The Gold Coast Titans received some rare good news on Tuesday, with star duo David Mead and Jamal Idris set to return from injury while Greg Bird’s foot injury is not as bad as first thought.
Bird injured his foot while attempting a kick in Sunday’s loss to Canterbury, with fears he faced a lengthy stint on the sideline.
And while scans revealed he had suffered a torn ankle ligament, the Titans are hopeful the NSW representative could miss as few as two matches.
The Titans are resigned to losing Bird for their upcoming games against Sydney Roosters and Manly, and have eyed their round eight clash with Brisbane, after the representative round bye, for his potential return.
“He’s got a tear in a ligament in his ankle – so it’s around the 4-6 week mark but hopefully we’ll get him back after the bye,” coach John Cartwright said.
The news is better for Mead, Idris and back-rower Mark Minichiello, who will all face fitness tests but have been named to face the Roosters at Skilled Park on Sunday.
Both Mead (broken jaw) and Idris (hamstring) have not played since round two, while Minichiello suffered an ankle injury against the Bulldogs.
“We’re hopeful,” Cartwright said.
“We won’t really know until closer to the weekend but if those guys get through the rest of the week, that’s the side we’ll run with.”
With Bird sidelined, Jordan Rankin returns at five-eighth while bench hooker Kayne Lawton will miss up to six weeks after injuring his hamstring.