of themselves to lead just prior to halftime, before being outclassed by the likes of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk in the second half. On the back of their opening round win, the new look Titans will be hoping for further improvement as they return home to tackle the exhilarating Tigers on Saturday night. Set to field the same side that went down 34-16 last Sunday, co-captain William Zillman may make his long-awaited return to first grade as a late inclusion, while former Newcastle halfback Tyrone Roberts will play his 100th first grade game.

After an erratic opening round win over New Zealand, the Tigers delivered a scintillating display against Manly on Monday night. Producing an attacking brand of football that few teams in the NRL could replicate, the under siege club also showed improvement in their defence, but if they are to be considered genuine threats to the likes of Brisbane and North Queensland, they will need to tighten up further. With Curtis Sironen succumbing to a hamstring injury, Kyle Lovett will start in the second row allowing Jack Buchanan to return to the first grade team after sitting on the bench for the entirety of their win over the Warriors. In the past four meetings between the two sides on the Gold Coast, the Tigers have prevailed on four occasions including a last-second 19-18 thriller in the opening round of 2015.

Last meeting: Round 13 2015 - Tigers 20 Titans 27

Who to watch: Having been overlooked for a position in the starting side, Daniel Mortimer will be hoping to have a similar impact for the Titans as he did for the Roosters during their 2013 Premiership winning season. Capable of covering in the halves and hooker, the former boom rookie may not have delivered on the expectations placed on him during his debut season, but he has still developed into a competent first grader capable of matching it with the NRL elite. Coming up against the best attacking side in the competition, Mortimer may prove to be the spark needed to unsettle the Tigers with his support play around the ruck capable of turning a half chance into points.

Amongst the many talented juniors to emerge since the departure of Tim Sheens, one of the unsung heroes of the Tigers backline has been Kevin Naiqama. Having made his first grade debut in 2010, the Fijian international initially struggled for game time during stints at the Knights and Panthers, before breaking through last year in an otherwise disappointing season. Set to play his 50th game on the weekend, the dynamic centre has formed a lethal combination with David Nofoaluma in recent times and will be out for bragging rights against opposing centre Josh Hoffman on Saturday night.

The favourite: With two high-scoring wins under their belts already, the Tigers are expected to come away with the points in a match sure to yield plenty of tries.

My tip: Having shown sign of promise against the more fancied Storm last Sunday, the Titans loom as real threats to the Tigers, who are coming off the Monday night turn-around. Titans by 12.

1. David Mead 2. Anthony Don 3. Josh Hoffman 4. John Olive 5. Nene Macdonald 6. Tyrone Roberts 7. Ashley Taylor 8. David Shillington 9. Nathan Friend 10. Agnatius Paasi 11. Zeb Taia 12. Chris McQueen 13. Greg Bird
Interchange: 14. Luke Douglas 15. Ryan James 16. Leivaha Pulu 17. Daniel Mortimer

1. James Tedesco 2. David Nofoaluma 3. Tim Simona 4. Kevin Naiqama 5. Jordan Rankin 6. Mitchell Moses 7. Luke Brooks 8. Aaron Woods 9. Dene Halatau 10. Tim Grant 11. Kyle Lovett 12. Chris Lawrence 13. Sauaso Sue
Interchange: 14. Jack Buchanan 15. Josh Aloiai 16. Ava Seumanufagai 17. Manaia Cherrington

Referees: Gavin Badger, Chris James; Sideline Officials: Clayton Sharpe, Dave Ryan; Video Referees: Jason Robinson, Ben Galea, Bernard Sutton;