Wests Tigers v Titans preview

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Both the Wests Tigers and the Gold Coast Titans have the chance to crack the top eight when these teams clash on Saturday afternoon.

In a ninth versus tenth match-up desperation will start to show at Campbelltown Stadium as there is just four games remaining in the regular season.

For the Tigers the spotlight on the Robbie Farah and Jason Taylor feud has reduced as the Tigers have now won seven of their last ten games - their latest being a 26-14 win over Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys which instilled noticeable pride and realistic hopes of reaching the finals. They won while Luke Brooks remains injured and with Farah out. David Nofoaluma turned in his best game of the season so far, racking up a massive 14 tackle breaks and over 200 metres. The pick of the forwards was Aaron Woods, he gave an inspiring effort which limited the impact of Matt Scott and James Tamou. Coach Taylor has named the identical line-up, hoping the same team can bring the same results.

For the Titans, especially their fans, they are still elated at the pickup of Jarryd Hayne. Even though the Gold Coast weren't able to pull off a win against the New Zealand Warriors at home last Sunday, the effort the team gave in the past two weeks has been encouraging. Greg Bird especially was on the short list for man of the match against the Warriors and in the draw against the Cronulla Sharks.

Hayne's Gold Coast debut eliminated all questions about his fitness. With an amazing one-on-one try saving tackle against a barnstorming Bodene Thompson, a crafty try assist and many other freakish moves it showed the Titans have likely signed a new and improved Hayne.  While the major improvement the captain Ryan James has made this season might be something we can start to expect as it's almost been a full season of standout performances. The only named change for the Titans this week is Cameron Cullen dropping back to the bench to make way for Hayne at five-eighth.

Last meeting: Round 3 2016 - Titans 30 Wests Tigers 18

A Kevin Naiqama hat trick was not able to stop an upset win for the Titans. It marked the first loss of the season for the Tigers and denied them the chance to place on top of the ladder. Farah did not play in this match. This win gave the Titans a 2-1 record and many thought by this point they were overachieving.

Who to watch: Young Tigers five-eighth Mitchell Moses has accelerated his development in the past few rounds. Moses has entered career best form since Luke Brooks went down with injury. Taylor will be thankful Moses has been exceptional, it's helping justify Farah's exile from first grade. Having led his side past Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys last week, the match up with Ash Taylor and Hayne in the halves will be special.

Stating the obvious here. There's no denying Jarryd Hayne is the Titan everyone wants to be watching this weekend. He has been named to start in the halves this week as Tyrone Roberts continues to recover from a knee injury. After a 65 minute stint off the bench in his Gold Coast debut, will Hayne go the full 80 against the Tigers? Judging by last week's performance Hayne's still got the unique brilliance which made him a NRL superstar in the past.

The favourite: The Tigers. The favourite for this game is up for debate. The bookies can't split them. Considering the home team is the Tigers and playing at Campbelltown Stadium is one of tougher venues for a visiting team to play at, they get the favourites tag.

My tip: The Tigers of 2016 have not played well entering games as favourites this season. While the favourites tag is arguable, the team will be expecting to win at home considering the major implications on finals qualification and that's so often when they lose. The addition of Hayne to the Titans in the last fortnight makes their entire team underrated at tenth on the ladder. Gold Coast by four points.

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

1. David Mead 2. Anthony Don 3. Josh Hoffman 4. Konrad Hurrell 5. Nene Macdonald 6. Jarryd Hayne 7. Ashley Taylor 16. Agnatius Paasi 9. Nathan Peats 10. Ryan James 11. Zeb Taia 12. Chris McQueen 13. Greg Bird
Interchange: 14. David Shillington 18. Ryan Simpkins 8. Luke Douglas 20. Nathan Friend

Referees: Ben Cummins, Gavin Badger; Sideline Officials: Brett Suttor, Dave Ryan; Video Referees: Bernard Sutton, Ben Galea, Jason Robinson